The midterms are coming, and with them, the pressure is building on President Joe Biden to let everyone know whether he is running in 2024. In a normal presidential election cycle, we would be about to hit the two-year mark in the “invisible primary.†That’s the period before voters get involved, in which candidates seek the support of key party ...
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Banks should send Powell a thank-you note
Shareholders and chiefs of America’s big banks should get some thank you cards over to Jerome Powell. The Federal Reserve’s interest rate increases have delivered a huge boost to revenue for Citigroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co. so far this year without – as yet – causing any problems for borrowers. Okay, the residential ...
Read More »Forget overkill. Central banks still way behind
Expectations of how much central banks will push interest rates higher to get inflation under control have increased to such an extent that some are starting to talk about overkill. Markets now think that benchmark rates in the US will top out at about 4.7% (from 3.25% now), 3% in the euro zone (from 1.25%), and 5.8% in the ...
Read More »No respite for the Federal Reserve on high inflation
If the Federal Reserve was hoping for some sign that inflation is subsiding, it was cruelly disabused by the latest figures for consumer prices. The headline rate fell back slightly in September, from 8.3% to 8.2%, but the more telling measure of core inflation, which excludes the cost of food and energy, reached the highest rate in 40 years, ...
Read More »China’s biggest airlines plan more international flights
Bloomberg China’s biggest airlines are planning more international flights, a sign the government is aware of the country’s growing isolation as it persists with lockdowns and mass testing internally — hallmarks of its Covid Zero policy. China Eastern Airlines Corp., which was severely impacted by virus lockdowns in Shanghai, will operate 108 international flights a week from October 30 ...
Read More »Bill Gates-led fund to make green jet fuel as cheap as fossil fuels
Bloomberg The burgeoning market for sustainable jet fuel will soon reach a milestone, with a plant capable of turning out for the first time a lower-emission fuel at the same price as fossil fuel-based options. But this price parity will only come as result of a $50 million grant from Bill Gates-led Breakthrough Energy, alongside support from discounted loans and ...
Read More »Boeing offers 737 Max jets slated for Chinese customers to Air India
Bloomberg Boeing Co. is offering 737 Max jets once slated for Chinese customers to Air India Ltd. as the plane-maker tries to offload some of the roughly 140 aircraft it’s currently not allowed to deliver. The Indian carrier, which is overhauling its fleet under new owner Tata group, is one of a number of potential customers for Boeing, which ...
Read More »Nestle pushes through largest price hikes in decades
Bloomberg Nestle SA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Schneider said inflation will remain an issue in 2023 even after the world’s largest food maker pushes through the biggest price increases in decades this year. “This is a situation no one wished for,†CEO Mark Schneider said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. “We are seeing huge upward pressure on energy, ...
Read More »Beauty giant Natura weighs Aesop IPO
Bloomberg Brazilian cosmetics maker Natura &Co is assessing options to unlock value at its high-end brand Aesop as the company seeks to restore investor confidence following a 76% stock plunge over the past 15 months. The shares rebounded as much as 18%. The Sao Paulo-based company will start studies for a possible initial public offering of Aesop, or a ...
Read More »Putin orders sweeping security powers in regions near Ukraine
Bloomberg President Vladimir Putin ordered dramatically heightened security, including restrictions on movement, in regions along the border with Ukraine as attacks have spread into Russian territory. Citing strikes in recent weeks in border zones and a bombing on his showcase bridge to Crimea, Putin told a televised meeting of his Security Council that he’s ordering stepped-up measures across much of ...
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