January, 2021

• 18 January

  Vexed central banks brace for more damage to growth

  

  Bloomberg Resurgent coronavirus outbreaks will vex central bankers on five continents this week as they weigh the threat of more damage to growth against the hope that mass vaccinations will reopen economies. Institutions meeting from Tokyo to Frankfurt to Ottawa are pondering the prospect of another lost quarter amid renewed lockdowns to contain the pandemic. Most are likely to maintain …

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• 18 January

  Emerging markets tested by rising dollar ahead of Joe Biden’s return

  

  Bloomberg A stronger US dollar is proving to be an early test for emerging-market currencies on the eve of Joe Biden’s inauguration. The greenback gained over the last two weeks, buoyed by the president-elect’s proposal for a $1.9 trillion stimulus package. Most developing-nation currencies have slumped in that span, and history suggests further pain may be in store. MSCI Inc.’s …

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• 18 January

  India stocks track Asian falls, edging away from key 50,000 mark

  

  Bloomberg India’s equity benchmark falls in line with its regional peers, and is now set for a second day of declines. That slump will put the S&P BSE Sensex even further away from the key 50,000 level it was looking to breach last week. The benchmark slid 1% to 48525.55 as of 11:59 am in Mumbai, with four stocks falling …

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• 18 January

  US equity futures retreat, dollar edges higher

  

  Bloomberg Markets were mildly risk-off on Monday as investors weighed strong economic data from China, US President-elect Joe Biden’s stimulus plans and surging coronavirus trends. Carrefour SA tumbled 5.8%, leading Europe’s Stoxx 600 lower, after Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. abandoned talks on a $20 billion merger. The dollar ticked higher, oil prices were weaker and US equity futures dipped. Asian …

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• 18 January

  California braces for winter fire season, blackouts

  

  Bloomberg California utilities are warning that they may need to cut power to almost 280,000 homes and businesses to prevent live wires from sparking wildfires as high winds are expected to sweep through the drought-weary state. Edison International’s Southern California Edison said 256,000 customers in six counties near Los Angeles face blackouts within 48 hours due to a forecast of …

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• 17 January

  A ‘very young’ bull market in stocks is still minting believers

  

  Bloomberg They know about the stretched valuations and everything that must go right to keep stocks aloft. And yet rather than shy away from frothy markets, plenty of investors are only now jumping in. The reason, it appears, is how far out of the market they had been prior to the latest and greatest leg of the run-up, the one …

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• 17 January

  Private equity firms seize on IPO boom with consumer assets

  

  Bloomberg Private equity firms are refusing to be left out of the initial public offering boom. With technology IPOs sometimes doubling on day one, buyout shops are hoping to capture some of the buzz for their slower growth and higher leverage assets. Two private equity-backed companies went public on US exchanges this week, with two more filings on Friday for …

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• 17 January

  Oil slumps on dollar strength, cooling consumer sentiment

  

  Bloomberg Oil slid by the most in three weeks as a stronger dollar and weak US economic data stoked concerns over an economic rebound. Futures in New York tumbled 2.3% after a rally in oil earlier in the week pushed the benchmark into overbought territory. The US dollar strengthened, reducing the appeal of commodities priced in the currency. US consumer …

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• 17 January

  UAE condemns Houthis’ drone attack bid on Saudi

  

  ABU DHABI / WAM The UAE has strongly denounced the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist militia’s attempts to target Saudi Arabia with three explosive-laden drones, which were intercepted by Coalition forces. In a statement on Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) renewed its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia against these cowardly terrorist acts and the UAE’s full stand …

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• 17 January

  Trump’s China Inc onslaught leaves key decisions for Biden

  

  Bloomberg A year ago, President Xi Jinping asked the US to treat Chinese companies “fairly” in a letter read out at the White House to mark the signing of a landmark trade deal between the world’s biggest economies. At the time, President Donald Trump’s actions against China Inc had mostly been aimed at tech giant Huawei Technologies Co, which had …

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