Bloomberg British Airways (BA) has become the first major European carrier to lose its investment grade status amid the Covid-19 pandemic after Fitch cut its credit rating one notch. The flagship British company is unlikely to recover its end-2019 capacity level until 2023, according to Fitch’s baseline forecast. The ratings agency also put the company on negative outlook, reflecting the …

Bloomberg The fortunes of the Walton family — the pioneers of American bargain shopping — have reached new heights during a pandemic that has otherwise obliterated trillions of dollars of value across global markets. The combined net worth of siblings Alice, Jim and Rob Walton has climbed 2.6% this year to $165.7 billion as recession-wary shoppers flock to Walmart Inc …

RIYADH / WAM The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen has declared a comprehensive ceasefire in Yemen for a period of two weeks, starting April 9 at 12:00 KSA time. The two-week period is subject to extension. “Based on its previous announcement on March 25, the Joint Forces Command of the coalition supported the Yemeni …

Bloomberg Oil rose but trading was volatile as the world’s top producers inched towards a deal to curb output. Brent futures were higher on the day, but fell sharply by about $2 a barrel on concerns that any deal may not be enough to stem rising inventories. The Opec+ meeting discuss curbing output by 10 million barrels a day, said …

Bloomberg India is planning to provide nearly $6.6 billion in loans to state power utilities as a slump in electricity demand squeezes liquidity while dues to generators pile up, according to people with knowledge of the development. The loans, via state-run Power Finance Corp. Ltd. and its unit REC Ltd., will help the utilities, known as discoms, clear debts to …

Bloomberg The number of people going hungry around the world could double in just a few months as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on food supplies and hurts incomes. That’s according to a group of major food companies, industry bodies and academics, which warned that those suffering from chronic hunger may surge from about 800 million amid mounting food-supply risks. …

Bloomberg Air France-KLM expects more than 90% of its capacity to remain suspended through the end of May as the coronavirus pandemic paralyses the travel industry worldwide. For the next two months, the airline aims to continue serving only some key city pairs with a “skeleton operation,” according to a statement. Beyond that time frame, the company said, projections are …

Bloomberg A 75% wage subsidy touted by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has caught the interest of the country’s biggest airline, a request that could cost the government as much as C$30.5 million (about $22 million) a week. Air Canada said it will apply for the money to help keep or recall its 36,000 employees based in the country, 16,500 …

Bloomberg Costco Wholesale Corp’s sales soared in March, but not as much as expected: Curbs the retailer placed on its operations to cope with coronavirus-related demand slowed the pace in the back half of the month. The shares fell in extended trading. The retailer’s comparable US sales excluding fuel — a key metric watched by analysts — rose 12.1%, it …

Bloomberg South Africa’s property owners will provide relief to retail tenants hardest hit by a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19. The initiative, which focusses on small-, medium- and micro-sized enterprises, will be rolled out by landlords nationally, the Property Industry Group said in a statement published on the website of the South African Real Estate Investment Trusts …