Bloomberg South Africa’s central bank unexpectedly cut its benchmark interest rate to a record low to support an economy that’s projected to slump even deeper into recession after the government extended a nationwide lockdown in response to the coronavirus. The repurchase rate was reduced to 4.25% from 5.25%, the South African Reserve Bank said in an emailed statement. The decision …

Bloomberg JPMorgan Chase & Co. said first-quarter profit tumbled 69% to the lowest in more than six years as credit costs surged, giving investors a first glimpse at the extent of the damage Covid-19 is wreaking on bank results. The company set aside $8.29 billion for bad loans, the biggest provision in at least a decade and more than double …

Bloomberg Credit Suisse Group AG shareholders should reject the bank’s compensation plan over proposed payments to former executives in the wake of a corporate spying scandal, a top shareholder adviser said. Investors should be concerned about lack of disclosure of overall compensation for former Chief Operating Officer Pierre-Olivier Bouee, who was blamed for the spying and fired in December, Glass …

Bloomberg The coronavirus has blown Brexit out of the headlines, and for pound traders that may be a silver lining. Sterling will strengthen to 80 pence per euro — a level not reached since the 2016 vote to leave the European Union — and possibly beyond, according to Standard Bank. The pandemic means that the deadline for a trade deal …

Bloomberg Boeing Co lost orders for 150 of its beleaguered 737 Max aircraft last month as travel bookings plunged because of the Covid-19 pandemic, squeezing airlines and aircraft lessors. Half the cancellations were previously announced by Avolon Holdings Ltd, the world’s No. 3 jet lessor. In addition, Brazil’s Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA trimmed 34 planes from an earlier deal. …

Bloomberg Delta Air Lines Inc has agreed to sell and lease back aircraft in a deal valued at $1 billion, according to people with knowledge of the matter, as the company steps up efforts to raise cash while talks about US government aid drag on. The carrier will reap $750 million in proceeds from BBAM Aircraft Leasing & Management and …

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc was handed a French ban on sales of non-essential items after losing the first round of a court fight with labour unions who said the company wasn’t doing enough to protect staff from the Covid-19 pandemic. Amazon said in a statement it’s appealing the ruling, a move that suspends the court’s decision. The world’s biggest online retailer …

Bloomberg South African Airways (SAA) has been denied any further funding by its government owner as the national carrier looks for ways to recover from the coronavirus crisis and a local form of bankruptcy protection. The airline’s administrators, who were put in charge in December, were told by the state to instead source cash from available resources, according to a …

Bloomberg Air-passenger traffic slumped 54% in China in the first three months of 2020 as the coronavirus outbreak and related travel restrictions decimated demand. China’s aviation industry lost 39.8 billion yuan ($5.6 billion) in the first quarter, with airlines accounting for 33.6 billion yuan, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CACC) said at a briefing in Beijing on Wednesday. Passenger …

Bloomberg The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted the “Great Lockdown” recession would be steepest in almost a century and warned the world economy’s contraction and recovery would be worse than anticipated if coronavirus lingers or returns. In its first World Economic Outlook report since spread of Covid-19 and subsequent freezing of major economies, the IMF estimated on Tuesday that global …