Bloomberg The aviation industry’s recovery from the coronavirus outbreak will be long and slow, with passenger numbers likely to stay below pre-pandemic levels through 2023, according to S&P Global Ratings, which warned of more rating downgrades for airports over the next few months. Global air passenger numbers will drop as much as 55% this year, a far steeper slump than …

Bloomberg How willing will the Federal Reserve be just to switch off all the stimulus it rolled out to safeguard markets from the coronavirus? The most plausible answer is “not very,” logic that forms the most aggressive bull case on equities. As anyone who has watched the rocky path to reopening cities and states, it’s hard to know when to …

Bloomberg Middle Eastern equity markets mostly rose on Sunday as economies continued to open up from coronavirus lockdowns, with Saudi Arabia leading gains. The Tadawul All Shares Index climbed as much as 4.1%, before trimming gains to 1.7%. Gauges in Abu Dhabi, Egypt and Oman rose. Saudi Arabia began the second phase of easing its shutdown on Sunday by resuming …

Bloomberg Bangladesh’s benchmark equity index rose after stock markets opened following a two-month trading halt, as investors bet the government ending a nationwide lockdown will revive economic growth. The DSE Broad Index advanced 1.3% Dhaka on Sunday, rising to its highest level since March 12. Stocks last traded on March 25, marking the longest trading halt since 1976. Investors are …

Bloomberg Oil posted its biggest monthly advance on record, just a few weeks after prices made a dramatic plunge below zero. Crude surged about 88% in May, with US futures rising above $35 a barrel for the first time since March, driven by massive supply curbs by producers across the world. Still, prices are well below levels at the start …

ABU DHABI-BERLIN / WAM As part of ongoing efforts to elevate UAE-German ties, Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of State and UAE’s Special Envoy to Germany, conducted a virtual visit to Berlin. During the virtual visit, Dr Sultan Al Jaber met with a number of German officials and parliamentarians, including Niels Annen, Minister of State at the German …

Bloomberg Fossil fuels are no longer considered “green” by China’s central bank. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) plans to remove “clean utilisation of fossil fuel” projects from the list of programs that can be funded by green bonds, according to a draft plan. The bank has drawn the ire of environmentalists for allowing the sustainable financing tools to fund …

Bloomberg Occidental Petroleum Corp cut its quarterly dividend by 91% to the lowest since at least the 1970s amid the pandemic-driven collapse in energy demand that has strained the oil explorer’s ability to shoulder its debt. Occidental shareholders will receive a penny per share on July 15, the Houston-based company said in a statement. The move extends a cut announced …

Bloomberg The German government settled a dispute with the European Commission over a 9 billion-euro ($9.9 billion) bailout of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, clearing the way for the carrier to accept the rescue package. After intensive talks, the commission and the German government agreed that Lufthansa will reduce the number of aircraft it keeps at Frankfurt and Munich airports. Lufthansa in …

Bloomberg Southwest Airlines Co CEO Gary Kelly predicted that intense competition for passengers will create “a brutal low-fare environment” among carriers once coronavirus fears subside and more people start to fly. Even with capacity cuts, the number of available airline seats will still far outnumber customers in the near term, the chief executive officer said in a video message to …