Japan’s great monetary policy experiment is drawing to a close, and the results may change the way the world thinks about central banking. The Bank of Japan’s recent quarterly report says, in effect, that the central bank has done all it can do to raise growth and inflation, and that fiscal policy needs to step in and help. The ...
Read More »Blog Layout
As China conquers Everest, tourists are big winners
Adam Minter China has big plans for Mount Everest. Although the south-facing side of the mountain, in Nepal, might be better known, the Tibetan north face also has a rich mountaineering history, and China has outlined an ambitious new vision for commercializing it. That may sound like an unseemly approach to the world’s tallest and most forbidding peak. But ...
Read More »Bombardier zooms as slowing funds’ burn drives improvement
Bloomberg Bombardier Inc. surged the most in six months after forecasting annual profit at the high end of its previous outlook as the maker of the much-delayed C Series jetliner slowed the rate at which it had been burning through funds. Higher operating cash flow and reduced investment following certification of the CS100 and CS300 models of the marquee ...
Read More »Jet Airways registers $850mn revenue in Q2
WAM Jet Airways Group announced a profitable quarter with a profit of INR 85 cr (US$13mn) for the period ending September 30, 2016 despite a traditionally ‘lean’ quarter and domestic yields being under pressure. Jet Group’s total revenue for the second quarter FY17 increased by 3.2 percent to INR 5,682 cr (US$ 850m) from INR 5,504 cr (US$ 842m). ...
Read More »Computer outage grounds flights on several airlines
Bloomberg Travellers on several airlines had trouble checking in for flights and waited out delays on Friday after a computer outage at a company that runs airline technology systems. American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Alaska Airlines and Virgin America confirmed that a technology glitch briefly interrupted their operations. The problems seemed to have been fixed by midday, and ...
Read More »Kenneth Cole to shut brick-and-mortar stores
Bloomberg Kenneth Cole Productions, a fashion house and shoe company founded more than three decades ago, is closing almost all its stores, effectively ending its run as a U.S. brick-and-mortar chain. The New York-based retailer will shutter its 63 outlet stores over the next six months, Chief Executive Officer Marc Schneider said in an e-mail. That leaves Kenneth Cole ...
Read More »South African retailers slump as Woolworths clothing sales drop
Bloomberg South African retail stocks slumped, heading for the lowest in almost seven months, after Woolworths Holdings Ltd. said clothing sales fell, adding to similar recent declines reported by local competitors. The eleven-member FTSE/JSE Africa General Retailers Index retreated 4.1 percent in Johannesburg, heading for the lowest level since April 24. Cape Town-based Woolworths tumbled 3.7 percent to 67.68 ...
Read More »Chaos as millions in India crowd banks to exchange currency
NEW DELHI / AP Chaotic scenes played out across India on Saturday, with long lines growing even longer and scuffles breaking out, as millions of anxious people tried to change old currency notes that became worthless days earlier when the government demonetized high-value bills. In New Delhi, the capital, angry scuffles broke out after ATMs ran out of bills. ...
Read More »China new bank loans almost halve in Oct
ShanghaI / AFP Chinese bank lending almost halved month-on-month in October, official data showed, as Beijing moved to rein in credit risks but with national holidays also an issue. New loans extended by banks fell to 651.3 billion yuan ($95.6 billion) last month, compared with 1.22 trillion yuan in September, said the People’s Bank of China, the country’s central ...
Read More »Allianz bounces back with bumper Q3 profit
Frankfurt / AFP German insurance heavyweight Allianz announced a bumper third-quarter profit, turning around a slump prompted by higher payouts for natural disasters earlier in the year. The group said it increased net profit to 1.95 billion euros ($2.1 billion) between July and September, an increase of 35 percent year-on-year. Its result outdid the expectations of analysts surveyed by ...
Read More »