August, 2021

• 12 August

  It’s time for SoftBank to stop ‘buying’

  

  SoftBank Group Corp’s prolific spending on startups and listed companies underpins founder Masayoshi Son’s entire strategy, driving both earnings and share price. But such massive outlays have forced its balance sheet into a hole that suggests the only way out is to start selling. Net income at the Japanese company dropped 39% for the June quarter, while profit at its ...

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• 12 August

  Can Moderna buy its way into $200bn club?

  Moderna Inc’s highly effective Covid vaccine, in addition to protecting millions, is officially a cash cow. The company disclosed during its earnings presentation that it expects the shot to generate $20 billion in sales this year. Now it has to figure out what to do with its windfall as it tries to justify a market valuation that has surged by ...

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• 12 August

  Fed is watching how BOE inches to a taper

  “Some modest tightening of monetary policy over the forecast period is likely to be necessary” was how the Bank of England worded the forward guidance at its quarterly review on Thursday. It sounded like tough talk. Indeed, the BOE is the first of the major central banks to set out a template for reducing stimulus, with parameters for when the ...

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• 12 August

  UK heat strategy pushed to Sept amid climate pressure

  

  Bloomberg The UK’s long-promised strategy for reducing carbon emissions from heating drafty homes will be published next month, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said, as the government gears up to host a key climate change summit in the fall. During a media round, Kwarteng suggested the so-called heat and buildings strategy may include a plan for phasing out gas boilers. He ...

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• 12 August

  Gates-backed battery firm gets funding from Reliance, others

  

  Bloomberg Ambri Inc, a Bill Gates-backed venture that makes batteries for power grids, said it secured $144 million to build production plants in funding led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd and Paulson & Co. Plans include a pilot facility and a subsequent commercial-scale site in the US, followed by two more abroad in yet-to-be-determined locales. Reliance, India’s most ...

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• 12 August

  Brookfield wins Inter Pipeline’s backing for $6.8 billion deal

  

  Bloomberg Canada’s Inter Pipeline Ltd told shareholders to accept a $6.8 billion hostile takeover offer from Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP, days after walking away from a friendly deal with Pembina Pipeline Corp. The move pushes the monthslong battle for Canada’s fourth-largest midstream company closer to a resolution. Brookfield sweetened its bid to win over Inter Pipeline shareholders, while prominent advisory ...

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• 12 August

  JetBlue begins flights from New York to London at $202

  

  Bloomberg Just nine days after the UK granted vaccinated Americans quarantine-free entry, JetBlue Airways Corp is making its first foray into transatlantic service, starting flights on the world’s most lucrative air route—from New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport to London Heathrow—on Wednesday. It’s a long-awaited move for fans of the carrier, which has made its name offering affordable, friendly ...

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• 12 August

  Boeing Max takes to China’s skies amid test to end ban

  

  Bloomberg The Boeing Co 737 Max jet that’s in China for a flight test for regulators took to the skies above Shanghai on Wednesday, potentially a step toward lifting the plane’s more than two-year grounding in the country. The jet took off at 9:24 am local time, flew southeast along the coast and then headed out to sea, according to ...

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• 12 August

  Amazon to pay up to $1,000 for injuries by sellers’ goods

  Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc is offering to compensate customers for injuries caused by goods from its third-party sellers, a guarantee that follows numerous lawsuits seeking to hold the world’s largest online retailer responsible for dangerous products purchased from its digital shelves. In a blog post on Amazon’s corporate site, the company said it would pay shoppers itself for injury or property ...

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• 12 August

  Toys ‘R’ Us says famed brand in complaint alleging rip-off

  

  Bloomberg Shoppers at the Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus, New Jersey, might feel a touch of déjà vu on entering a store called Toys & Beyond. The signs have a bubble font with different-coloured letters. A cash register display says “Let’s Play.” On the stairwell of an indoor treehouse are sentiments such as “I don’t want to grow up.” ...

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