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Oil hits 3-month low as virus raises demand fears

Bloomberg Oil traded near the lowest close since mid-October as the market was dominated by alarm that the deadly coronavirus will hurt economic activity in China and beyond. Futures held near $53 a barrel in New York after losing 9% during five straight days of declines on concern reduced travel will hit jet fuel demand in the world’s biggest oil ...

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French cities sue Total over ‘carbon emission’

Bloomberg Oil giant Total SA is being sued by 14 local governments and a handful of non-governmental organisations in France for not doing enough to reduce its carbon emissions and fight global warming. The legal challenge is the latest sign that the biggest oil companies are coming under increasing pressure from activists, investors and governments to cut emissions as the ...

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Old electric car batteries may help cut costs of storing power

Bloomberg As major players jostle for market share in large-scale power storage, American Electric Power and Nissan Motor Co are testing new technology that re-uses old electric vehicle batteries to slash costs. The pilot study in Ohio will road test technology that could lower system costs by about a half and extend the life of lithium-ion batteries by about a ...

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France to use batteries for renewables

Bloomberg France’s grid operator will test storing excess wind and solar power in batteries to reduce the need to build new transmission lines that involve heavy construction work and take longer to complete. Network operators across Europe are seeking ways to both minimise the cost and environmental impact of the energy transition. Reseau de Transport d’Electricite estimates that France will ...

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Stocks pull back as China bars travel to Hong Kong

Bloomberg European stocks erased gains while US index futures trimmed an advance as China restricted travel to Hong Kong in the latest international effort to curb the Sars-like virus from spreading. The yuan fluctuated and Treasuries turned higher. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index gave up an early advance after Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said China will stop individual ...

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South Korean stocks shattered over virus

Bloomberg South Korean stocks bore the brunt of Asian stock declines tied to the new coronavirus on Tuesday as more markets opened after holidays and concerns spread from short-term consumerism to longer-term growth. The benchmark Kospi plunged as much as 3.6%, set for the biggest decline since October 2018. Companies that had benefited from Chinese tourism took bigger hits, with ...

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China market opening delayed until February 3

Bloomberg China’s financial markets will remain closed until next Monday after authorities extended the Lunar New Year break by three days as they grapple with the worsening virus crisis. Trading will resume February 3, the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges said. Shanghai authorities separately advised that companies shouldn’t start work until at least February 9. While onshore markets will be ...

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Kenya central bank follows South Africa with a surprise cut

Bloomberg Kenya’s central bank joined its South African counterpart by unexpectedly cutting interest rates, citing well-anchored inflation expectations and an economy that’s operating below its potential. The monetary policy committee reduced its key rate to 8.25% from 8.5%, governor Patrick Njoroge said in an emailed statement. That’s the second consecutive cut and moves the rate to the lowest in more ...

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