Bloomberg US consumer sentiment fell in early August to the lowest level in nearly a decade as Americans grew more concerned about the economy’s prospects, inflation and the recent surge in coronavirus cases. The University of Michigan’s preliminary sentiment index fell by 11 points to 70.2, the lowest since December 2011, data released showed. The figure fell well short of ...

Bloomberg Richard Branson sold about $300 million in Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc stock, tapping his biggest listed asset again to prop up his business empire during the pandemic. The billionaire offloaded almost 10.5 million shares — about 4% of the space-travel company — through a company he controls, leaving him with an 18% stake, according to a regulatory filing. The ...

Bloomberg Sydney Airport said it’s prepared to hold discussions with suitors over a takeover offer of more than $16.8 billion as the company’s largest shareholder agitated for negotiations to start. The airport said it’s “open to engaging” with the bidders, led by IFM Investors, if they make an offer that reflects “long-term value.” At the same time, Sydney Airport rejected ...

Bloomberg Desperate scenes played out at Kabul’s international airport on Monday as thousands rushed to exit Afghanistan after Taliban fighters took control of the capital, with Reuters reporting at least five people were killed as people tried to forcibly enter planes leaving the country. Citing witnesses, Reuters said it wasn’t clear whether the victims died of gunshots or in a ...

Bloomberg Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his cabinet resigned after more than 17 months in power, fuelling a crisis of leadership in a country beset by a weakened economy and a surge in coronavirus cases. Muhyiddin, 74, will stay on as a caretaker prime minister until a successor is named, the palace said in a statement on Monday after ...

Bloomberg Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro released Freddy Guevara, an opposition leader who had been jailed for more than a month, so that he can act as a negotiator in political talks set to start next month. A top ally of Juan Guaido, Guevara was freed from the Caracas headquarters of the police intelligence unit known as Sebin. In video posted ...

Bloomberg Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha will face a no-confidence vote in parliament as the opposition parties and pro-democracy groups ratchet up pressure on his government as it struggles to contain one of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks in the region. The opposition parties submitted a motion for censure debates and no-confidence votes on Monday against Prayuth and five other ministers, ...

Bloomberg Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party bloc declined for a second consecutive week in a poll that suggests the Social Democrats are gaining ground ahead of Germany’s election in six weeks’ time. The Social Democratic Party, (SDP) which hasn’t held the chancellor’s office since 2005, pulled ahead of the Greens for the first time in a year in the weekly Insa poll, ...

Bloomberg Thailand’s central bank governor called for an additional 1 trillion baht ($30 billion) in government spending to counter coronavirus, saying the blow to the economy from the pandemic is greater than from the Asian financial crisis in 1997. The government can fund additional spending by borrowing more, Bank of Thailand Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput said on Monday at a briefing ...

Bloomberg China’s central bank rolled over most of its medium-term policy loans coming due, a move to support economic growth amid a resurgence of Covid cases. Government bonds reversed earlier losses. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) injected 600 billion yuan ($92.6 billion) into the financial system through its medium-term lending facility, close to the 700 billion yuan maturing Tuesday. ...