Bloomberg Some of the European Central Bank’s heavy hitters are laying the groundwork for action. The top economist and the market chief at the Frankfurt-based institution have already signalled they’re discussing options in case the current euro-area slowdown worsens, and the vice president echoed that on Tuesday. There have been similar hints from Francois Villeroy de Galhau, who is the ...

Bloomberg Greece’s government submitted to the European Commission a plan to help the country’s banks speed up their bad-loan disposals, in a bid to restore confidence in the battered sector, according to two people familiar with the matter. Greek banks are grappling with 88.6 billion euros ($100 billion) of bad loans, a legacy of the country’s financial crisis. That constrains ...

Bloomberg HSBC Holdings Plc is bracing for riskier times after missing fourth-quarter earnings estimates, warning that political tensions in its key markets have made the prognosis for 2019 far less predictable. Chief Executive Officer John Flint has vowed to keep a keener eye on costs while avoiding additional payouts to shareholders, after a disappointing quarter capped his first year in ...

Bloomberg Indonesia’s central bank should signal interest-rate cuts to draw more foreign money into the nation’s bonds, according to a top emerging markets asset manager. The current-account deficit will remain manageable and Bank Indonesia has room to reverse some of the rate hikes it implemented last year, Anil Kumar, who helps manage about $76 billion of funds at Ashmore Plc, ...

Bloomberg Japan Inc.’s record acquisition spree is proving to be better news for overseas investment banks than for their home-grown rivals. Foreign firms led by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grabbed the first three places in Japan’s merger advisory rankings last year, handling deals worth a combined 44.6 trillion yen ($403 billion), according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Nomura Holdings Inc, ...

Bloomberg The US Air Force’s next budget will request funds for eight new F-15 fighter-bombers from Boeing Co., beefing up its inventory with an upgraded version of a plane it last bought in 2001, even as it pursues the more advanced F-35 from rival Lockheed Martin Corp. The F-15s will be proposed in the fiscal 2020 budget, expected around March ...

Bloomberg Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA slumped to an almost seven-year low after offering heavily discounted shares to raise about 3 billion kroner ($350 million) to shore up its balance sheet. The rights issue, underwritten by investors including John Fredriksen, Nor- way’s richest man, is intended to buy the Oslo-based airline time following the collapse of protracted talks with suitors including ...

Bloomberg South African Airways will create three distinct business units focusing on domestic flights, pan-African travel and other international routes as the debt-laden airline battles to repair its balance sheet. The restructuring will not lead to a full breakup of the state-owned carrier, spokesman Tlali Tlali said by phone. Reuters had earlier reported the plan to separate into three divisions. ...

Bloomberg Delta Air Lines Inc. and UK discounter EasyJet Plc may invest as much as 400 million euros ($452 million) in the latest attempt to revamp struggling Italian airline Alitalia SpA, according to people familiar with an initial draft of the plan. Investors in a group led by rail operator Ferrovie dello Stato SpA are evaluating the financial needs of ...

Dubai / Emirates Business Majid Al Futtaim, one of the Middle East’s leading retailers, is spearheading the digital transformation of the region’s $313 billion retail market, both in taking a growing slice of e-commerce and enhancing Carrefour customer shopping experiences online and in-store. The Middle East retail sector is undergoing a sea-change. As more malls open, the GCC’s retail sector ...