Bloomberg South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) is unlikely to win a majority in Johannesburg, the nation’s largest city, or the capital Pretoria in forthcoming municipal elections, a News24 poll showed. The ANC’s support in Johannesburg could fall to 41% if half of eligible voters turn out for the November 1 elections, News24 reported, citing the poll it commissioned. ...

Bloomberg UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak dismissed questions about whether he wants to become PM, saying that he is “tired enough anyway.” The chancellor made the comments in an interview with The Times newspaper on Saturday, in which he also discussed the risks of rising interest rates and the need to rein in public spending ahead of his ...

Bloomberg The US posted the second-largest annual budget deficit on record for 2021 as pandemic-relief spending sustained the federal government’s massive borrowing needs. The deficit for the fiscal year through September was $2.77 trillion, compared with the $3.1 trillion peak seen in the previous year, a Treasury Department report shows. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and acting White House budget director ...

Bloomberg Italy’s credit rating outlook was raised to positive from stable by S&P Global Ratings, which said the progress in implementing reforms will boost economic growth, benefiting fiscal consolidation. S&P affirmed the BBB rating on Italy, which is two notches above junk. The country’s prospects are looking brighter as increasing rates of vaccination have allowed it to avoid renewed lockdowns. ...

Bloomberg Alphabet Inc’s Google is slashing the fees it takes from subscription services on its app store following pressure from developers and lawmakers. Beginning January 1, the Google Play Store will charge third-party subscription apps a 15% commission, the company said. Previously, subscription apps were charged 30% for first year, then 15% thereafter. Google also charged 15% for first $1 ...

Bloomberg The cost of hedging against inflation in the UK over the next decade rises to the highest level in 25 years as investors brace for price pressures in the economy to persist. The so-called 10-year breakeven rate climbed as much as 11 basis points to 4.25%, the highest since 1996. That predates the Bank of England’s independence in 1997, ...

Bloomberg Retailers in Canada reported fewer sales in September amid supply chain bottlenecks and a reopening of the economy that allowed consumers to spend more on services. Receipts likely fall 1.9%, a preliminary estimate by Statistics Canada indicated, after a gain of 2.1% in August — slightly ahead of a 2% consensus estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists. The ...

Bloomberg France’s 2022 budget deficit will be wider than forecast only a month ago after President Emmanuel Macron’s government announced plans to contain energy prices, hand out checks to more than half the population, and make high-risk investments in future industrial sectors. With just six months to go until elections, Prime Minister Jean Castex said that around 38 million people ...

Bloomberg A warning from Snap Inc is rattling technology investors who have got used to turbocharged growth in ad spending on social media. Executives from the maker of Snapchat said that supply-chain bottlenecks are prompting companies to hold back on online ad spend for the upcoming holiday season, meaning sales will rise by only around 30% in the fourth quarter ...

Bloomberg Intel Corp shares plummeted to their lowest close since December, after the chipmaker reported third-quarter results and detailed a spending plan that it said would pressure profitability over the next few years. The stock falls 12%, its biggest one-day percentage decline since July 2020, marking the sixth straight quarter where Intel’s results were met with a negative reaction. The ...