International News

  Bloomberg German factory orders fall more than anticipated after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine darkened the prospects for the economy by adding to inflation pressure and disrupting global supply chains. Demand plunged 4.7% in March from the previous month, driven by a decline in orders from broad. That’s worse than all but one forecast in a survey of economists by ...

  Bloomberg Commercial real estate lending bounced back to pre-pandemic levels in 2021, ending more than a year of Covid-driven turbulence. New lending volume rose 48% year-on-year to 49.8 billion pounds ($62 billion), according to a survey of 76 major UK lenders by Bayes Business School. The data also shows that 2021 was the strongest year in the market since ...

  Bloomberg Telecom Italia SpA is near to signing a memorandum of understanding with state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti SpA — the carrier’s second-largest investor — for a national single-network project that would merge the company’s landline grid with the one owned by smaller rival Open Fiber. “I’m confident we can reach an agreement on the single network in ...

  Bloomberg Facebook parent company Meta Platforms Inc. is slowing or pausing hiring for some mid- to senior-level positions, part of a broader plan to cut costs and cope with the challenges facing the social media giant. “We regularly re-evaluate our talent pipeline according to our business needs and in light of the expense guidance given for this earnings period, ...

  Bloomberg Mexico’s government has struck a deal with leading companies to temporarily cap prices on 24 food and other basic products in an effort to temper inflation that has surged to two-decade highs. The plan, which was first reported by Bloomberg News, will initially last six months and includes the reduction of tariffs of some food products to zero ...

  Bloomberg UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak pledged to bring borrowing under control to “avoid saddling future generations with debt” after official figures showed debt servicing costs rocketed. Government borrowing more than halved in the fiscal year through March as Covid-19 support programs were phased out and tax receipts recovered strongly, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said ...

Bloomberg AP Moller-Maersk A/S said the booming container market will normalize later than the transport giant previously expected, leading to a 25% boost in full-year operating profit. Lower volumes are pushing up the price of shipping containers for longer than previously foreseen, Maersk said, forecasting a 2022 profit of about $30 billion, measured as underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation ...

Bloomberg About 40% of US small businesses intend to raise selling prices by 10% or more amid decades-high inflation, according to a survey from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). Overall, more than two-thirds of the respondents plan to increase prices in the next three months, according to the survey, conducted between April 14 and April 17 among 540 ...

Bloomberg Germany’s economy ministry wants to end subsidies for plug-in hybrid cars earlier than planned at the end of this year and cut a cash bonus for electric vehicles by a third from 2023, according to a person familiar with the plans. The move is part of attempts to gear subsidies more towards climate protection and the legislation is currently ...

  Bloomberg Blackstone Inc agreed to buy PS Business Parks Inc for about $7.6 billion, expanding its bets on real estate across the US. Affiliates of Blackstone Real Estate will buy Glendale, California-based PSB for $187.50 a share in cash, according to a statement. The price is roughly a 12% premium to PSB’s closing price. Under the deal, Blackstone agreed ...