The Bank of Englandâ??s monetary policy committee voted to extend its so-called quantitative easing programme of buying government and corporate bonds from £125bn to an unexpectedly large £175bn, while holding interest rates at 0.5 per cent.
The prices of the most traded risky European and US loans have reached their highest levels for more than a year, in a further sign of improving conditions in credit markets.
Citi announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to sell its entire ownership interest in Nikko Asset Management, one of Japanâ??s leading asset management companies, to The Sumitomo Trust and Banking Co., Ltd. as part of a transaction that values Nikko AM at Â¥120bn ($1.25bn).
Hungary offers â?¬100m loan for Permira deal (Fund News)
The Hungarian government is throwing a lifeline to one of eastern Europeâ??s biggest private-equity deals by offering a â?¬100m loan to Borsodchem, the chemicals group acquired by Permira, the UK private equity firm, for â?¬1.6bn in 2006.