Barclays moves to reassure customers

JSE-listed Barclays Africa Group emphasised on Sunday that it was well capitalised and independent. This came as customers raised concern about its future after the Financial Times reported that London-based parent Barclays Bank wanted to exit its African operations.

 

The Financial Times newspaper, quoting unnamed people familiar with the matter, said on Saturday that Barclays had decided to refocus on its core UK and US markets after a review of its African business including SA’s Absa Group, and concluded that in principle, it made sense to withdraw from the continent.

Social Network: Facebook Debuts ‘Reactions’ emojis to join the ‘Like’ button

There’s a lot more to “like” about posting on Facebook.

The social network rolled out its new “Reactions” buttons on Wednesday so that users can express how they really feel about what’s in their newsfeed.

Previously, the world’s 1.6 billion Facebook users could only tap the thumbs up emoticon to show they “liked” a post.

But now, users can choose from a menu of “Reactions” emojis that include a heart, a laughing face, a surprised face, a teary-eyed face and an angry red face with furrowed brows.

Global stocks hold Asia gains, euro rises as ECB bets waver

Hints that a slowdown in China's economy may be leveling out pushed stock markets up on Tuesday, while euro bears and bond investors had second thoughts about sky-high expectations of European Central Bank easing later this week.


China's official Purchasing Managers' Index reached a three-year low in November. But the private Caixin/Markit China Manufacturing PMI showed factory activity contracted at a slower pace than in October, fuelling hopes the economy may have been bolstered by government support.

Geopolitical Tension Lifts Gold

SINGAPORE — Gold added to overnight gains on Wednesday on a softer dollar and heightened tension after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane, but the rally was capped on the expectation of a US rate hike in December.

 

Turkey shot down the Russian jet near the Syrian border on Tuesday, saying the plane had violated its air space, in one of the most serious publicly acknowledged clashes between a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) member country and Russia for half a century. US President Barack Obama and French President François Hollande, meeting in Washington, urged against an escalation, while Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said the military alliance stood in solidarity with Turkey. The tension triggered a sell-off in equities and the dollar, while boosting the safe-haven yen, gold and government debt.