Bloomberg Swedish home improvement chain Clas Ohlson will close all its stores in the UK and Germany following years of losses at its operations there and as the retail market increasingly shifts to online sales. The closures will affect about 150 employees, cost some $23 million, and set forth a “completely new direction” for the company’s operations outside the Nordics, …

Bloomberg The leader of a French pilots’ union who emerged as a poster boy for strikes at Air France has lost his bid for re-election within the group, heralding a possible unblocking of labour talks at the troubled carrier. Philippe Evain, head of the airline’s powerful SNPL union, lost a majority in an election, a union spokesman said by phone. …

Dammam / Emirates Business Saudi Aramco has awarded a major simulation and well-testing contract to Baker Hughes — a GE company — to be a partner in optimising production from new and existing wells across conventional fields in Saudi Arabia. Demonstrating the strength and breadth of its expertise and portfolio of oilfield services, BHGE will deliver a comprehensive well services …

DUBAI / WAM The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry participated in a seminar organised as part of the Interregional Export Forum in Perm, Russia, where participants were briefed on the various competitive advantages that Dubai offers to Russian exporters, companies and investors. During the forum, Sanan Nasibli, Head of Dubai Chamber’s Azerbaijan office, delivered a detailed presentation titled “Doing …

Bloomberg While Alberta’s plan to mandate Opec-style production cuts already is boosting oil prices and shares, the revival of Canada’s resource nationalism adds another layer of risk for investors to consider. The removal of millions of barrels of crude from the market will help shareholders of smaller producers who are exempt from the cuts, like Bonterra Energy Corp, as well …

Bloomberg Greenworks Lending, which provides financing to commercial-property owners working to boost building efficiency, has arranged $440 million in funding for sustainability and clean energy. The deals are in three parts: CarVal Investors committed $250 million to fund new projects, along with a $40 million corporate investment, according to a statement. Greenworks, which finances clean-energy systems through a model called …

Bloomberg The rally in risk assets sparked by the trade truce faded as investors grew skeptical that the US and China made any meaningful breakthrough. The Treasury yield curve continued to flatten and the dollar retreated. The S&P 500, Dow Jones and Nasdaq indexes all gave up a chunk of Monday’s gains at the New York open, while the Stoxx …

Bloomberg The pound rallied after an adviser to the European Union’s top court suggested that the UK should be allowed to reverse its notice to leave the bloc. Sterling snapped three days of losses following the non-binding opinion from Advocate General Manuel Campos Sanchez-Bordona of the EU Court of Justice, who said “the possibility continues to exist” to revoke the …

Bloomberg The real winner from the trade thaw between the US and China is proving to be the yuan. The currency rose 0.66 percent to 6.8403 per dollar, taking its two-day gain to 1.7 percent, the biggest since at least 2007. Bonds rallied, with the yield on 10-year government debt falling to its lowest level since April 2017, amid speculation …

Bloomberg Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said that while the central bank has made progresstowards a “strong economy” with rising wages, many lower-income workers have been left behind. “The Federal Reserve’s mission is to promote a strong economy and sound financial system,” Powell said in remarks prepared for delivery in Washington. “I am glad to say we have made a …