International News

  Bloomberg Chemical companies are preparing for a potentially disruptive Brexit as the UK withdrawal from the European Union threatens an integrated market underpinning more than 40 billion euros ($42 billion) a year in two-way trade. Marco Mensink, director general of the European Chemical Industry Council representing manufacturers such as BASF SE, Akzo Nobel NV and Dupont Co., said the ...

  Bloomberg Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne is putting his search for a merger on the back burner as he focuses on reaching the Italian-American carmaker’s goal of eliminating debt before he retires in 2019. “We need to be very careful that we don’t start unrealistic dreams about consolidation as we are on our way to achieve historically ...

  Bloomberg Almost out of nowhere, Canada has become one of the fastest growing economies in the developed world. The oil-producing nation, which struggled mightily with falling crude prices the past two years, grew at an annualized pace of almost 4 percent in the first quarter, according to the Bank of Canada’s latest estimates. No other Group of Seven economy ...

  Bloomberg France’s independent presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron, tied with far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in polls before the election, said Germany’s large trade surplus is harmful to the euro-zone economy and called for more balance. “Germany benefits from the imbalances within the euro zone and achieves very high trade surpluses,” centrist candidate Macron said in an interview published on ...

  Bloomberg China’s bond issuers, faced with 9.7 trillion yuan ($1.4 trillion) of maturing debt this year, are stepping on the gas. Companies and governments sold 1.3 trillion yuan of onshore notes in March, about as much as in the first two months of the year combined, according to data compiled by Bloomberg that excludes certificates of deposit. Fitch Ratings ...

  Bloomberg Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious plans to spend a record $60 billion on India’s infrastructure this fiscal year may provide a much-needed boost to the rupee loan market after project-finance volumes slumped last year. Bank loan commitments for project financing may potentially double to 2 trillion rupees ($31 billion) this financial year, according to Muhund Kannappan, a credit ...

  Bloomberg Broadcom Ltd. has lined up financing from three Japan banks and private-equity firm Silver Lake as it bids for Toshiba Corp.’s semiconductor business, according to people familiar with the matter. The lending units of Mizuho Financial Group Inc., Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. plan to provide about $15 billion in loans, while ...

  Bloomberg Infosys Ltd. will return $2 billion to shareholders this year and pledged to raise dividends and stock-buybacks as it deploys more of its cash hoard after delivering a sales outlook that fell short of estimates. Starting this year, it will begin distributing as much as 70 percent of annual free cash flow, compared with a previous policy of ...

  Bloomberg BT Group Plc Chief Executive Officer Gavin Patterson faces a significant hit to his compensation after the company reduced its profit outlook in January and tripled a writedown from an accounting scandal in Italy. The board of the former UK phone monopoly is considering clawbacks of past management compensation due to the revised financial results from Italy as ...

  LONDON / AP International environmental groups are warning Britain’s government not to reduce its commitment to fighting climate change and wildlife poaching when it negotiates post-Brexit trade arrangements with other countries. Greenpeace, WWF, and Friends of the Earth have signed a letter to PM Theresa May stressing that environmental protection must remain a priority after Britain leaves the European ...