Bloomberg Next Plc said store sales soared in the first quarter as they stayed open following the end of pandemic restrictions, even as inflation squeezes shoppers’ disposable income. The British clothing and housewares chain said sales jumped by 285% in a strong start as it reiterated that it expects annual pretax profit of $1.07 billion in the year through …

  Bloomberg Delta Air Lines Inc and Australian regional carrier Rex are teaming up to access each other’s networks, a partnership coup for the diminutive Sydney-based carrier as it tries to establish itself as a rival to Qantas Airways Ltd. Rex’s passengers across Australia will be able to connect to Delta’s network in a single booking by joining the US …

  Bloomberg Mumbai International Airport Ltd has raised $750 million from a private bond sale to Apollo Global Management Inc after delaying a planned note issue. The operator of India’s No. 2 airport, controlled by the country’s richest man, sold 7.25-year dollar notes to funds managed by Apollo in order to refinance existing debt and fund new capital expenditure, according …

  Bloomberg Australian retail sales jumped for a third consecutive month to hit a record, driven by a spending revival on the nation’s flood-ravaged east coast and highlighting the economy’s strong underlying momentum. Sales surged 1.6% in March to A$33.6 billion ($23.9 billion), more than triple economists’ forecast for a 0.5% increase, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data showed. The …

  Bloomberg The yen may extend declines to 140 per dollar and that could trigger the Japanese government to spend $100 billion to limit further losses, according to Bank of America (BofA). The currency hasn’t weakened to 140 since 1998, but it may be pushed to that level by a fresh surge in Treasury yields, BofA analysts including Shusuke Yamada …

  Bloomberg HSBC Holdings Plc has hired Michael Willoughby, a top mining banker at Standard Chartered Plc, to help build its global resources team, people with knowledge of the matter said. Willoughby, a Singapore-based managing director and co-head of metals and mining for Asia Pacific at Standard Chartered, will join HSBC in August as global head of metals, mining and …

  Bloomberg China’s largest state-owned banks reported profit growth of at least 5% in the first quarter, fuelled by increased lending and improved asset quality before a Covid-19 outbreak triggered broad lockdowns and pummeled the economy. Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC) said net income rose 5.7% to 90.63 billion yuan ($13.8 billion) in three months ended March …

  Bloomberg The US consumer watchdog is ordering Bank of America Corp (BofA) to pay a $10 million penalty and repay fees that the lender charged customers when garnishing wages. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFB) said that the Charlotte, North Carolina-based lender incorrectly froze accounts and garnished customer funds based on out-of-state court orders. The lender should have ensured …

  Bloomberg Brazil’s central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by a full percentage point and opened the door to a longer monetary tightening campaign, with another likely increase of smaller size in June to battle rampant inflation. Policy makers lifted the Selic to 12.75%, extending total hikes to borrowing costs since last year to a whopping 10.75 percentage points. …

  Bloomberg National Australia Bank Ltd’s (NAB) first-half profit beat analyst estimates as Australia’s largest business lender saw the fastest growth in loans to companies since 2008. Cash earnings rose to A$3.48 billion ($2.5 billion) in the six months ended March 31, topping the A$3.41 billion estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. National Australia will pay an interim dividend …