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 …

Bloomberg Oil erased earlier gains as the demand destruction caused by the coronavirus pandemic outweighed planned output cuts from the world’s biggest producers. Futures fell 4.6% in New York amid persistent concerns of a massive supply glut. A key timespread on American benchmark — a gauge of the health of the market — is at its weakest level in more …

Bloomberg A researcher at China’s biggest oil company said the country’s drillers should copy the hedging strategies of Mexico and shale firms in the US, which use financial derivatives to protect against falling oil prices. Most of China’s oil production is unhedged, leaving the stability of the sector exposed to global market fluctuations, according to Dai Jiaquan, director of the …

Bloomberg Japan revised lower its latest greenhouse gas emissions figures, which it had already reported as the least since records began in 1990. Emissions fell 3.9% from a year earlier, data on Tuesday from the environment ministry showed, a bigger drop than the 3.6% estimate in November. The figures, for the year through March 2019, are the latest available. The …

Bloomberg Springtime is a difficult moment to puzzle out what the ongoing economic shutdown means for global warming. Carbon-dioxide levels always drop throughout the spring and summer in the Northern Hemisphere, as hungry plants absorb the primary greenhouse gas. This seasonal effect is occurring as pandemic lockdowns have stopped billions of people from driving and working, slashing fossil-fuel use and …

Bloomberg China’s overseas energy purchases weakened in March as demand from the top importer took a hit from the coronavirus pandemic. Crude oil imports fell to the equivalent of about 9.72 million barrels a day, the least since July, according to customs data released on Tuesday. Natural gas shipments were little changed from a year ago at 6.92 million tons …

Bloomberg Stocks advanced on Tuesday along with US index futures at the outset of one of the most uncertain earnings seasons on record, after the coronavirus pandemic upended the global economy. Oil edged up, while gold slipped from a seven-year high. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index opened in the green, with the benchmark up 20% from its 2020 low. Futures …

Bloomberg Malaysia’s best-performing stock surged more than 800% in the past year by helping people lower their electricity bills. Shares of Kejuruteraan Asastera Bhd., or KAB, have gained 108% to 80 sen just this year, after it started offering energy-saving services to hotels and offices in 2019. That helped its order book to reach 355 million ringgit ($82 million), enough …

Bloomberg The Kuwait Stock Exchange is delaying the listing of its shares due to restrictions on work triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. The listing, scheduled for April 19, has been postponed until further notice “due to exceptional circumstances that are imposed by the spread of the coronavirus pandemic,” the bourse said in a statement. The coronavirus outbreak has disrupted business …

Bloomberg Indonesia’s central bank is expected to lower borrowing costs for a third straight month as policy makers take unprecedented steps to bolster the economy amid the coronavirus. Bank Indonesia will cut its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 4.25%, according to 18 of 28 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. One economist predicted a 50 basis-point cut, while nine expect …