April, 2020

• 16 April

  Swiss firm gets stiffed as hand sanitiser seized

  Bloomberg A Swiss retailer is crying foul after a truckload of hand sanitiser it had ordered was commandeered by Italian customs officers. The shipment of disinfectant gel, purchased by Victory Switzerland GmbH for 32,000 euros ($34,800), was stopped by officials on March 30, according to Daniel Gerber, the company’s managing director. “I am not aware of any compensation for us,” …

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• 15 April

  Mohamed and Tunisian president discuss efforts to contain Covid-19

  

  ABU DHABI / WAM His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Tunisian President Kais Saied, have discussed bilateral relations, the global Covid-19 crisis and ways to contain the pandemic’s repercussions at various levels. In a telephone call, the leaders reviewed the measures the countries …

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• 15 April

  IMF to provide $11bn to 32 African nations

  

  Bloomberg The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is set to provide $11 billion to 32 countries in sub-Saharan Africa that have requested assistance in fighting the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the region’s economies. These steps by the IMF and its partners — the World Bank, World Health Organisation, the African Development Bank and the African Union — will support …

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• 15 April

  Oil slumps below $20 as IEA sees storages filling despite reductions

  

  Bloomberg Oil fell below $20 a barrel after the International Energy Agency said a historic production cut deal won’t be enough to counter a record demand slump this year. Futures fell as much as 4.5% in New York to the lowest since 2002. Oil demand will drop by over 9 million barrels a day this year, wiping out a decade …

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• 15 April

  Singapore home sales set for harder hit over lockdown

  

  Bloomberg Singapore home sales slumped in March and are set to take a harder hit in coming months as the government enforces a more draconian lockdown that threatens to bring the property market to a standstill. Sales in the city-state fell 32% to 660 units last month — even before the toughest curbs were imposed — from 976 in February, …

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• 15 April

  Shale explorers clash over oil-supply cut to survive rout

  

  Bloomberg One of the biggest Texas shale explorers warned it will halt all drilling if the state imposes Opec-style production caps, raising the stakes in a debate over a contentious proposal to arrest free-falling oil prices. The stark pronouncement from Diamondback Energy Inc’s finance chief stunned observers of the virtual hearing by the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees oil output …

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• 15 April

  ‘Oil price crash affects green transition’

  

  Bloomberg The pain felt by Big Oil from the coronavirus-led plunge in demand may derail global efforts to cut pollution, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said. The slowdown and falling prices “undermines the ability of the oil industry to develop some of the technologies needed for clean energy transitions around the world,” said the Paris-based agency. The industry has repeatedly …

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• 15 April

  Europe stocks slip with US futures; dollar advances

  

  Bloomberg Stocks in Europe edged lower while American equity-index futures retreated as investors scoured corporate earnings to gauge the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The dollar ticked higher and Treasuries rose. The Stoxx Europe 600 index declined for the first time in five trading days. ASML Holding NV, a crucial supplier to Samsung Electronics Co., reported a 40% drop in …

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• 15 April

  India stocks flirt with bull territory ahead of earnings reports

  

  Bloomberg India stocks rose, with the benchmark gauge set to close in bull territory, ahead of earnings reports that may give some insight into the outlook for companies under lockdown in the world’s second-most populous country. The S&P BSE Sensex advanced 2.5% to 31,450.11 as of 10:06 am in Mumbai, while the NSE Nifty 50 Index climbed by the same …

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• 15 April

  Bitcoin at inflection point

  Bloomberg With Bitcoin trading below $7,000, technical indicators show it’s nearing a key inflection point. Based on its drop over the past week, the biggest cryptocurrency is drifting in a narrow trading band, with support at $6,500 on the downside and strong resistance at $7,000 on any potential increases. However, the GTI Vera Convergence Divergence Indicator, which measures up and …

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