International News

Bloomberg PSA Group has secured the backing of one of its major shareholders, the French government, for its plan to merge with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, according to people familiar with the matter. The French state, which holds roughly 12% in PSA and has board representation, is supporting a binding memorandum of understanding that could be approved this week, said ...

Bloomberg Electrolux AB, the Swedish maker of Frigidaire appliances, said it will incur a bigger-than-expected financial hit from merging fridge-and-freezer factories in the US amid delivery disruptions. The upgrade, combined with destocking at a key US customer and accounting adjustments, will shave $70 million off fourth-quarter operating income compared with a previous estimate of $25 million, according to a statement ...

Bloomberg The euro zone’s private sector is barely growing as 2019 draws to a close, rounding off a year that has seen factories battered by trade uncertainties. IHS Markit’s Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) stayed at 50.6 in December, slightly lower than economist estimates of 50.7. The reading signals fourth-quarter output will be the weakest since the region exited a ...

Bloomberg FirstGroup Plc, under pressure from activist investors, is exploring options including a possible disposal of its North American school bus and transit divisions, extending a breakup strategy that already encompasses a planned sale of the iconic Greyhound brand. The Aberdeen, Scotland-based group has appointed Rothschild to help advise on the sale of its First Bus and First Transit divisions, ...

Bloomberg FreeNow, the ride-hailing venture owned by Daimler AG and BMW AG, expects to double revenue this year and next in a fresh challenge to Uber Inc in Europe and Latin America. FreeNow’s so-called gross merchandise volume, which mirrors revenue, is forecast to reach about 2.4 billion euros ($2.7 billion) in 2019, Chief Executive Officer Marc Berg said in an ...

Bloomberg US lawmakers led by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley are negotiating a potential revival of expired tax breaks in last-minute negotiations over a government spending bill. The talks are focussed on reinstating the so-called tax extenders, a move that could be a boon to the biofuel and short-line railroad industries that were hoping to see renewal of valuable ...

Bloomberg The US Justice Department is readying a lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment Inc over alleged violations of conditions imposed on the company by regulators when it bought Ticketmaster nearly a decade ago, according to a person familiar with the matter. The department’s antitrust division approved the merger in 2010 after imposing a host of rules that that were intended ...

Bloomberg Mercedes-Benz is putting off the US debut of its first electric vehicle by a year in the latest sign of just how difficult a time automakers are having replicating Tesla Inc’s success. Daimler AG’s luxury brand will start sales of the EQC crossover in 2021 rather than early next year. The German carmaker said in an emailed statement that ...

Bloomberg Jingye Group Co’s planned acquisition of the assets of troubled steelmaker British Steel is at risk of falling through, the Sunday Telegraph reported. Discussions with the Chinese steel conglomerate are under threat as a deadline to finalise the terms nears, the newspaper said, citing unidentified sources. Officials and accountants are in informal talks with alternate buyers, the Telegraph added. ...

Bloomberg Each morning, workers at Google get an internal newsletter called the “Daily Insider.” Kent Walker, Google’s top lawyer, set off a firestorm when he argued in the November 14 edition that the 21-year old company had outgrown its policy of allowing workers to access nearly any internal document. “When we were smaller, we all worked as one team, on ...