August, 2022

• 24 August

  JD sales beat estimates, defies slowdown

    Bloomberg JD.com Inc reported stronger-than-projected revenue growth after consumers continued to flock to the country’s second-largest online retailer despite an economic slowdown. Sales hit 267.6 billion yuan ($39.1 billion) during the second quarter, beating the average forecast of 261.7 billion yuan. The Beijing-based company logged net income of 4.4 billion yuan, following three consecutive quarters of losses. Its shares ...

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• 24 August

  US warns of Russian strikes against civilians in Ukraine

  

  Bloomberg Russia is preparing to launch intensified strikes against civilian infrastructure as well as government facilities in Ukraine in the coming days, the US embassy in Kyiv said in a statement. It also urged American citizens to leave the country using private ground transportation if possible. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has warned that Russia “may try to do something particularly ...

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• 24 August

  Imran Khan to face court for remarks at public rally in Pakistan

  

  Bloomberg A Pakistan court has asked Imran Khan to appear before it next week as it reviews whether remarks he made about the judiciary merit a contempt of court case, the latest in a string of legal troubles for the former premier. Separately, the government has said it is seeking legal advice on whether to pursue action on a police ...

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• 24 August

  Bolsonaro vows to respect Brazil vote in nod to moderates

  

  Bloomberg President Jair Bolsonaro pledged to accept the result of Brazil’s October election in a bid to win over moderate voters, even as he continued to raise questions about the integrity of the country’s electronic ballots. The 40-minute interview with the country’s most-watched television show was wide ranging, with questions about the president’s fraught relationship with the top court, his ...

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• 24 August

  London’s empty office space hits highest level in 15 years

  

  Bloomberg Office availability in central London is at its highest level in more than 15 years, the latest sign of how the pandemic-driven shift to remote working is upending demand for the commercial property. Availability was close to 31 million square feet in August 2022, according to real-estate data and information company CoStar. That’s the equivalent of about 60 Gherkin ...

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• 24 August

  Americans’ pay floor for accepting a new job rises to $73,000

  

    Bloomberg The average reservation wage, or the lowest pay level that Americans would be willing to accept for a new job, rose by 5.7% from a year earlier to $72,873 in July, according to the latest labour-market survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, as soaring prices change the calculus for workers. The self-reported reservation wage has ...

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• 24 August

  Swedish construction activity drops amid sharpest fall in housing prices

  

    Bloomberg Swedish home construction is falling amid what may be the sharpest drop in house prices since the global financial crisis. In the first six months of this year, the number of housing starts dropped by 11% compared with the year-ago period, data from Statistics Sweden showed. The data comes as Sweden’s broader housing market is showing clear signs ...

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• 24 August

  Argentina to tighten controls on imports

    Bloomberg The Argentine government will impose restrictions to discourage imports in the coming days and protect reserves. The government is seeking to avoid losing more dollars after the national statistics agency reported that the country’s trade deficit widened in July to $437 million. Private consultants estimate that the country’s so-called net reserves — its assets on hand, minus the ...

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• 24 August

  Euro area’s economic activity falls in August

    Bloomberg Euro-area economic activity declined for a second month, signalling that fears of a recession may already be coming to pass as record inflation saps demand and weakness seeps into more and more sectors. While August’s drop was driven by manufacturing, the post-lockdown rebound in services like tourism almost ground to a halt as consumers face steep gains in ...

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• 23 August

  US futures rise, dollar steady

  

    Bloomberg US index futures posted modest gains, Treasuries nursed losses and the dollar was steady as markets remained on edge ahead of the Jackson Hole central bankers’ symposium later this week. Futures on the the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 fluctuated before turning higher after US stocks plunged the most in two months. The 10-year Treasury yield held above ...

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