ABU DHABI / WAM The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, DCT Abu Dhabi, has announced details about next edition of Culture Summit Abu Dhabi, the leading global forum which explores creative cultural solutions to the most pressing issues affecting the world today. Culture Summit Abu Dhabi 2020 will take place at Manarat Al Saadiyat from April 5-9, ...
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China gets twin boost from trade deal, better Nov data
Bloomberg The pickup in China’s economy in November adds to the optimism from the trade deal announced last week, though plenty of downside risks remain as the nation heads into 2020. Industrial output and private consumption were both much stronger than expected, with production jumping 6.2% from a year earlier and retail sales climbing 8%, data released on Monday showed. ...
Read More »Indonesia trade deficit surges to $1.3b
Bloomberg Indonesia’s trade deficit blew out to $1.3 billion in November as imports of consumer goods surged and exports contracted for a 13th straight month. Exports fell 5.7% from a year ago to $14 billion compared to a 2.8% decline forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists, as the US-China trade war and a global slowdown continued to weigh on ...
Read More »Coca-Cola cans maker in Pakistan mulls $100m sale
Bloomberg Beverage cans manufacturer Pakistan Aluminium Beverage Cans Ltd (PABC), a joint venture of the UK’s Ashmore Group and Pakistan’s Liberty Group Ltd, is exploring a sale that could fetch about $100 million, people with knowledge of the matter said. The shareholders are working with an adviser on the potential sale, said the people, who asked not to be identified ...
Read More »Hong Kong’s top TV broadcaster cuts 10% of staff amid sowdown
Bloomberg Hong Kong’s largest television broadcaster said it is cutting its workforce, citing an economic slowdown and a “severe situation†as months of social unrest have rocked the city. Television Broadcasts Ltd’s (TVB) 3,500-person staff — excluding artists — will be reduced by 10% to improve cost efficiency, according to an email to staff members from Chief Executive Officer Mark ...
Read More »Blackstone’s Amit Jain promoted as senior MD in India
Bloomberg Blackstone Group Inc has promoted Amit Jain as its senior managing director and one of its partners in India as the investment giant expands in Asia’s third largest economy. Representative for Blackstone confirmed an earlier Bloomberg News report on Jain’s appointment, which will be effective from January 1. Jain, who joined the investment firm in 2010, is a managing ...
Read More »German factory slump deepens again as recovery seems elusive
Bloomberg Just when German factories appeared to be exiting a yearlong slump that battered the country’s economy, it worsened again. The last surveys of purchasing managers for 2019 highlight the dire state of industry in Europe’s largest economy, which was one of the largest drags on the 19-nation euro zone this year. There were also disappointing numbers out of France ...
Read More »PSA secures French backing for Fiat deal
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 ...
Read More »Electrolux warns of hit from factory overhaul
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 ...
Read More »Euro zone’s private sector stagnant
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 ...
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