Bloomberg Burberry Group Plc’s decision to eliminate discounts is showing progress as the brand aims to elevate the image of its products in the eyes of luxury consumers. Burberry shares rose as much as 5.9%, the most in two months in London trading. The brand has been phasing out markdowns, leading to an improvement in full-price sales during its fiscal …

Bloomberg Hong Kong no longer has the busiest airport for international traffic in Asia after the coronavirus pandemic wiped out travel, leaving South Korea’s Incheon International Airport in top spot, albeit with drastically fewer numbers than previous years. Hong Kong International Airport handled 8.84 million passengers in 2020, an 88% plunge from the previous year. That sent it down two …

Bloomberg The parent of Office Depot said it’s open to a potential tie-up with Staples, but only if it can avoid the regulatory pushback that derailed their last merger attempt. ODP Corp sent a letter to Sycamore Partners, the private-equity owner of Staples, rejecting Staples’ original offer and suggesting some alternative directions. ODP would be open to either a joint …

Bloomberg Manhattan’s retail pain is worsening as the pandemic drags on, with rents falling in every major shopping district. Soho was hit the hardest in the fourth quarter, with average asking rents dropping nearly 22% to $290 a square foot, according to a report by brokerage Cushman & Wakefield Plc. Rents in the area, known for its many fashion boutiques, …

Bloomberg Malaysia kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged Wednesday, saving its policy ammunition as the country grapples with a surge in Covid-19 infections that could take months to subside. Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) maintained the overnight policy rate at a record-low 1.75% at its first meeting of the year, as expected by 12 of 23 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. The rest …

Bloomberg JPMorgan Chase & Co. has appointed veteran dealmaker Houston Huang to lead its Chinese securities venture as the Wall Street firm steps up expansion in the country. Huang will become chief executive officer and head of investment banking for JPMorgan Securities (China) Co., according to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg News. He will be responsible for implementing the …

Bloomberg Wall Street’s worst fears about the fallout from Covid-19 are receding. Three of the biggest US lenders — JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co. — cut their combined reserves for losses on loans by more than $5 billion, helping fourth-quarter profit top estimates even as they faced headwinds from low interest rates. While posting …

Bloomberg Hong Kong police have arrested seven current and former bank staff in the city in an alleged money laundering case involving HK$6.3 billion ($810 million) in dirty money flows over the past four years. Five men and two women, between the ages of 30 and 37, were arrested, the police said in a statement on Wednesday after making raids …

Bloomberg Bank of America Corp. (BofA) said it plans to repurchase $2.9 billion worth of stock this quarter, the most it can under new Federal Reserve guidelines. The buybacks come on top of its 18-cent dividend and $300 million in repurchases that offset stock awards, the bank said in a statement that came ahead of its fourth-quarter results. Bank of …

Bloomberg Zimbabwean banks have closed about 17% of their branches as an escalation in the number of coronavirus infections spurs lenders to shut their doors for the time being and accelerate a digitisation drive. Of the 300 branches in the country, 10% were permanently closed last year due to the digitisation push. An additional 23 branches are now temporarily under …