Demand is surging again for oil, minerals and grains — the basic goods to which Latin America’s fortunes have long been tethered. After a year of graft scandals and political whiplash, you can just about hear the sighs of collective relief. Or is that just a giant sucking sound? Since the voyages of discovery, raw materials and farm goods have ...
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Euro-area inflation slowdown undermines calls to end QE
Bloomberg European Central Bank policy makers who marked the turn of the year by pushing for an end to crisis-era stimulus measures just got a reminder that they’ll have to wait a while longer for price pressures to pick up. Despite solid economic growth, euro-area inflation slowed to 1.4 percent last month from 1.5 percent, and the underlying rate unexpectedly ...
Read More »Canadian banks expect drop in unemployment to raise interest rates
Bloomberg All but one of Canada’s six biggest commercial lenders now say the central bank will raise interest rates this month after the jobless rate dropped to its lowest in modern records. Toronto-Dominion Bank, Ba-nk of Nova Scotia, Royal Bank of Canada and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce changed their forecasts after a Statistics Canada report showed the unemployment ...
Read More »Deutsche Bank’s sustained trading slump ratchets up pressure on CEO
Bloomberg Deutsche Bank AG’s sustained trading slump is increasing pressure on Chief Executive Officer John Cryan to prove he can win back investment-banking market share. Revenue at the securities unit slumped about 22 percent in the final quarter because of persistent low volatility in markets and muted client activity, the bank said in a statement. Analysts had expected trading revenue ...
Read More »BOJ’s 2 percent inflation target unrealistic, says Credit Suisse
Bloomberg While the Bank of Japan resolutely maintains its 2 percent inflation target, Credit Suisse Group AG says that’s an unrealistic goal. The Japanese economy is enjoying a cyclical recovery, benefiting from a pick up in global demand, but nothing suggests structural change, said Hiromichi Shirakawa, chief Japan economist at Credit Suisse and a former BOJ official. “It’s difficult for ...
Read More »India to fix bank system with $12.6bn bond plan
Bloomberg India took another step towards cleaning up a banking system riddled with bad loans, with the government seeking parliamentary approval to issue about 800 billion rupees ($12.6 billion) of bonds to fund capital injections into state lenders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration expe-cts to sell the first of its recapitalisation bonds before the fiscal year ends March 31, as ...
Read More »Fed’s bullard says tax overhaul may light fire under investment
Bloomberg Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard said President Donald Trump’s $1.5 trillion tax overhaul may spur investment and US economic growth, though policy makers can “wait and see†if that warrants higher interest rates because inflation is low. “There is some possibility this could light a fire under investment and really drive growth higher,†Bullard, a ...
Read More »Steinhoff to sell $25 million Gulfstream jet as funds ebb
Bloomberg Steinhoff International Holdings NV, the South African retailer laid low by an accounting scandal, is selling one of its more high-flying assets as it seeks liquidity to keep itself alive. The owner of UK discounter Poundland and bedding supplier Mattress Firm in the US is in discussions with a potential buyer of a 2006 Gulfstream G550 private jet that’s ...
Read More »British Airways stutters as sister units power IAG traffic gain
Bloomberg British Airways owner IAG SA’s Irish and Spanish businesses spurred gains in passenger traffic at the company last year as expansion at the UK arm slowed. Dublin-based Aer Lingus, purchased by IAG in 2015, posted a 12 percent traffic increase, while the advance at Madrid-based Iberia accelerated to 7.6 percent, according to a statement from the group. London-based IAG, ...
Read More »Boston, New York bear brunt of cancelled flights
Bloomberg A wave of cancelled flights is moving north to New York and Boston as the first major winter storm of 2018 threatens to paralyse cities and airports over the next couple of days. Airlines have scrapped more than 2,100 flights on January 4 so far on top of 558 on January 3, according to FlightAware, an online tracking service. ...
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