Bets on a weaker dollar are safe if investors are more worried about a slowing US economy than a full-blown banking crisis, according to Standard Chartered Plc. The recent banking issues aren’t bad enough to spur risk-off trades, which would trigger greenback demand according to the dollar-smile theory, Steve Englander, global head of the Group-of-10 currency research, wrote in a note. Instead, the market is focused on interest-rate differentials, with the Federal Reserve seen as switching to...

Amamiya could lead to yen weakness, Nakaso the opposite Hawkish Yamaguchi could trigger the biggest move in markets Investors are readying for the final stretch in the race to replace Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, a decision that could whipsaw markets from the yen to Treasuries. With a nomination anticipated in early February and a history of press leaks before the official announcement, traders are weighing the perceived policy bias of the main contenders and positioning their...

View photos (Bloomberg) -- U.S. stock-index futures extended declines on caution ahead of major bank earnings and no signs the longest partial government shutdown in modern history is ending. European stocks followed Asian equities lower after China trade data disappointed. Futures contracts on the S&P 500 Index fell as much as 1.1 percent as of 10:30 a.m. in London after the gauge closed little changed Friday. Contracts on the Nasdaq 100 Index declined as much as 1.3 percent, and those on...

Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s plan to spin off its wealth management and mortgage broking units may create a business as large as AMP Ltd. as Chief Executive Officer Matt Comyn embarks on an overhaul of the scandal-plagued lender. The new unit, known as CFS Group, may be worth A$5 billion ($3.7 billion) to A$10 billion, according to analysts. That’s just outside the top 10 financial stocks in Australia, trailing AMP Ltd. at ~A$10.3 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The plan...

Future Fund gained 8.8% last year, its best return since 2014 Move back to stocks helped fund capture global equity rally Australia’s sovereign wealth fund increased its holdings of local and global equities last quarter, helping boost returns as stocks rallied. The A$139 billion ($112 billion) Future Fund increased its allocation to developed market equities to 18.6 percent of assets in the three months ended Dec. 31, from 16.8 percent the previous quarter, it said in a statement Thursday....