November, 2020

• 30 November

  Black Friday gets busted by Covid in sign of retail’s future

  

  Bloomberg Black Friday — once the ultimate US shopping day — is being disrupted like so much else in these Covid-19 times, with consumers largely avoiding malls and instead flocking online. What that means for overall sales for the holiday season remains to be seen, but it’s becoming clearer that the pandemic has only accelerated the move away from big …

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• 30 November

  Airbus confident in A320 jet ramp-up amid aviation crisis

  

  Bloomberg Airbus SE is confident in its plan to increase production of the best-selling A320 family of jets to a rate of 47 a month next year, even as the slump in air travel puts pressure on customers, according to people familiar with the matter. The company has extensively stress-tested its backlog of orders for the model, and remains comfortable …

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• 30 November

  S African retailers invest in local clothing firms

  

  Bloomberg South African retailers including The Foschini Group (TFG) Ltd and Woolworths Holdings Ltd are increasing investment in local clothing manufacturers — both to reduce a dependency on Chinese imports and secure a supply chain thrown into disarray by Covid-19 restrictions. The companies have signed up to an industry plan that includes a target to source 65% of their goods …

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• 30 November

  Airlines’ digital push helps to shed weight, cut fuel costs

  

  Bloomberg The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated airlines’ digital uptake as carriers look for ways to reduce human touchpoints. But that push has had another impact, too. It’s reduced cabin weight, and that can mean big cost savings. Singapore Airlines Ltd’s low-cost carrier Scoot said it’s introducing an inflight system called ScootHub that customers can access via their mobile devices to …

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• 30 November

  Mike Ashley to offer lifeline to Arcadia Group

  Bloomberg Mike Ashley, the founder of the Sports Direct sportswear chain, is prepared to offer a 50 million-pound ($66.5 million) loan to Philip Green’s Arcadia Group, which is teetering on the brink of administration, Sky News reported. The board of Frasers Group Plc, run by Ashley, has drawn up plans for an emergency loan to Arcadia, Sky reported, citing Chris …

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• 29 November

  UK banks near pact on plan to recover soured Covid loans

  

  Bloomberg British banks are finalising plans for outsourcing the recovery of billions of pounds in taxpayer-backed business loans issued during the Covid-19 pandemic. A consortium of lenders is expected to set up an entity that will oversee debt collectors tasked with chasing bad loans, people with knowledge of the matter said. A final decision is expected in early December, said …

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• 29 November

  JPMorgan, Lloyds set sights on Starling Bank

  

  Bloomberg JPMorgan Chase & Co and Lloyds Banking Group Plc have expressed interest in buying Starling Bank Ltd, a British challenger startup lender, the Times reported. The sale of Starling could lead to the first big merger of an established lender with a startup in Britain, the newspaper said, without identifying its sources. American giant JPMorgan is preparing to launch …

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• 29 November

  HSBC considering exit from US retail banking

  

  Bloomberg HSBC Holdings Plc is considering an exit from US retail banking, according to a report by the Financial Times. In the coming weeks, senior managers will outline the plan to the bank’s board, the newspaper said, citing two unidentified people familiar with the matter. They are also likely to suggest reducing investment banking activities to concentrate on international clients …

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• 29 November

  ECB officials signal support for bank dividend return

  

  Bloomberg A growing number of top European Central Bank (ECB) officials are voicing support for ending the de facto ban on banks paying dividends during the pandemic, laying the groundwork for a resumption next year and a return of investor confidence to the sector. Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau became the third ECB governing council member to …

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• 29 November

  Trump nominates top bank regulator

  Bloomberg President Donald Trump formally nominated Brian Brooks to take over a key banking regulator, potentially forcing Joe Biden to fire him after the president-elect is sworn in. The White House said it had sent the nomination to the Senate, where Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo has already signalled that Brooks would get a confirmation hearing for a five-year …

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