International News

  Bloomberg Corporate distress in Europe’s biggest markets is near a two-year high as inflation and higher interest rates squeeze indebted firms. Companies in Germany, the UK, France, Spain and Italy are the most distressed since August 2020, according to the Weil European Distress Index. The study aggregates the data from more than 3,750 listed European firms. “If this upward ...

  Bloomberg President Joe Biden reiterated that a US recession isn’t “inevitable” following a conversation with former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, who sees a significant chance the country will find itself battling stagflation. “I was talking to Larry Summers this morning, and there’s nothing inevitable about a recession,” Biden told reporters at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. “I think we’re going to ...

  Bloomberg Swiss watch exports to China plunged for the second month in a row as the Covid-19 lockdowns battered demand. Shipments to China slumped 65% in May, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry said on Tuesday. Still, strong appetite for timepieces in the US and Europe offset that decline and helped total exports rise 14% to 2 billion ...

  Bloomberg Tesla Inc is cutting its salaried workforce by about 10% over the next three months, resulting in an overall reduction of some 3.5% in total headcount as hourly staff numbers are still expected to grow, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said. “We grew very fast on the salaried side,” Musk said in an interview with Bloomberg News editor-in-chief ...

  Bloomberg UK train services were brought to a near standstill on Tuesday after workers started the country’s biggest rail strike in more than three decades, with union leaders and government at odds over issues such as pay. A proposal from 13 train operating companies was turned down on Monday, National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers General Secretary ...

Bloomberg Italy is in the depths of one of its worst droughts, with the country’s largest river, the Po, hitting its lowest level in 70 years, threatening crops and raising the specter of power outages. While much of Europe has had drier-than-average conditions this year, northern Italy’s Po valley is worst hit, according to the JRC Global Drought Observatory. Several ...

Bloomberg US factory production unexpectedly declined in May for the first time in four months, restrained by ongoing supply challenges and hints of cooler demand for some big-ticket consumer goods. The 0.1% decrease followed 0.8% increases in the prior two months, Federal Reserve data showed. Total industrial production, which also includes mining and utility output, rises 0.2% last month. Median ...

  Bloomberg General Motors Co. plans to return to Europe with battery-powered models starting with the Cadillac brand and is considering selling the hulking Hummer electric vehicle. The carmaker may start importing the electric Cadillac Lyriq model, which is already on sale in the US, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential deliberations. Broadening GM’s offering would ...

  Bloomberg A UnitedHealth group Inc unit has agreed to acquire Emis group Plc in an all-cash deal that values the UK health-technology company at about £1.24 billion ($1.51 billion). The companies said in a statement that Bordeaux UK Holdings II Limited, an affiliate of UnitedHealth’s Optum business in the UK, has agreed to buy Emis for 1,925 pence in ...

  Bloomberg SpaceX has fired “a number of employees” responsible for an open letter critical of the behavior of CEO Elon Musk, according to an internal memo, an unusual clash hinting at growing discord over the billionaire’s controversial comments. The open letter called Musk’s behavior and tweets “a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment for us, particularly in recent weeks.” The ...