African infrastructure fund "could reach $50 bln"

MARRAKESH, Morocco (Reuters) - The African Development Bank (AfDB) said on Thursday the fund it hopes to create to finance infrastructure investment on the continent could be as big as $50 billion.

Norway fund’s POSCO India investment under OECD ethics scanner

OSLO (Reuters) - Norway's oil fund, the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, has no strategy for dealing with possible violations of human rights by the companies in which it invests, an independent committee set up to safeguard OECD ethical guidelines said.

Abu Dhabi Wealth Fund Cuts Reliance on External Managers

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, among the world’s biggest sovereign wealth funds, is curbing reliance on outside fund managers and reducing holdings in developed-world shares in favor of emerging market investments.

EU to move spotlight from austerity to reforms on Wednesday

(Reuters) - The European Commission will further shift the EU's policy focus from austerity to structural reforms to revive growth when it presents economic recommendations for each member state on Wednesday, officials said.

Nobody wants to be in charge of spending $500 billion in China’s sovereign wealth fund

Running China’s main sovereign wealth fund is a powerful job that a series of powerful leaders and executives don’t seem to want.

Japan $314 Billion Rout Tests Topix Bulls Who Pushed Gain

The biggest drop in Japanese shares since the 2011 earthquake erased $314 billion in market value, shaking bulls who pushed the Topix Index to five-year highs and highlighting their vulnerability to shocks at home and abroad.

Investors remain risk-averse ahead of long weekend

Britain's blue-chips closed out the week on a downbeat note as investors continued to sell equities on both sides of the Atlantic ahead of two bank holidays in Britain and America.

Vietnam Dollar Bonds Lead Region as Kokusai Sees Recovery

Vietnam’s dollar bonds are beating their Southeast Asian peers as the region’s highest yields attract investors confident the government can revive an economy growing at the slowest pace in 13 years.

EU leaders discuss fight against tax evasion

BRUSSELS: European Union leaders on on Wednesday sought to advance their fight against tax fraud and close the loopholes for large corporations' tax avoidance schemes.

Investors Leave London for Property Yields: Real Estate

For most property investors, the U.K. is a country with one city. Private-equity firms, pension funds and millionaires from Russia to Qatar spent more on real estate in London than the rest of the country for the first time last year, lifting values there while prices elsewhere sank.

Gulf wealth funds raising private equity investments: Study

DUBAI: Sovereign wealth funds in the Gulf Arab region are raising their allocations to private equity investments at a faster rate than other types of investment, US fund manager Invesco says in a new study.

Barclays Names Hammoud as Head of Wealth Management in Abu Dhabi

Barclays Plc (BARC) named Haidar Hammoud head of wealth and investment management in Abu Dhabi as Britain’s second-biggest lender seeks to tap high net-worth individuals in the emirate, holder of about 6 percent of the world’s oil.

Eurozone calm compared to a year ago: Jean-Claude Juncker

BERLIN: The eurozone crisis has eased markedly from one year ago when some doubted its very survival, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker said in Germany on Thursday.

Kuwait-Led Group in Takeover Approach for U.K. Water Firm

Severn Trent Plc (SVT), the U.K.’s second-largest publicly traded water company, rejected a takeover approach from Kuwait’s sovereign wealth fund and a Canadian infrastructure investor.

EU to shift bill for bank failures to creditors

BRUSSELS: European Union governments want to shift the cost of rescuing troubled banks from taxpayers to the banks' creditors, including the holders of large deposits as a last resort.

Bond Sales to Fall 1st Time Since 2010 as U.S. Revenue Soars

Wall Street’s biggest bond dealers are starting to forecast that the U.S. Treasury will reduce the size of its debt auctions in coming months for the first time in three years as government revenue soars.

US retail sales edge up 0.1 percent in April

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans increased their spending in April at retail businesses, buying more cars and clothes after cutting purchases sharply in March.

China Currency Regulator Scraps Some Foreign Investment Rules

China’s foreign exchange regulator will abolish 24 regulations on the administration of funds for foreign direct investment, in line with State Council orders to cut red tape and increase transparency.

Neiman To Court Sovereign Wealth Funds

Neiman Marcus Group Inc. is planning overtures to a handful of sovereign-wealth funds about a possible buyout of the luxury retailer, said people familiar with deliberations.

Citigroup Funds Bestowed on Employees Offer Volcker Payday

For a pair of former Citigroup Inc. (C) hedge-fund managers, Napier Park Global Capital may turn into a multimillion-dollar payday thanks to the Volcker rule.

Bank of England keeps interest rates and QE unchanged

The Bank of England has kept its stimulus programme of quantitative easing (QE) unchanged and also held interest rates at 0.5%.

Germany wants swift progress on EU banking union

BERLIN: Germany wants to push ahead with a European banking union, a finance ministry spokesman said on Wednesday, possibly in two stages as EU treaty change would be required to create a Europe-wide banking resolution authority.

Inaction on global warming 'not an option': Angela Merkel

BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Monday that in the quest for binding international emissions targets to fight global warming, doing nothing is "not an option".

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank buys back shares worth $313 million

DUBAI: Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank , the United Arab Emirates' third-largest lender by market value, bought back shares worth 1.15 billion dirhams ($313.1 million) at the end of last week, the bank said in a statement on Sunday.

Stocks surge to new highs after hiring climbs

NEW YORK (AP) — Optimism about the economy swept through the stock market Friday, pushing two widely watched indexes past major milestones.

Canada Pension Plan, Hammerson buy UK mall stake for $476 million

LONDON (Reuters) - Canada's Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), one of the world's largest pension funds, and landlord Hammerson have bought a stake in a major British shopping center for 307 million pounds ($476 million).

Goldman Sachs Deal Averted Osborne Embarrassment, Group Says

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) was able to avoid paying as much as 20 million pounds ($31 million) in U.K. taxes as the government fought to shield Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne from political embarrassment, an advocacy group said at a London trial.

No end in sight for Fed stimulus as inflation sags

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve's debate over monetary policy could begin to shift away from the prospect of reducing stimulus toward a discussion about doing more, given the signs of economic weakness and slowing inflation.

Spreading the Risk With Real Estate

SINGAPORE — Commercial real estate has long had a place in the portfolios of wealthy investors, who see it as a useful diversification away from more volatile assets like stocks or bonds.