April, 2016

• 24 April

  Obama to use Germany visit to push trans-Atlantic trade deal

  

    AERZEN, Germany / AP President Barack Obama, began a visit on Sunday to Germany, hoping to build momentum for a U.S.-Europe trade deal that has become a tough sell, particularly in Germany. Other issues were on the agenda for talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, including efforts to counter the extremist IS group, improve cooperation on counterterrorism, and encourage ...

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• 24 April

  Brexit may mean 10-yr wait for UK trade deal: USA prez

  

    Bloomberg President Barack Obama leaned in further on his warning to the British electorate against embracing a so-called Brexit from the European Union, saying it could take as long as 10 years before the U.K. and the U.S. negotiated a new trade agreement. “The U.K. would not be able to negotiate something with the United States faster than the ...

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• 24 April

  EU-US trade deal to fail if US refuses concessions, says German minister

  

    Frankfurt / AFP Negotiations on a US-EU free trade deal “will fail” if the US refuses to make concessions, German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel warned on Sunday ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama. “The Americans want to hold fast to their ‘Buy American’ idea. We can’t accept that. They don’t want to open their public tenders to ...

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• 24 April

  630,000 cars to be recalled in Europe

    Berlin /AP Five German automakers have agreed to recall a total of 630,000 diesel vehicles in Europe following an investigation into their emissions levels, officials said. Germany’s transport minister, Alexander Dobrindt, identified the companies concerned as Mercedes, Opel Volkswagen and its subsidiaries Audi and Porsche. The move followed a probe of 53 models by Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority ...

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• 24 April

  France’s EDF to decide on UK nuclear project in September

  

    Paris / AFP France’s energy giant EDF will give the final green light to the controversial construction of two nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point in Britain in September, Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday. French President Francois Hollande “has confirmed France’s engagement” in the project, and “the final decision on investment could be confirmed in September”, Macron said in ...

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• 24 April

  Sovereign-debt debate divides EU as Schaeuble pushes for limits

    Bloomberg European Union finance ministers split over whether to impose restrictions on banks’ holdings of government bonds, as German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble found scant support from skeptical colleagues for his push to overhaul existing rules. The Netherlands, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, laid out five options for tackling the risks posed by banks’ state-debt pile for the ...

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• 24 April

  With USA economy in soft spot, Fed likely to keep policy on hold

  

    AFP Persistent worries about the global economy and the possibility of Brexit — Britain’s pullout from the European Union — will probably keep the Federal Reserve on hold this week as it reviews interest rates. The policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee will also be buying time to be sure the US economy picks up from a modest first-quarter slowdown ...

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• 24 April

  GM’s profits up in Q1, breaks even in Europe

  

    AFP General Motors reported soaring first-quarter earnings, easily topping expectations as it broke even in Europe and scored more banner results in North America. Earnings came in at $2.0 billion, compared with $0.9 billion in the year-ago period. Revenues were up 4.5 percent to $37.3 billion. GM boasted record pre-tax profits in North America of $2.3 billion. Auto deliveries ...

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• 24 April

  Regulatory scrutiny on automakers rising globally: Ford Motors

  

    Bloomberg Regulators around the world are getting tougher on automakers after a series of cheating scandals on fuel economy and emissions, with China set to become the strictest, according to Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Officer Mark Fields. “The regulatory environment around the world is becoming more and more strict, particularly on things like greenhouse gases and fuel economy,” ...

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• 24 April

  Puerto Rico moving closer to deal with bondholders

  

    Bloomberg Puerto Rico’s Government Development Bank, operating under a state of emergency to preserve cash, is about halfway toward reaching a forbearance agreement with creditors, according to an official. The GDB, which lent to the commonwealth and its municipalities, owes $422 mn on May 1 that officials have said the bank cannot pay. Jesus Manuel Ortiz, spokesman for Governor ...

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