November, 2021

• 15 November

  Sweden’s grocery chain ICA to go private at $12.5b valuation

  Bloomberg Sweden’s biggest grocery chain, ICA Gruppen, plans to go private at a $12.5 billion valuation, the latest in a wave of dealmaking to sweep through the European supermarket industry. ICA’s majority owner, comprising an association of 1,500 retailers, is looking to acquire all the shares it doesn’t already own, according to a statement. The group sees leaving the stock ...

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• 15 November

  Philippine’s Cebu Air hires cabin crew

  Bloomberg Cebu Air Inc resumed hiring cabin crew, anticipating a recovery in air-travel demand as the Philippines eases its coronavirus curbs. “The airline has reached out and encouraged former CEB cabin crew to apply as the airline gets ready for growth,” the Philippines’ largest budget carrier said in a statement. The airline unit of conglomerate JG Summit Holdings Inc has ...

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• 15 November

  Discount UK clothing chain Primark plans US store expansion

  

  Bloomberg Discount clothing chain Primark is sticking to its guns as a bricks-and-mortar retailer with plans to increase the store count by about a third, largely in the US, while most rivals focus on e-commerce. Parent company Associated British Foods Plc said it aims to raise the store total to 530 worldwide over the next five years, from 398 currently. ...

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• 15 November

  Putin denies stoking Poland border crisis, offers to help

  

  Bloomberg President Vladimir Putin said Russia isn’t behind the migrant crisis playing out at the Poland-Belarus border, but instead is ready to help resolve it. Speaking to Rossiya-1 TV Channel on Sunday, Putin said he learned about developments in the border region from media reports. “We are ready to contribute to this in every possible way, if of course, something ...

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• 15 November

  Biden’s approval rating slips to fresh low: Poll

  

  Bloomberg President Joe Biden’s approval rating dropped to a new low, mainly because of more negative views among Democrats and independents, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. The president’s overall approval rating is at 41%, down from 50% in June and 44% in September, according to the survey, which added that his current standing isn’t statistically different from two ...

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• 15 November

  Blinken expressed Taiwan concerns to China’s Wang Yi

  Bloomberg US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concerns over China’s continued military, diplomatic, and economic pressure on Taiwan in a phone conversation with Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Blinken urged Beijing “to engage in meaningful dialogue” to resolve Taiwan Strait issues “peacefully and in a manner consistent with the wishes and best interests of the people on Taiwan,” US Department ...

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• 15 November

  Bulgaria, poorest nation in EU, holds third election in a year

  

  Bloomberg Bulgarians are voting again in their third general elections this year under abysmal conditions. The poorest nation in the European Union has one of the world’s worst Covid-related death rates, is struggling to access the EU’s pandemic aid and is in a state of permanent political crisis. Former PM Boyko Borissov has run the country for most of the last ...

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• 15 November

  Austria orders lockdown for unvaccinated

  

  Bloomberg Austria is putting unvaccinated people under lockdown from Monday, the most drastic move by a Western European country to slow the latest wave of the coronavirus. European cases reached almost 2 million last week, the most in a single week in the region since the pandemic started. The Netherlands and Latvia have both imposed new measures, while Germany is ...

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• 15 November

  Labour edges ahead of Tories on sleaze row

  Bloomberg A row engulfing the British government has helped the opposition Labour party record one of its first poll leads over the ruling Conservative party for almost a year. Keir Starmer’s Labour party registered 37% support in the survey, a single point ahead of the Conservatives in the Opinium poll published by the Observer newspaper. It’s the first Labour lead ...

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• 15 November

  BOE policy U-turn shows up in market wagers once again

  

  Bloomberg Traders are betting the Bank of England (BOE) will rapidly raise borrowing costs before reversing course almost as quickly. Again. With inflation looking increasingly sticky, the BOE is expected to raise its key interest rate by 115 basis points over the next 18 months, according to money market pricing. Policy makers are likely to then be forced to unwind ...

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