Bloomberg South Africa is asking independent power producers to lower electricity costs as part of the rescue of Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., the debt-stricken state utility. Renewable energy project developers will discuss potential solutions ahead of follow-up talks with the government on Friday. The independent power producers and coal companies met with state officials last week, which resulted in an ...
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Aluminum markets flash a warning for economy
Bloomberg When aluminum demand last contracted during financial crisis and unwanted metal started flooding into warehouses, it took more than a decade to work through the glut. Now, the market is bracing for another sharp rise in inventories as demand growth grinds to a halt. Aluminum has tumbled to a two-and-a-half-year low as slowing global growth and the US-China trade ...
Read More »Mozambique expects $880mn tax windfall from Occidental deal
Bloomberg Mozambique expects to get $880 million in capital gains tax from Occidental Petroleum Corp.’s deal to sell its Africa assets to Total SA, the presidency said in a statement. The nation, already cashing in on a liquefied natural gas boom even before it starts exporting the fuel in 2023, is home to a $23 billion project that Anadarko Petroleum ...
Read More »Yes Bank sparks selloff in lenders as ‘investors’ exit
Bloomberg Yes Bank Ltd slumped to the lowest level in a decade, leading a selloff in Indian lenders. IDFC Securities Ltd says the blood-letting in the stock isn’t done yet. The brokerage slashed the bank’s target price to 35 rupees, implying a 15 percent drop from Monday’s close of 41.4 rupees. The stock plunged 15 percent to the lowest price ...
Read More »Zimbabwe clamps down on ‘Ecocash’
Bloomberg Zimbabwe’s central bank has clamped down on mobile money, banning the purchase and sale of cash through the services, in the latest directive aimed at gaining control of a monetary system that’s spiraling out of control. The directive, which the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe said was necessary because of commissions charged by agents, follows an earlier announcement enforcing the ...
Read More »Down Under bonds return on property, banking rebound
Bloomberg The $125 billion US dollar bond market Down Under is making a comeback, boosted by the recovering housing and banking sectors. US-currency notes issued by Australian REITs and mortgage asset firms are returning 9.1 percent this year compared with a 0.1 percent drop in 2018 as a rebound in property prices has gathered pace since June. Dollar bonds from ...
Read More »Seoul sold net $3.8b to intervene in currency
Bloomberg South Korean authorities sold a net $3.8 billion in the first six months of the year to intervene in the currency market, compared with $187 million in the second half of 2018, according to central bank data. “It is now confirmed that the authorities constantly conducted smoothing operations during the second quarter when the won weakened rapidly,†said Min ...
Read More »BNP Paribas prop-trading arm lost $30m
Bloomberg A BNP Paribas SA division created to make speculative bets for the bank’s own account lost tens of millions of dollars last year as trading revenue slumped amid volatile markets, leading executives to shutter the business. Opera Trading Capital, which ceased trading in January, posted a loss of $30 million for 2018, filings show. Net banking income before operating ...
Read More »RSA’s Hester, Citi’s Bird on HSBC’s CEO shortlist
Bloomberg HSBC Holdings Plc’s shortlist for its next chief executive officer includes Stephen Bird, Citigroup Inc’s head of global consumer banking, and RSA Insurance Group Plc CEO Stephen Hester, Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper reported. HSBC hired Egon Zehnder to help with the search process, the newspaper said, without saying where it got the information. The report said a key consideration ...
Read More »Credit Suisse board backs CEO ahead of scandal decision
Bloomberg Credit Suisse Group AG’s board is backing CEO TidjaneThiam ahead of a crucial meeting that will determine who takes the blame for a botched spying scandal, according to people familiar with the matter. Recent expressions of support by shareholders for senior executives is swaying the board, which has few obvious successors for Thiam should he be ousted, the people ...
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