WASHINGTON / AP When the Federal Reserve chose not to raise its key interest rate, it nevertheless made clear that its next move will be another increase. That stance puts it at odds with other major central banks, which are doing the reverse — seeking to ease credit to spur lending. That policy divergence could pose risks for the ...
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Deutsche rises after gain on cost reduction
Bloomberg Deutsche Bank AG was the best performer among European lenders after reporting a surprise profit in the first quarter as legal expenses dropped and trading businesses performed better than analysts forecast. Net income declined to 214 million euros from 544 million euros in the year-earlier period, the company said in a statement on Thursday. Analysts had forecast a ...
Read More »BoJ surprises as it holds off stimulus, delays inflation target
Tokyo / AFP Bank of Japan (BOJ) shocked markets on Thursday as it held fire on fresh stimulus measures, sparking questions about whether there is anything left in its policy arsenal to kickstart a sliding economy. Dealers were caught off guard by the decision, which sent the yen skyrocketing, especially after another set of weak economic data in the ...
Read More »EFG buys Luxembourg private bank of UBI Banca
Bloomberg EFG International AG, in its second deal this year, has agreed to buy the Luxembourg-based private banking activities of UBI Banca International SA with 3.6 billion euros ($4.1 billion) of client assets. EFG earlier agreed to buy BSI from Brazil’s Grupo BTG Pactual SA in a bid to become Switzerland’s fifth-largest private bank. EFG didn’t disclose the price ...
Read More »Citi drops out of financing of Americana sale
Reuters Citigroup has dropped out of the group of banks providing a $1.5 billion bridge loan to Gulf-based Adeptio for its planned purchase of a majority stake in Kuwait Food Co (Americana), three sources aware of the matter said on Thursday. The US bank failed to secure internal approval to participate in the deal, with two of the sources ...
Read More »Airbus profit dips on delivery delays as A400M troubles brew
Bloomberg Airbus Group NV reported a 23 percent drop in first-quarter profit as its two newest jets suffer delivery delays, and said fresh problems with the troubled A400M transport plane could hurt future earnings. A ramp up in production of the A320Neo will be delayed until the second half as Pratt & Whitney works to fix an engine glitch, Airbus ...
Read More »Lufthansa delays Brussels Airlines acquisition
Berlin / AFP Germany’s Lufthansa has postponed until September a decision on the acquisition of Brussels Airlines following last month’s deadly attacks on the Belgian capital, the airline said. The delay would allow the Belgian carrier to resume flights in the wake of the suicide bombings that targeted Brussels airport and a metro station, leaving 32 people dead, Lufthansa ...
Read More »Qatar Airways urges Airbus to resolve A350 ‘issues’
Reuters Qatar Airways increased pressure on Europe’s Airbus over aircraft reliability, saying it had some “issues” with the A350 passenger jet, barely a year after it entered service. “We have some issues with the A350, which was expected because it’s a new programme. However, we feel that Airbus is losing steam in resolving these problems with the A350,” chief ...
Read More »BHS to buy chain out of administration
Bloomberg BHS owner Dominic Chappell said he will seek to regain control of the struggling UK retailer that’s now in administration amid efforts to rescue the business and save 11,000 jobs. Chappell, whose Retail Acquisitions acquired BHS for a pound last year from billionaire Philip Green, is working with a group of potential purchasers and is likely to submit ...
Read More »Surging air tanker costs hit Boeing earnings
NEW YORK /AFP More unexpected costs in its huge refueling tanker program for the US Air Force and slower commercial aircraft deliveries dented Boeing’s first-quarter earnings, the company reported. Boeing took a $156 million charge for unanticipated costs in the KC-46 programme, pushing earnings for the quarter ending on March 31 down 8.8 percent from a year ago to ...
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