LONDON / Reuters Major global central banks are ramping up purchases of euro zone government bonds, banking sources say, enticed by rising yields, a buoyant single currency and an uncertain outlook for US debt and the dollar. Data shows central banks bought significant chunks of debt issued by Belgium, France and state-backed German development bank KfW in bond syndications last ...

Bloomberg EasyJet Plc, Air France-KLM Group and Cerberus Capital Management have made a joint approach to the Italian airline Alitalia SpA about a possible takeover, said a person familiar with the matter, betting the unprofitable carrier will provide a gateway to expansion in the Mediterranean market. EasyJet, Europe’s second-biggest low-cost airline, said it has submitted a “revised expression of interest ...

LONDON / Reuters Airbus wants Britain to provide more clarity over the country’s future relationship with the EU, or risk losing investment, the European planemaker’s CEO said. “We must have more clarity on the UK’s long-term relationships, not just for the next 20 months,” CEO Tom Enders said in an opinion piece in the Financial Times. “Britain must recognise that ...

Bloomberg Canada’s biggest printer says its latest deal opens the door to making Amazon.com Inc. a customer as the online retail giant tries to break into the fresh-food delivery business. Transcontinental Inc.’s proposed $1.32 billion purchase of Coveris Americas will bring on board several food suppliers that rely on Coveris for packaging, Chief Executive Officer Francois Olivier said. Several of ...

Bloomberg Eurocontrol, an air traffic agency in Europe, asked airlines to apply caution on flights to the eastern Mediterranean region because of possible air strikes in Syria over the next 72 hours. “Due consideration needs to be taken when planning flight operations in the Eastern Mediterranean,” the agency said in a statement posted on its website citing the European Aviation ...

SINGAPORE / Reuters Malaysia Airlines has indicated that it may be interested in buying 20-30 widebody jets from either Boeing Co or Airbus SE, a source with knowledge of the matter said. Such a deal could either expand or replace a previous non-binding agreement with Boeing that was reached during a high-profile US visit by the country’s prime minister in ...

Reuters French oil and gas major Total on Tuesday signed a $5 billion dealwith Saudi Aramco to build a giant petrochemical complex at their 440,000 barrels-per-day Jubail Satorp refinery. Saudi Aramco holds a 62.5 percent stake in the refinery, while Total holds the other 37.5 percent. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on the sidelines of a visit by ...

Bloomberg Stocks surged on Tuesday following conciliatory remarks from Chinese President Xi Jinping aimed at releasing some pressure from a trade dispute between the world’s biggest economies. Treasuries fell with the dollar. All major US equity indexes were up more than 1.4 percent after Xi said Cold War and zero-sum mentalities were “out of place,” and backed free trade and ...

Bloomberg The krona is the worst-performing major currency this year. That may be about to change. Sweden’s krona should recover from this month’s eight-year low of 10.35 per euro as factors that have weighed, such as weaker-than-forecast inflation, are either already priced in or will improve, according to SEB AB. The bank sees it appreciating to 9.80 per euro by ...

Bloomberg The head of China’s largest natural gas importer believes the country’s energy ties with the US are set to deepen, despite trade conflict between the world’s two largest economies that has roiled financial markets. “There is more room for cooperation than confrontation between China and the US,” China National Petroleum Corp. Chairman Wang Yilin said in an interview with ...