Wednesday , 17 December 2025

Classic Layout

Covid-19: Coal India mulls output cuts as inventories mount

Bloomberg State-run Coal India is considering cutting output at some mines, aligning it with a steep drop in demand from power generators amid a countrywide lockdown, according to people with knowledge of the development. The Kolkata-based miner will focus on clearing inventories and reducing production at thermal coal mines that have high stockpiles, said the people, who asked not to …

Read More »

Cheap energy shuts down a nuclear reactor

Bloomberg The latest victim of the global slump in energy prices is an old Swedish nuclear reactor that will stay offline until at least the end of summer. Electricity prices in the Nordic market were plunging even before the coronavirus began to cripple economies and hurt demand worldwide. That’s because of the build-up of a huge surplus of future supply …

Read More »

Trucking demand throws lifeline to ailing refineries

Bloomberg With jets grounded and cars parked, diesel fuel for trucking is giving some relief to refiners as the coronavirus spread cuts deep into demand. The diesel revenue is sorely needed for the refining industry which has seen plants shut from South Africa to Canada and widepsread production cutbacks due to the pandemic-driven collapse in demand. In Houston, wholesale diesel …

Read More »

Cash-strapped Murray Energy faces liquidation

Bloomberg Bankrupt coal miner Murray Energy Corp could be forced to liquidate unless a federal judge lets it cut healthcare payments to retirees, according to court papers. Murray Energy, the largest private coal miner in the US, is asking the judge overseeing its Chapter 11 bankruptcy to let it shed certain health-care obligations in a bid to stave off a …

Read More »

Eskom issues ‘force majeure’ to wind plants

Bloomberg Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd told operators of some independent wind-power plants that it won’t need their power at certain times of day due to lower demand amid a national shutdown. The amount of power generated from wind is at its highest when Eskom’s need is lowest, said Sikonathi Mantshantsha, a spokesman for the state-owned utility. South Africa started a …

Read More »

Europe stocks decline with US futures; dollar climbs

Bloomberg Stocks fell in Europe and Asia along with US equity futures as investors took in worsening American coronavirus figures and assessed the impact of the pandemic on corporate profits and dividends. The dollar climbed with Treasuries. Banks led the decline in the Stoxx Europe 600 index after lenders including HSBC Holdings Plc and Standard Chartered Plc halted dividends and …

Read More »

Covid-19: India budget under severe strain as new fiscal year begins

Bloomberg India kicks off its fiscal year with revenues under severe strain. A prolonged slowdown in the economy depressed tax collections in the financial year that ended on April 1, latest official data show. As India now conducts the world’s biggest lockdown, budget pressures are set to worsen. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has already outlined a virus relief package of …

Read More »

HSBC, StanChart tumble after regulators push to axe payouts

Bloomberg The British banking regulator pressed firms including HSBC Holdings Plc to scrap dividends and cash payouts for its top staff as the coronavirus pandemic upends the industry. HSBC and Standard Chartered Plc shares tumbled after they and Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, Barclays Plc and Lloyds Banking Group Plc canceled outstanding dividends and buybacks and said there would …

Read More »

Goldman quadruples profit hit for Europe banks to $131 billion

Bloomberg European banks are likely to see 120 billion euros ($131 billion) in potential profit disappear over the next three years as the spreading coronavirus upends clients and economies, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Goldman Sachs analysts led by Jernej Omahen shredded their profit forecasts for the sector through 2023 by 27%, four times the 30-billion euro hit to …

Read More »

JPMorgan planning to raise up to $10bn for alternative investments

Bloomberg JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s alternative-investments division is seeking to raise as much as $10 billion in an effort to bolster its spending power as the Covid-19 pandemic roils global markets. “The magnitude of these dislocations is so significant,” Anton Pil, the global head of alternatives for JPMorgan’s asset-management arm, said in an interview. “And to get some of these …

Read More »