International News

Bloomberg General Motors Co. (GM) agreed to a $120 million settlement over faulty ignition switches that allegedly caused cars to stall and air bags to deploy, in some cases triggering fatal accidents. The deal, which must be approved by a judge, would resolve hundreds of lawsuits filed before the automaker sought bankruptcy protection in 2009. Under the settlement, which was ...

Bloomberg Irish unemployment may surge to the highest level since the 1980s, as the coronavirus takes an unprecedented toll on the economy. The jobless rate could rise 18% in the second quarter, the government-backed ESRI think-tank said, should current restrictions remain in place for 12 weeks as planned. About 350,000 people would lose their jobs, the think tank said, with ...

Bloomberg The French government said it will cut or withhold financial support from companies paying dividends and urged boards to preserve liquidity to support staff and operations amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus. All companies that have delayed tax payments will have to reimburse the state and pay penalties if they proceed with dividends, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire ...

Bloomberg A Chinese maker of medicines and health supplements that recently added surgical masks and other “anti-epidemic” products to its portfolio launched a Hong Kong initial public offering on March 26. Tycoon Group Holdings Ltd is touting itself as a “top anti-epidemic pick” as it seeks to raise about HK$400 million ($52 million), according to Soochow Securities Co, one of ...

Bloomberg Japan’s government slashed its assessment of the economy, downgrading a range of components hit by the coronavirus pandemic as schools were shut, factory production lines halted and the Olympics postponed. In its monthly report for March, the Cabinet Office cut its view of the economy, characterising it as in a “severe situation” and “extremely depressed” by the virus outbreak. ...

Bloomberg The lockdown that has gripped the original epicenter of the coronavirus for more than two months is finally set to end, spurring investors into action as they gauge which companies will benefit most. The resumption of movement in and out of Wuhan, scheduled for April 8, may serve as a template for markets the world over that have been ...

Bloomberg China’s top leaders pledged to widen the fiscal deficit and sell sovereign debt, signalling that Beijing is preparing larger-scale stimulus to counter the economic fallout from the coronavirus. China will increase its fiscal deficit as a share of gross domestic product, issue special sovereign debt and allow local governments to sell more infrastructure bonds as part of a package ...

Bloomberg Singapore advised the public to stay at home in its latest effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, a day after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the city state is facing a grave economic challenge posed by the pandemic. The public should only head to malls for essential items such as food, the government said in an ...

Bloomberg Sugar mills in India, the world’s third-biggest shipper, will probably miss their export target this year as a nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disrupts logistics at ports. The country won’t be able to ship 5 million tons in the year to September, as expected earlier, because of a shortage of labor at ports and mills, ...

Bloomberg The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will provide $50 billion in emergency facilities to low-income and emerging-market countries to mitigate the economic shocks of the coronavirus, including $10 billion in concessional loans. “Our member countries need us more than ever,” the IMF said on its website Wednesday. “Discussions between IMF teams and country officials are advancing quickly.” The IMF has received ...