A British court has dismissed charges brought by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) against Barclays over its 2008 capital raising, the bank said on Monday, suspending for now the threat of regulatory sanctions on its business operations. The SFO was, however, not prepared to let the case drop. “We are likely to seek to reinstate […]

Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has agreed for his meeting with European officials Tuesday to be livestreamed. Antonio Tajani, president of the European Parliament, said on Twitter Monday he had personally raised the possibility of webcasting the meeting with Zuckerberg. “I am glad to announce that (Zuckerberg) has accepted this new request. Great news for […]

The U.S. is almost certainly preparing to impose targeted crude sanctions against Venezuela, analysts told CNBC on Monday, in a move likely to constitute a “devastating” blow for the oil-dependent state. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro won re-election to another six-year term on Sunday, despite widespread anger over the South American country’s crushing economic and social […]

The resurgence of a populist government in Italy is unlikely to push the euro significantly higher amid concerns the country will be spending more than what its economy generates. The euro has been on a sketchy patch since the start of the year — becoming stronger against the U.S. dollar, mainly in the first months […]

The European Union’s efforts to protect Iran’s benefits from the 2015 nuclear deal after the U.S. pull-out are not enough, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Sunday. “With the withdrawal of America… the European political support for the accord is not sufficient,” Zarif told Miguel Arias Canete, EU commissioner for energy and climate, during […]

London is being used as a “base for the corrupt assets” of individuals linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin, the U.K.’s foreign affairs committee said in a report published Monday. “The use of London as a base for the corrupt assets of Kremlin-connected individuals is now clearly linked to a wider Russian […]

The chief of budget airline Ryanair said Monday he fully expects some of his European rivals to file for bankruptcy over the coming months. The Irish airline warned that elevated oil prices — and consequently fuel costs — would probably cause some of its regional peers to go bust in early 2019. A dramatic upswing […]

Italy’s Five Star Movement (M5S) and Lega party have reportedly agreed on who the next prime minister should be — taking another step closer to implementing their governing coalition and restoring a political structure to the country. Speculation is rife that M5S and Lega’s leaders, Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Salvini, have chosen a private […]

European stocks are set to start the week on a higher note with investors digesting weekend developments in U.S.-China trade talks. The FTSE 100 is seen up by 51 points at 7,824; and the CAC 40 is expected to open up by 22 points at 5,632; according to IG. The German and other European markets […]

Anybody capable of reading the Fed’s balance sheet can get an instant fix on what the American monetary authorities are up to. There is no need to bother with “forward guidance” — a bunch of confusing and contradictory statements serving as betting fodder for in-out trades and the Fed’s trail covers between bi-weekly reserves reporting […]