International News

Bloomberg Spain is prepared to extend its furlough program beyond January, Social Security Minister Jose Luis Escriva said, in the clearest statement yet on the future of the wage-support policy. “We stand ready to reevaluate the situation,” Escriva said in an interview with Bloomberg News, one week after the government agreed to prolong its previous aid measure through January 31. ...

Bloomberg German manufacturers unexpectedly cut production, underlining risks resurgent infections pose for the economic recovery. Industrial output declined 0.2% in August following three consecutive gains. Economists predicted an increase of 1.5%. The Economy Ministry said the weakness was chiefly driven by a drop in auto manufacturing. A separate report showed factory orders improved for a fourth straight month. The German ...

Bloomberg Brazil is framing its slow-moving privatisation program as a way to protect forests and rivers following international investors’ mounting criticism of President Jair Bolsonaro’s environmental policies. Martha Seillier, special secretary of the Investments Partnerships Program, said infrastructure building via concessions and privatisations not only represents good business opportunities but is also an environment-friendly strategy as the country battles a ...

Bloomberg Europe is tightening restrictions to regain control of resurgent coronavirus infections, with Paris closing restaurants and new curbs likely on the way in Italy and Ireland. The continent is struggling to control the latest outbreak as opposition to limits on movement mounts and leaders resist the stringent lockdowns that hammered economies in the second quarter. Instead, the approach is ...

Bloomberg UK car sales fall for a second straight month, sliding 4.4% in the country’s weakest September for auto purchases in more than two decades. Registrations dropped to 328,041 cars, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. That follows a 5.8% decline in August and dashes hopes for an early recovery from a coronavirus-driven slump. The ...

Bloomberg Italy’s Nexi SpA agreed to buy SIA SpA in an all-share deal that will create one of Europe’s biggest payment providers. The transaction, which values closely held SIA at 4.56 billion euros ($5.3 billion) will give Nexi shareholders about 70% of the joint company. The combined business will have annual revenue of about 1.8 billion euros and a market ...

Bloomberg Microsoft Corp. has agreed to build a series of new data centers in Greece, in a move the Greek government says will boost entrepreneurship and encourage other major companies to invest in the country. The “ongoing” investment will be the biggest by the US technology giant in its 28 years of operations in Greece, Microsoft President Brad Smith said ...

Bloomberg The dysfunction in Sweden’s credit market is creating opportunities for investors ready to take advantage of murky pricing and unreliable liquidity. Niklas Edman, a portfolio manager at Carnegie Fonder AB, says that market features such as illiquidity, a lack of transparency and price volatility are “not only a risk or threat, they can also pose an opportunity.” Given the ...

Bloomberg China Evergrande Group’s stock and local bonds soared after the developer took a major step towards avoiding a cash crunch that had threatened to roil the nation’s $50 trillion financial system and reverberate across global markets. After a turbulent few days during which banks, bondholders and senior government officials became increasingly alarmed about Evergrande’s financial health, the world’s most ...

Bloomberg General Atlantic will invest 36.8 billion rupees ($498 million) in billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s retail venture as Asia’s richest man continues to garner funds after securing more than $20 billion for his digital services unit earlier this year. The private equity firm will hold a 0.84% stake in Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd, according to an exchange filing on Wednesday, giving ...