December, 2021

• 12 December

  2021 was the year of supply chains. Get ready for sequel

  

    From container-ship pileups at West Coast ports to the Ever Given’s viral weeklong blockage of the Suez Canal to shortages ranging from the quirky (cream cheese) to the catastrophic (semiconductors), the supply chain has never been as top of mind as it was in 2021. Case in point: The best-performing industrial stock on the S&P 500 was Old Dominion ...

  Read More »
• 12 December

  ‘Tis the season for holiday disputes

  

    It’s mid-December, time for my annual dispatches from the Christmas wars: Let’s start with the latest on a holiday battle that’s been going on for six years. I haven’t yet seen “Twas the Fight Before Christmas,” the documentary by the director Becky Read, but I’m looking forward to watching it. The film, now streaming on Apple TV+, chronicles the ...

  Read More »
• 12 December

  Omicron scrambles what we know about immunity

  

    Forget the debate over how scared we should be of omicron. What matters is putting our energy into solutions that work — taking action that matters on a personal level and demanding effective actions from world leaders. Scientists are already scrambling to learn how well our existing vaccines will work against this new coronavirus variant. That can help predict ...

  Read More »
• 12 December

  Does Elliott’s activism travel from spreadsheet?

    Elliott Management Corp is a master at forcing companies to do something about the gap between a lowly share price and their value on paper. But the activist hedge fund’s campaign targeting UK utility SSE Plc runs up against an awkward reality: Stock markets don’t always obey spreadsheets. SSE is a fiendishly complicated firm with a simple problem. It ...

  Read More »
• 12 December

  Garuda Indonesia ruling to decide $9.8b debt recast fate

  

    Bloomberg PT Garuda Indonesia is entering a court-supervised debt restructuring process after a Jakarta court accepted a debt petition filed against the airline in a test of how far Indonesia’s government will go to rescue a state-owned company. Garuda amassed $9.8 billion in debt and judges in the Central Jakarta Commercial Court accepted a petition to suspend debt payments ...

  Read More »
• 12 December

  Boeing 737 Max event probed in India after mid-air emergency

  

      Bloomberg Indian regulators are investigating a Boeing Co 737 Max incident, operated by SpiceJet Ltd, which caused the plane to turn back to Mumbai shortly after departing for Kolkata and its pilots to shut down an engine due to a technical issue. While the plane landed safely and nobody was injured, the incident is sensitive as it involved ...

  Read More »
• 12 December

  American Air pilots say late-night flight training violates contract

  

      Bloomberg The union for American Airlines Group Inc pilots said the carrier will violate its contract by scheduling “graveyard shift” flight simulator training sessions as it works to ready 440 pilots being added this year. American detailed plans for the sessions, which would begin after midnight, in a message to pilots, saying the temporary measure starting in January ...

  Read More »
• 12 December

  Boeing names Elizabeth Lund as its new jet-production chief

    Bloomberg Boeing Co has promoted supply-chain chief Elizabeth Lund to oversee production of its commercial jetliner programs, including efforts to bolster manufacturing quality and resolve production lapses that have halted 787 Dreamliner deliveries. She succeeds Mark Jenks as senior vice-president and general manager of airplane programs. The move is effective immediately, Stan Deal, chief executive officer of Boeing’s commercial ...

  Read More »
• 12 December

  Australian retail sales surge over recovery

    Bloomberg Australian retailers recorded their best month of sales in nearly a year as consumers splashed out on everything from dining out to clothing, taking advantage of the easing of protracted lockdowns and building momentum in the economy for the final quarter. Sales surged 4.9% in October from a month earlier, when they rose 1.3%, and more than doubled ...

  Read More »
• 12 December

  Ralph Lauren selling digital fashion line wares on Roblox

  

    Bloomberg Ralph Lauren Corp is debuting its first digital fashion line in Roblox Corp’s virtual world, becoming the latest apparel maker to try building brand awareness in the metaverse. The company, known best for its polo shirts, is offering a “Winter Escape” experience in the Roblox online universe. Players can enjoy activities such as ice skating while shopping for ...

  Read More »