Bloomberg Australia’s central bank No. 2 official Guy Debelle says risky borrowing is more likely to be an accelerator to an economic downturn rather than its source, in an address discussing the impact of lending curbs. “If a negative shock were to hit the Australian economy, particularly one that caused a sizeable rise in unemployment, then the risk on the ...

Bloomberg Indonesia’s central bank unexpectedly raised its benchmark interest rate for a sixth time this year to help rein in a widening trade deficit and bolster the currency. The seven-day reverse repurchase rate was raised by 25 basis points to 6 percent, surprising most economists who had predicted no change. That takes the cumulative rate hikes since May to 175 ...

Bloomberg The interests of India’s government and the nation’s biggest conglomerate are converging over a teetering airline. Narendra Modi’s administration has approached Tata Group’s salt-to-software empire to help rescue Jet Airways India Ltd., people familiar with the matter said. To aid the process, the government is talking to Tata about a potential haircut to state-run banks on Jet’s loans and ...

Bloomberg Asia’s biggest carrier is abandoning the SkyTeam airline alliance. China Southern Airlines Co. will exit the partnership in 2019, nearly two years after selling a minority stake to American Airlines Inc., which is a member of the rival Oneworld group. The Guangzhou-based carrier, the continent’s largest as measured by passengers carried, said in a statement that it will seek ...

Bloomberg Mogu Inc., a Chinese startup selling fashion and cosmetics online, is targeting a reduced valuation of $2 billion in its US initial public offering amid a market rout that has hit demand for tech stocks, people familiar with the matter said. More volatility could hit its ability to achieve the goal and Mogu is evaluating conditions, the people said, ...

Bloomberg UK retailers made a faltering start to the fourth quarter as sales unexpectedly fell for a second month in October. The volume of goods sold in stores and online declined 0.5 percent from September, the Office for National Statistics said. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey was for a 0.2 percent gain. Decline was largest in seven months ...

Bloomberg American Airlines raised a stink over the US government’s refusal to give its logo copyright protection — and that may get results. The US Copyright Office has repeatedly deemed the airline’s flight symbol to be lacking in creativity, finally prompting the company to sue the head of the agency a month ago. A spokesman for the carrier said that ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) on Wednesday announced an AED5.1 billion ($1.4 billion) investment to upgrade and expand its Bu Hasa field that will increase crude oil production capacity to 650,000 barrels per day (bpd). This is an important step towards delivery of Adnoc’s 2030 smart growth strategy that seeks to increase its crude ...

DUBAI / WAM The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) announced digital system for tax refunds for tourists scheme will be ready to issue and process VAT refund claims for eligible tourists to recover tax incurred on their purcha-ses as of Sunday, November 18, at Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah airports. The authority revealed preparations are underway for phase 2 of the ...

Emirates Business The Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the International Financial Centre in Abu Dhabi, has initiated world’s first cross-border testing of fintech digital sandbox connectivity with Asean Financial Innovation Network (AFIN) between Abu Dhabi and Singapore. This is a continuation of ADGM’s first announcement in September to launch its fintech digital sandbox. To ...