IN BRIEF

BoE to hold fire as growth cools

LONDON: A cooling global economy and an impending austerity squeeze in Britain will make the Bank of England wait well into next year before hiking interest rates, a Reuters poll of 60 economists showed yesterday. A median of forecasts showed the UK central bank would begin hiking its base rate by the end of the second quarter of 2011.

US reform can avoid another Lehman fiasco

WASHINGTON: US banking regulators see new powers under the Dodd-Frank financial reform law helping avoid a repeat of 2008's frenzied sale of Wachovia and the wreckage that followed the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The legislation gives regulators more options, imposing greater capitalisation and better risk management at large institutions.

IMF team backs release of Serbia's fifth loan

BELGRADE: A mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed to release the fifth installment of an almost €3.0 billion (US$3.9 billion) loan to Serbia, officials said yesterday.

Equinox sees Zambia uranium exports soon

LUSAKA: Equinox Minerals Ltd. plans to start exporting stockpiled uranium from its Lumwana mine in Zambia in about two to three years, when prices rise, the head of the company said yesterday. CEO Craig Williams said Equinox had so far stockpiled 4.2 million tonnes of uranium at the mine and would continue doing so until prices rise to commercially viable levels.

Agencies