Bloomberg The UK could need tax increases of about 60 billion pounds ($84 billion) if Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak wants to balance the books, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). The warning sets the tone for the Treasury’s budget on March 3, when Sunak is due to outline how he intends to address the ruinous legacy ...
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Colombia recovers faster-than-expected from worst-ever slump
Bloomberg Colombia’s economy grew faster than expected at the end of 2020 as a rebound in consumer spending led the recovery from the worst slump in the nation’s history. The economy expanded 6% in last three months of the year compared to the previous quarter, beating the median forecast of 5.7% growth from analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. The recovery was ...
Read More »France expects EU backing for corporate recovery plan
Bloomberg France is optimistic that the European Commission will sign off within days on an innovative plan for helping companies through the post-pandemic recovery, according to a finance ministry official, who asked not to be identified. The French government has proposed a program to partially guarantee billions of euros of so-called participatory loans to improve corporate balance sheets and encourage ...
Read More »Europe auto sales resume steep decline
Bloomberg Passenger-car sales in Europe’s five biggest markets tumbled by more than a quarter last month after lockdowns to combat the pandemic shuttered dealerships and consumers shied away from large purchases. Registrations fall 28% across Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Spain in January from the year-earlier period, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Michael Dean. With lockdowns still in effect ...
Read More »US energy crisis deepens with nearly 5mn in dark
Bloomberg The energy crisis crippling Texas’s power system continued to spread, with nearly 5 million people across the US plunged into darkness as authorities fought to avoid a total collapse of the grid. Homes and businesses from North Dakota to Texas are losing power in the middle of an unprecedented deep freeze that has broken daily temperature records in hundreds ...
Read More »Edge signs tri-party defence pact valued at AED3.67b
ABU DHABI / WAM Edge, the UAE’s advanced technology group for defence and beyond, on Monday announced it signed a tri-party strategic cooperation agreement with Ukrainian state-owned defence conglomerate UkrOboronProm, and Ukrspecexport, a Ukrainian state-owned arms trading company. The agreement will enable the three entities to exchange and develop advanced technologies that could lead to over $1 billion worth of ...
Read More »UAE, Africa non-oil trade totals AED149b in 9 months of 2020
ABU DHABI / WAM Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, said that the value of non-oil trade between the UAE and Africa totalled $40.7 billion in the first nine months of 2020, compared to $36.9 billion in the same period of 2019, underscoring the growing trade between the UAE and African countries despite the ...
Read More »Adnoc Distribution Q4 profit reaches AED851m
ABU DHABI / WAM Adnoc Distribution on Monday reported that its net profit for the fourth quarter of 2020 grew to AED851 million, with underlying EBITDA (EBITDA excluding one-offs and inventory gains/losses) of AED1.1 billion. For the year 2020, net profit was AED 2.4 billion, while underlying EBITDA stood at AED3.6 billion. Adnoc Distribution has maintained a strong balance sheet ...
Read More »UAE rulers condole King Salman on death of Saudi Princess
ABU DHABI / WAM President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, sent a cable of condolences to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on the death of Princess Lamia bint Hathloul bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. HH Sheikh Khalifa expressed his heartfelt condolences and solace on the death of Princess Lamia. His ...
Read More »Bahrain’s Investcorp acquires industrial assets in South Wales
BAHRAIN/ WAM Investcorp, a Bahrain-based asset manager that counts Mubadala Investment Company as its biggest shareholder, on Monday announced that one of Investcorp’s affiliates has acquired a portfolio of 13 multi-let industrial assets in South Wales. The acquisition continues Investcorp’s strategy of investing in industrial real estate and represents its first real estate investment in the Welsh market, the company ...
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