Barclays UK fined $450M for LIBOR manipulation malpractice.

http://mobile.bloomberg....ment-with-fsa-cftc.html

www.telegraph.co.uk/fina...s-manipulated-Libor.html - Some of the email exchange over the period under investigation.

@toni - there's a time you asked me about swaps rate expectation as USD rallies. Well, since LIBOR as well as EURIBOR rates get manipulated by global banks almost at will, it is hard to tell where swap rates will head.

Barclays boss Bob
Diamond resigns amid
Libor scandal
http://www.telegraph.co....-as-Barclays-chief.html

Plans by a powerful Zimbabwe minister to force foreign-owned banks to turn over majority stakes to locals are "illogical," the head of the country's central bank said, offering hope to the banks but exposing policy rifts that could worry investors.

Empowerment minister Saviour Kasukuwere, a rising star in Mugabe's ZANU-PF, issued a notice last week giving all foreign-owned banks a year to cut their shareholding to 49 percent.

Standard Chartered Bank Plc, Barclays Bank Plc and South Africa's Standard Bank and Nebank all have operations in Zimbabwe and would be affected by the regulation.

Soybean prices jumped to their highest levels since 2008 while U.S. wheat hit its highest price in over a year, tracing corn's rally.

"Corn is such a driver now in terms of market sentiment -- for at least a few weeks if not months -- anything that goes wrong beyond what the market has anticipated would certainly create a turmoil in the market, " Abbassian said.

Food security last grabbed the attention of world leaders after record high food prices in February 2011 contributed to the protests known as the Arab Spring in the Middle East and North Africa last year.

People wanting to buy dollars have to give their national identity and tax number, which must then be approved by the national tax agency (AFIP) before the transaction can go ahead.