In the aftermath of the financial crisis, we’ve become accustomed to banks being slapped with sanctions running into the billions. So at the equivalent of $57 million, Citigroup Inc.’s new fine for reporting failures could well go unnoticed. That would be a mistake. The third-largest US bank, with assets in excess of $2 trillion, inaccurately reported its capital and liquidity ...
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Black Friday experience just isn’t available online
Plenty of shoppers opt for swiping and tapping on their phones instead of bumping and elbowing their way through the mall on Black Friday . But the changing nature of this American-invented shopping holiday should hardly be taken as a signal that physical stores don’t matter. While consumers say they plan to spend more online than in stores, the data ...
Read More »Lagarde can’t avoid a quagmire at ECB
In her first month as president of the European Central Bank (ECB), Christine Lagarde has spoken remarkably little about monetary policy. However, she’s made clear that she wants to launch a review of the ECB’s strategy to ensure it is fit for the times we live in. It’s an exercise that’s well worth doing. The last rethink of the ECB’s ...
Read More »Germany should prod its savers to take a few risks
The German government is often accused of spending too little money. With interest rates low or negative, the thinking goes, Europe’s biggest country should be using its fiscal discretion to stimulate the region’s economy. But then, German households exhibit similar behaviour. Even as rates fell, they saved as much as ever, more than people in most other rich countries, and ...
Read More »Climate change is a financial crisis, too
The people who oversee America’s financial system seem to think that climate change isn’t their problem. As one official quipped in recent congressional testimony, he’s “not a meteorologist or a climate scientist.†They should think again. By failing to take action, regulators are leaving the country exposed to a devastating crisis. Financial institutions, from banks to insurers to asset managers, ...
Read More »Real news: Hardly anybody shares fake news
Some people are fuming at Facebook for allowing unfiltered political ads, while others are fuming at Twitter for banning them. There’s lots of confusion and speculation, but what we know is that these social media companies have fundamentally changed how people exchange information. What we need to figure out is whether they also change how people spread disinformation — and ...
Read More »IndiGo stops pushing engines to the limit after shutdowns
Bloomberg IndiGo has told its pilots to stop pushing engines on its new Airbus SE jets to the limit when the planes are climbing, after India’s aviation regulator said the practice may have contributed to turbines failing in the air. All the budget airline’s A320neo aircraft now use a lower thrust setting following take off, according to a spokeswoman from ...
Read More »Modi mulls easing foreign control rule to aid Air India sale
Bloomberg India is considering amending a rule to allow overseas control of local airlines, according to a person familiar with the matter, which may help its indebted national carrier lure a foreign suitor after multiple failed attempts for a sale. At a meeting in early November, India’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade asked the aviation ministry if ...
Read More »South African airways in limbo as state considering bailout
Bloomberg South African Airways (SAA) said it’s waiting for the government to tell it whether it will provide the national carrier with the money needed to keep flying, rendering it unable to publish its results for the year through March. “SAA cannot finalise its annual financial statements within the prescribed time until the going concern status is confirmed,†the carrier ...
Read More »Italy to approve $442mn loan to keep Alitalia flying
Bloomberg Italy is set to approve a new 400 million-euro loan for failed airline Alitalia, people familiar with the situation said. The government will give the green light to the funding at a cabinet meeting, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential deliberations. The new loan throws a lifeline to Alitalia as government continues to ...
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