Bloomberg Australia is set to raise interest rates as it closes in on the end of its tightening cycle, while nearby New Zealand just delivered a record hike and is poised to move higher, underscoring different central bank outlooks at year’s end. All-but one economist sees the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) hiking by a quarter-percentage point to 3.1%, with …

  Bloomberg Chinese equities rallied and the yuan strengthened past a key level, as the authorities accelerated a shift towards reopening the economy and more investors turned bullish. The yuan breached the 7-per-dollar level, while a gauge of Chinese tech stocks in Hong Kong surged 9.3% in a fifth day of gains. The dollar bonds of developers also rise as …

  Bloomberg Stock-market investors are hoping for a strong finish to a chaotic year. A less hawkish Federal Reserve and encouraging inflation data could unleash a mega-rally in December, which has proved to be a strong month for the stock market over the past 70 years. This year, though, it may get off to a late start: With all the …

Bloomberg The Opec+ alliance decided to maintain production at current levels, pausing to take stock of a global oil market that’s roiled by uncertainty over Chinese demand and Russian supply. The outcome of the brief online meeting on Sunday reflects the unpredictability of supply and demand in the coming months, and the wild gyrations in prices of the past week. …

  Brussels / WAM In 2021, the EU spent $12.43 billion (€11.8 billion) on imports of non-plug-in hybrid cars (41% of total extra-EU imports of hybrid and electric cars), €11.4 billion on full electric cars (39%) and €5.9 billion on plug-in hybrid cars (20%), according to figures published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. For all three …

  Bloomberg Delta Air Lines Inc pilots would receive at least 31% in pay hikes over the four-year term of an agreement in principle reached with the carrier. The tentative accord — with $7.8 billion in total increased value — would also provide a one-time payment to pilots, the Air Line Pilots Association told members in an email. The agreement, …

Bloomberg Airbus SE faces a huge challenge in reaching its target for full-year aircraft deliveries, a key metric for the European company, after November handovers fell well short of the level needed to attain the goal. The world’s biggest planemaker shipped about 55 aircraft last month, based on data from aviation analytics firm Cirium, leaving it about 150 short of …

  Bloomberg Kroger Co lifted its annual profit outlook for the year, but it wasn’t enough to thrill investors as Wall Street fretted about inflation’s toll on shoppers amid the grocer’s push to buy Albertsons Cos. A moderate comparable-sales forecast for the current quarter suggests a slowdown after Kroger handily beat analyst estimates in the previous three-month period. That’s fuelling …

Bloomberg A lackluster Black Friday in the UK added to an already muted Christmas season, leaving retailers with a problem: too much stock. Marks & Spencer Group Plc, Next Plc and Hotel Chocolat Group Plc are all trying to tackle high inventories that are forcing some British retailers to take on costly warehouse expenses and contemplate even steeper discounts. According …

  Bloomberg Families flying abroad for Christmas face strikes at Heathrow airport, with baggage handlers set to walk out for three days just as the end of the school term triggers a mass exodus via the London hub. About 350 staff at Menzies Aviation, which provides ground-handling services for carriers including American Airlines and Deutsche Lufthansa AG, will strike from …