August, 2021

• 18 August

  London’s housing market shows hit from home working in July

  

  Bloomberg London private housing rents fell in July compared with a year earlier as the ability to work from home meant that being close to city center offices was no longer a priority for workers. The 0.1% decline set the UK capital apart from other regions, where rental prices climbed by almost 2% on average, Office for National Statistics (ONS) ...

  Read More »
• 18 August

  US futures choppy amid caution over Covid, Fed

  

  Bloomberg US equity-index futures fluctuated between gains and losses, while the dollar halted a two-day rally, as investors assessed the outlook for economic recovery and awaited the latest Federal Reserve minutes to gauge the direction of monetary policy. Contracts on the S&P 500 Index slipped 0.1% after the underlying gauge falls by the most in four weeks. The dollar halted ...

  Read More »
• 18 August

  HDFC Bank shares jump after India eases ban on credit cards

  

  Bloomberg Shares in HDFC Bank Ltd jumped after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said it would allow the lender to issue new credit cards, partially removing a months-long ban. The lender will roll out the preparations and strategies it has put in place to “come back with a bang” in credit cards, it said in a statement. It will ...

  Read More »
• 17 August

  Oil heads for longest run of losses since March on coronavirus threat

  

  Bloomberg Oil fell for a fourth day, heading for the longest run of losses since March, on the threat to demand from the delta coronavirus variant. West Texas Intermediate futures declined 0.5% after losing almost 3% over the previous three sessions. US gasoline consumption fell for a third week, according to a survey by Descartes Labs, while data from China ...

  Read More »
• 17 August

  India launches contests to promote Expo 2020

  

  NEW DELHI / WAM India has launched a series of competitions to popularise Expo 2020 Dubai as its preparations gather steam for participation in the world exposition in just over six weeks. “The main purpose of these competitions is to amplify the core message of the Dubai World Expo: Connecting Minds, Creating the Future,” according to an overview of the ...

  Read More »
• 17 August

  ‘House-fixing’ boom favours Home Depot

  

  Bloomberg Wall Street has been predicting that the pandemic-fuelled boom in Americans fixing up their homes would fizzle as the economy reopened. But it hasn’t so far and could be entering a new phase that prolongs growth. Home Depot Inc and Lowe’s Cos have benefited from homeowners taking on do-it-yourself projects in droves, with the retail giants combining to add ...

  Read More »
• 17 August

  Walmart seeks crypto expert to oversee digital currency push

  

  Bloomberg Walmart Inc is looking to hire a cryptocurrency expert to develop a blockchain strategy, joining a growing number of major corporations exploring the viability of digital currencies such as Bitcoin. The position will be responsible for “developing the digital currency strategy and product roadmap” and identifying “crypto-related investment and partnerships,” according to a job posting on the retail giant’s ...

  Read More »
• 17 August

  It’s Kraft vs Kraft in Venezuela’s take on capitalism

  

  Bloomberg What’s left of Venezuela’s manufacturing sector has survived government expropriations, frequent blackouts, a currency collapse and equipment shortages. But now there’s another threat: competition from imported versions of the companies’ own products. Shops across Venezuela stock Mexican-made Oreo cookies right next to the locally produced version. Kraft Heinz Co’s mayonnaise is being imported from Brazil and the US, even ...

  Read More »
• 17 August

  British retailers report slowdown

  Bloomberg UK retailers reported their slowest sales growth in five months during July as consumers shifted toward spending on entertainment and social gatherings and away from in-store shopping. The volume of goods sold in shops and online grew 6.4% in July compared to last year, the British Retail Consortium and KPMG said. A separate survey from Barclaycard showed more money ...

  Read More »
• 17 August

  Regional bank deals in US seen ebbing with fewer partners left

  

  Bloomberg The recent flood of US regional bank deals may be drying up. After announcing $76 billion in mergers and acquisitions so far this year — the most since 2008 — US lenders are now running out of potential partners, according to executives and investment bankers. Fewer buyers exist following takeovers by Citizens Financial Group Inc, PNC Financial Services Group ...

  Read More »