September, 2022

• 6 September

  Wall Street is in denial over economy

  

  We know that the US economy is currently weak, but the real economy is really weak, and the Federal Reserve’s commitment to precipitate a recession to curb high inflation will make this reality obvious to seemingly oblivious investors. Real gross domestic product dropped for two consecutive quarters, and although the National Bureau of Economic Research has yet to declare that ...

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• 6 September

  New Delhi may limit rice exports. Bad idea

    A few months ago, when India restricted wheat exports following a heatwave, rumbles ran through the world’s food markets. Still, while India is a giant consumer of wheat, it’s not as big an exporter. The real fear was that New Delhi might cut off rice shipments as well: India is the world’s largest exporter by far. Fortunately, rice prices ...

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• 6 September

  Don’t abandon small firms in energy crisis

  As energy prices surge, UK politicians seem to be relying on Latin American literature for guidance. Like a novel by Nobel Prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez, officials have lost the ability to differentiate between substance and magical realism. But companies can’t afford to live in a fantasy land. Departing Prime Minister Boris Johnson is clearly a fan of the literary ...

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• 6 September

  Holiday season airfares soar on pricey fuel, revenge travel

  

    Bloomberg Travellers alarmed at sky-high airfares this Christmas can add soaring fuel prices spurred in part by Russia’s weaponisation of its energy resources to the list of factors to blame. The price of jet fuel — which typically accounts for around a quarter of an airline’s total operational costs — is on a tear. The jump this year is ...

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• 6 September

  Starbucks new CEO faces a challenging task ahead

  

    Bloomberg Laxman Narasimhan will take over as Starbucks Corp.’s chief executive officer with a long list of pressing tasks, from redesigning cafes to improving profitability. But perhaps none is as pressing as blunting a fast-spreading US union drive. It’s a tall order — especially for a leader without experience operating restaurants. Narasimhan, 55, is coming in from British consumer-goods ...

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• 6 September

  Flight delays prompt revamp of airline meal, hotel offerings in US

  

    Bloomberg Passengers finding themselves with a lengthy delay or cancelled flight have a new way to check what they can get from airlines, ahead of an expected travel rush for Labour Day weekend. The Biden administration launched a dashboard where passengers can check if airlines will provide meals, rebooking, or hotel rooms when flights are delayed or cancelled because ...

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• 6 September

  UK supermarket offers instalment-plan loans for groceries

  

    Bloomberg Tens of thousands of applications for a payment-by-instalment plan have flooded into a British budget grocery chain just two weeks after its launch, as a cost of living crisis crushes UK household incomes. Customers of Iceland Foods have sent in around 60,000 applications so far, more than the total number of loans the credit provider behind the initiative ...

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• 6 September

  Samsung Electronics credit risk falls

    Bloomberg Samsung Electronics Co.’s credit risk falls after Moody’s Investors Service lifted its rating to the same level as the South Korean government, citing the company’s profitability and strong finances. The senior unsecured debt rating of Korea’s biggest company was raised to Aa2, the third highest level, from Aa3, Moody’s said. The cost to insure the technology giant’s debt ...

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• 6 September

  Liz Truss wins contest to become Britain’s next PM

  

  Bloomberg Liz Truss won the bitter race to succeed Boris Johnson as UK prime minister, and will take power with the country facing brutal economic headwinds that threaten to plunge millions of Britons into poverty this winter. The foreign secretary, 47, emerged victorious on Monday after a two-month Conservative Party leadership contest that started with 11 candidates and concluded with ...

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• 6 September

  Suicide bomber near Russian embassy in Kabul kills two staff

  

    Bloomberg An explosion outside the Russian embassy in Kabul killed a senior diplomat and a security guard, Russia said. A Taliban spokesman confirmed the blast. “An unknown gunman detonated an explosive device in the immediate vicinity of the entrance to the consular section of the Russian Embassy in Kabul,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday. “Two ...

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