March, 2022

• 4 March

  Kroger shares jump most in almost 30 years

  Bloomberg Kroger Co shares jumped the most in almost 30 years after the company unveiled a profit forecast that signaled new gains on top of a two-year surge in demand for groceries sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. Adjusted earnings in the current fiscal year will range between $3.75 and $3.85 a share, Kroger said. That handily exceeded the $3.44 average …

  Read More »
• 4 March

  Futures drop, European stocks slide as Ukraine war escalates

  

    Bloomberg US futures slid and European equities tumbled to a one-year low as war risks intensified after a Ukrainian nuclear power plant briefly caught fire. Contracts on US gauges signalled more losses for Wall Street as investors awaited the monthly jobs report. Europe’s Stoxx 600 benchmark fell nearly 3%, poised for its worst week since March 2020. An Asian …

  Read More »
• 4 March

  Ukraine conflict: Asia stocks slump to 16-month low

  

    Bloomberg Asian stocks tumbled to their lowest since November 2020 as signs Russia’s attack on Ukraine is intensifying further roiled financial markets. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell as much as 1.8%, as Ukrainian officials said Russian forces have occupied the site of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant after an attack that caused fire. The gauge is now down …

  Read More »
• 4 March

  Pandemic rebound clouded as war lifts oil, says Lufthansa

  

  Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa AG said the war in Ukraine will cloud prospects for a long-awaited recovery from the coronavirus pandemic as fuel prices climb and flights are diverted to avoid shuttered skies. Europe’s biggest airline cut its annual loss by two-thirds in 2021 as Covid curbs eased, according to a statement. Earnings this year should show a further improvement, but …

  Read More »
• 4 March

  Burberry, H&M scale back Russia business

  

    Bloomberg Fashion retailers Hennes & Mauritz AB, Burberry Group Plc and Boohoo Group Plc are curtailing operations in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, with the Swedish clothing chain expressing concern about “tragic developments” there. H&M is pausing all sales in Russia after shutting stores in Ukraine for safety reasons, it said. Burberry has halted shipments to the country …

  Read More »
• 4 March

  Boeing gets caught in a bind as US bans giant Russian cargo jets

  

    Bloomberg Boeing Co is caught in a bind after the US barred Russian airlines from its skies following the invasion of Ukraine. The move could affect Boeing’s main wide-body plant in Everett, Washington, near Seattle, where giant Antonov An-124 cargo planes operated by Russia’s Volga-Dnepr Group are used to fly structures from other plants. The US Transportation Department had …

  Read More »
• 4 March

  Canada’s WestJet Air agrees to buy low-cost rival Sunwing

  

    Bloomberg Canada’s WestJet Airlines Ltd agreed to buy low-cost rival Sunwing Airlines and Sunwing Vacations tour operations, ramping up competition in an industry that’s emerging from two years of turmoil brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. WestJet and Sunwing announced the deal in a statement, noting that Sunwing’s current shareholders will become equity holders of WestJet. Terms weren’t disclosed. …

  Read More »
• 4 March

  Kohl’s projects robust sales outlook

    Bloomberg Kohl’s, under pressure by activist investors, gave an optimistic outlook for the year while reporting weaker-than-expected sales in the fourth quarter. The company is expanding its venture with cosmetics chain Sephora after a shop-in-shop concept drove higher sales at participating locations. Kohl’s executives added on a call with analysts that Sephora is attracting new customers who are younger …

  Read More »
• 4 March

  Stocks reverse early gains as commodity prices surge

  

    Bloomberg Stocks reversed early gains on Thursday. Europe’s Stoxx 600 Index was slightly lower and most US futures slipped. Utilities led declines, while mining and energy stocks advanced as oil soared to the highest level since 2008. Commodities markets from metals to oil and gas have been upended by the Ukraine crisis as big corporates withdraw from Russia, lenders …

  Read More »
• 4 March

  Hong Kong dollar’s slide to two-year low is about to get worse

  

    Bloomberg The Hong Kong dollar is poised for steeper losses as impending Federal Reserve rate hikes exacerbate capital outflows triggered by the deadliest Covid outbreak in the city. The currency extended its drop to the lowest in more than two years and option-implied volatility indicates a 32% probability that it could fall to the weak end of its 7.75-7.85 …

  Read More »