December, 2020

• 30 December

  French retailers seek aid as sales fail to recover

  Bloomberg French retailers called for government support after sales failed to rebound fully from a second lockdown, suggesting measures to fight the coronavirus pandemic are changing consumer patterns. Despite a good pick-up in spending thanks to Black Friday discounts and year-end purchases, many clothing, shoe, jewelry, beauty-product and perfume retailers face a drop in revenue of more than 20% in …

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• 30 December

  Burundi to launch state-owned airline

  Bloomberg Burundi will relaunch a state-owned airline next year, more than a decade after the failure of its erstwhile carrier, Air Burundi. The state will hold a 92% stake in Burundi Airlines, which will be the latest carrier to enter East African skies after the introduction of Uganda Airlines and the revamping of Air Tanzania Co. A Belgian company will …

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• 29 December

  Europe urged to keep firebreaks banks blame for blocking M&A

  

  Bloomberg A European Central Bank (ECB) push to make it easier for the region’s chronically unprofitable banks to merge is facing opposition from some national regulators, with one top official warning it could backfire and damage the integration of the financial system. Proposals by ECB supervisory board chair Andrea Enria to give banks more freedom to source funds in one …

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• 29 December

  Goldman Sachs asset management unit chairman to retire

  

  Bloomberg Sheila Patel, chairman of Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s asset-management unit, is leaving the $1.8 trillion division after almost two decades at the firm. Patel, 51, is among the company’s most senior women and shepherded some of Goldman’s highest-profile relationships with investors around the world. She will step down from the partnership and become an advisory director in the new …

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• 29 December

  Goldman invests in Echelon in bet on at-home fitness amid Covid

  

  Bloomberg Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is leading a $65 million financing in Echelon Fitness, giving the bank and another investor a controlling stake in a maker of exercise machines as more people work out at home amid the pandemic. The Chattanooga, Tennessee-based company competes with Peloton Interactive Inc., Lululemon Athletica Inc.’s Mirror, Tonal, Tempo, Icon’s NordicTrack, Hydrow and other connected …

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• 29 December

  Wells Fargo to sell student loan book to Apollo, Blackstone

  

  Bloomberg Wells Fargo & Co. agreed to sell its $10 billion private student loan book to a group including Apollo Global Management Inc. and Blackstone Group Inc., according to reports. Wells Fargo said in a statement that it had agreed to the sale, without identifying the investors or disclosing terms. Apollo and Blackstone were the purchasers, the people said, asking …

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• 29 December

  Polish central bank moves to weaken zloty amid virus

  

  Bloomberg Poland’s central bank moved to weaken the zloty for the first time in a decade, delivering on a warning that it won’t tolerate a stronger currency as the economy tries to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Sales by the bank helped push the zloty down by as much as 1.7% against the euro in low-volume trading, according to two …

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• 29 December

  Bitcoin faces regulatory scrutiny after record-breaking rally

  

  Bloomberg It’s been a tough year by all accounts. But for Bitcoin, 2020 has been a marvelous time. The cryptocurrency almost quadrupled, surpassing $20,000 for the first time as it notched record after record. The diehards cheered it as an inflation hedge in an era of unprecedented central bank largesse. Wall Street veterans from Paul Tudor Jones to Stanley Druckenmiller …

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• 29 December

  Global stocks head for fresh record on US virus relief bill

  

  Bloomberg Stocks rise with a the global gauge heading for records as a wave of stimulus optimism buoyed equities from Germany to Japan. The dollar slipped with Treasuries. European equities rise 1% with every industry subsector except banks and energy firms in the green. US futures climbed and the MSCI ACWI Index touched its highest level after US lawmakers backed …

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• 29 December

  Indian stocks track Asian peers higher

  

  Bloomberg India stocks rise for a fifth straight day, tracking broad gains in Asian peers, as a slowing pace of local coronavirus infections boosted optimism over an economic recovery. The S&P BSE Sensex climbed 0.6% to 47,648.24 as of 9:57 am in Mumbai. The NSE Nifty 50 Index advanced by the same magnitude. Both indexes are set to extend record …

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