January, 2023

• 21 January

  Wind industry’s success has become its biggest threat

  

    Bloomberg The head of one of the world’s biggest developers of renewable energy, Denmark’s Orsted A/S, worries that the energy transition could see a slowdown as rising competition and interest rates squeeze returns and upend the case for investment. Orsted is the world’s largest developer of offshore wind farms, which it helped pioneer from a niche technology into one ...

  Read More »
• 21 January

  US poised for Dutch, Japanese help on China chip crackdown

  

  Bloomberg The Netherlands and Japan, home to key suppliers of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, are close to joining a Biden administration-led effort to restrict exports of the technology to China and hobble its push into the chips industry. The Dutch and Japanese export controls may be agreed to and finalized as soon as the end of January, according to people familiar ...

  Read More »
• 21 January

  Brits are renting out spare rooms to beat cost of living crisis

    Bloomberg The number of people searching for lodgers to stay in their spare rooms has spiked, as living costs in Britain remain stubbornly high. Homeowners advertising empty bedrooms for rent on the website SpareRoom spiked in January, hitting the highest levels since the summer of 2020 when pent-up demand was unleashed by loosening Covid restrictions. The company said that ...

  Read More »
• 21 January

  Holcim eyes deals drive to push beyond cement: CEO

    Bloomberg Holcim Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Jan Jenisch said he’s looking to continue an acquisition drive at the Swiss building material maker as he pivots away from traditional cement. Jenisch said in an interview this week that Holcim has “the strongest balance sheet ever, which opens up many opportunities for continued acquisitions and investments.” The CEO said the company ...

  Read More »
• 21 January

  UK employers keep hiring despite drop in consumer confidence

  

    Bloomberg UK employers unleashed a hiring spree at the start of 2023 even as consumer confidence about the economy stalled, two separate surveys showed. There were more than 184,000 new job advertisements in the first week of January, up by a quarter on the same period a year ago, according to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation. The market research ...

  Read More »
• 21 January

  BE Group makes takover approach for Ageas

    Bloomberg BE Group, an investment firm fronted by former bankers, has made a fresh attempt at a takeover of Belgium’s biggest insurer Ageas, people familiar with the matter said. The consortium recently approached Ageas and has been trying to secure financing for a potential deal, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential information. Shares in Ageas ...

  Read More »
• 21 January

  Google to cut 12,000 jobs in 6% slash to global workforce

  

    Bloomberg Google parent Alphabet Inc. said it will cut about 12,000 jobs, more than 6% of its global workforce, becoming the latest tech giant to retrench after years of abundant growth and hiring. The cuts will affect jobs globally and across the entire company, Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai told employees in an email on Friday, writing that he ...

  Read More »
• 21 January

  Germany says tanks would go to Ukraine quickly after any deal

  

  Bloomberg Germany’s new defense minister, Boris Pistorius, said his government hasn’t made a decision yet on supplying its Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine but that it could move quickly if an agreement can be reached with Nato allies. Speaking to reporters after talks at the US airbase in Ramstein, Germany, Friday, Pistorius said that defense ministers and military officials had ...

  Read More »
• 21 January

  France lifts military budget as risk of high intensity war grows

  

    Bloomberg France will increase its defense budget over six years as President Emmanuel Macron seeks to adjust the nation’s military to new threats posed by the war in Ukraine and technological attacks. In a speech Friday, Macron said he expects the state to spend 400 billion euros ($433 billion) between 2024 and 2030, an increase from the 295 billion ...

  Read More »
• 21 January

  US steps up pressure on Turkey to ratify Nato’s Nordic expansion

  

    Bloomberg The US signaled growing impatience with Turkey over its resistance to ratifying Nato’s expansion to Sweden and Finland. “The United States urges remaining allies to quickly ratify their accession,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in an account of a call between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto. He used similar language in ...

  Read More »