Bloomberg UK consumers scaled back their unsecured borrowing in February as the country battled flooding and the start of the coronavirus update. Loans to households rose just 877 million pounds ($1.09 billion) from January, when they rose 1.1 billion pounds, the Bank of England said in a report. At the same time, mortgage approvals jumped to 73,546, the most since ...

Bloomberg Economic sentiment in the euro area plunged the most on record after the furious spread of the coronavirus forced businesses in vast parts of the region shut and prospects dwindled that life will return to normal any time soon. The European Commission reading — following similarly downbeat reports out of the region’s biggest economies — comes at the end ...

Bloomberg Before the coronavirus pandemic besieged Europe, Kike Sarasola worried about whether he was building enough hotels to capitalise on the region’s long-running tourism boom. Such concerns have disappeared, along with the tourists. The only guests at three of his six boutique hotels in Madrid are doctors and nurses fighting the deadly disease. The transformation of Sarasola’s Room Mate Laura ...

Bloomberg Bulgaria’s plan to join the euro area hit a road block, with the central bank saying the coronavirus crisis had rendered targets to integrate deeper this year “unrealistic.” It’s the latest setback in efforts of the bloc’s poorest member to join both the ERM-2, known as the waiting room for the euro area, and the euro-area’s banking union by ...

Bloomberg US equity futures and European stocks headed for a fifth increase in six sessions, spurring debate over whether the meltdown has ended given the continued spread of the coronavirus. Treasuries edged higher. Contracts on the three main American stock indexes turned from losses to gains overnight as political leaders contemplate a fourth round of stimulus. Battered travel and leisure ...

Bloomberg India stocks advanced on Tuesday as some investors found value in riskier assets with the benchmark equity index capping its worst quarter ever. The S&P BSE Sensex Index rose 3.6% at the close in Mumbai. The quarterly drop of 29%, as the nation saw an acceleration of virus cases and imposed a three-week lockdown, surpasses the previous record of ...

Bloomberg South Africa’s stock market is set for its worst quarter on record as the coronavirus ravages global equities, but gold miners are at least shining amid the gloom. The FTSE/JSE Africa Gold Mining Index is the sole Johannesburg industry sector to post gains in 2020, rising 11% as bullion prices advance for the sixth consecutive quarter. The broader South ...

Bloomberg Three days after President Trump signed a $2 trillion stimulus into law, Kohl’s Corp, Macy’s Inc and Gap Inc joined the growing number of retailers to halt pay for much of their workforce on March 30, while preserving some benefits. With these furloughs, that brings the total number of employees who are out a paycheck at major US chains ...

Bloomberg Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd asked the government for a A$1.4 billion ($863 million) loan to get through the coronavirus crisis. The airline, which is mostly owned by other foreign carriers, sought the aid as part of a A$5 billion support package it’s seeking for the Australian aviation industry, a spokesman for Virgin Australia said. The loss-making airline has furloughed ...

Bloomberg Air Canada will cut capacity by as much as 90% next quarter and temporarily reduce its workforce by about 16,500 to reduce costs during the coronavirus crisis. The decision, effective on or around April 3, puts 15,200 unionised employees on “off-duty status” while 1,300 managers will also be furloughed, the airline said. The company said the cuts were required ...