Because the ECB has been buying covered bonds for so long, it has been subject to complaints of distortion for several years. One of the most significant distortions created from bulk buying of government bonds and other high quality debt has shown up in Europe’s repo market. Source: FT
OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia does not wish to impose a 1973-style oil embargo on Western consumers, the country’s energy minister reportedly said Monday, amid a deepening crisis over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Source: CNBC
Saudi Arabia signed deals worth more than $50 billion in oil, gas, infrastructure and other sectors at an investment conference in Riyadh on Tuesday, officials there said. Source: Reuters
The European Commission is set to reject Italy’s budget on Tuesday (23 October) due to an “unprecedented” breach of EU fiscal rules, while Rome has stuck to its guns and presented the breach as a “difficult but necessary decision” taken by the government. Source: Euractiv
