Bloomberg Boutique women’s clothing chain Francesca’s Holdings Corp filed for bankruptcy after the pandemic eroded the company’s already flagging sales. The Houston-based company sought Chapter 11 protection in US Bankruptcy Court in Delaware with plans to sell the business, according to a statement. TerraMar Capital LLC or an affiliate has agreed to become the stalking-horse bidder in a court-supervised auction, …

Bloomberg The European Union’s top trade official held out the prospect of a long-sought deal with the US on aircraft subsidies before President Donald Trump leaves office. EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said “it’s possible” that both sides will reach an agreement by January 20 governing aid to Boeing Co and Airbus SE. He reiterated an offer to remove EU …

Bloomberg South Africa isn’t just in talks with potential buyers of a stake in the country’s insolvent state-owned airline, it’s also seeking partners for subsidiaries such as low-cost airline Mango and catering unit Air Chefs. The result will be a number of private-sector entities working with various parts of South African Airways (SAA) whenever it resumes operations, according to Public …

Bloomberg Voracious cash appetite among virus-strapped companies and a battered economy that makes buybacks tough to justify are warping supply and demand dynamics in the stock market, something for bulls to worry about heading into year end. While American firms normally repurchase way more stock than they sell, this year has been different, as offerings by everyone from Snowflake Inc …

Bloomberg While Bitcoin’s record-high grabs attention, its crypto compatriot Ethereum is continuing to broaden its appeal beyond the software programming crowd. Before this year, most investors’ first stop was Bitcoin, according to Michael Sonnenshein, managing director at Grayscale Investments LLC, which has investment products that track both and allows investments from institutional and accredited investors only. But the Ethereum blockchain, …

Bloomberg Oil rose for a fifth straight week with support from an Opec+ deal and hopes for another round of US stimulus. Futures in New York and London closed at fresh nine-month highs, with signs that momentum is building towards a fiscal stimulus plan that could provide an immediate demand boost, before a vaccine is widely available. Prices had already …

Bloomberg Centrica Plc, the biggest supplier of energy to UK homes, has resumed talks over a potential sale of its North Sea oil and gas venture after putting the plans on hold earlier this year. The London-listed company is in discussions with “a number of parties” regarding a sale of its controlling stake in Spirit Energy Ltd “but hasn’t restarted …

Bloomberg Global efforts to reduce wasted energy have faced a major setback in 2020, sidelining a relatively simple way of slashing emissions and hitting climate goals. That’s the conclusion from an International Energy Agency report, which recorded the weakest improvement in efficiency since 2010, as investments into technologies that can cut emissions have slowed amid the economic turmoil brought on …

Bloomberg LG Chem Ltd is voluntarily recalling some models of its home energy storage batteries in the US over concerns they could overheat and start fires. The South Korean industrial giant is working with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission on the recall after the company received reports of five fires with its battery systems that caused limited property damage …

Bloomberg Boeing Co is studying an equity sale and other ways to ease a debt burden that has soared to $61 billion this year amid the worst slump in aviation history. Adding to the financial stress, Boeing will trim output of its 787 Dreamliner to five planes a month by mid-2021, one less than previously planned, Chief Financial Officer Greg …