May, 2021

• 25 May

  US to aid Gaza without helping Hamas: Blinken

  

  Bloomberg US Secretary of State Antony Blinken kicked off a Middle East diplomatic mission with a pledge to help reconstruction efforts in Gaza, left battered after a destructive 11-day conflict with Israel. Standing next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Blinken said he will specify an aid package to the Palestinians later on Tuesday. The US will ensure ...

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• 25 May

  Train collision leaves 200 injured in Kuala Lumpur

  

  Bloomberg Two light rail transit trains collided at an underground section near the famed Petronas twin towers in Kuala Lumpur, injuring more than 200 passengers in a rare mishap that has prompted a full government probe. No deaths were reported while 47 passengers sustained serious injuries, Bernama cited Dang Wangi District Police chief Mohamad Zainal Abdullah as saying. The collision ...

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• 25 May

  US, EU vow to pressure Belarus on diversion of Ryanair jet

  

  Bloomberg Backed by the US, European Union (EU) leaders moved to impose new sanctions on Belarus over the forced landing of a Ryanair Holdings Plc jet and the arrest of a dissident journalist. “It’s piracy,” German Finance Minister and Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday in a Bloomberg webinar. “I’m really, really angry about what happened and we cannot ...

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• 25 May

  Germany suffers $366bn hit from Covid-19 fallout

  

  Bloomberg Germany has suffered a 300 billion-euro ($366 billion) blow from fallout linked to the coronavirus and the economic damage will take years to fix, according to research group IW Cologne. The pandemic is projected to slash about 100 billion euros ($122.59 billion) from the output of Europe’s largest economy in the first half of 2021, adding to the hit ...

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• 25 May

  UK kicks off fiscal year with $45bn budget deficit

  

  Bloomberg The UK posted a 31.7 billion-pound budget deficit ($45 billion) in April as the new fiscal year got under way. The shortfall reported by the Office for National Statistics on Tuesday was in line with the median forecast of economists but well below the 47.3 billion pounds registered in April last year, when the first coronavirus lockdown pummeled the ...

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• 25 May

  US sales of previously owned homes fall for a third month

  

  Bloomberg Sales of previously owned US homes dropped unexpectedly in April for a third straight month as an inventory crunch pushed up prices by the most on record and restrained purchases. Contract closings decreased 2.7% from the prior month to an annualised 5.85 million, the slowest pace since June, according to data from the National Association of Realtors. The median ...

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• 25 May

  France weighs new border curbs with UK

  Bloomberg France will likely decide on Wednesday whether additional restrictions are needed at its border with the UK to fend off a coronavirus variant first identified in India. The UK is trying to make a case to France that extra curbs aren’t necessary, citing the large share of its vaccinated population, a person familiar with the discussions said. About 70% ...

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• 25 May

  Polish economy ready for rebound to pre-virus boom

  

  Bloomberg Poland has “undoubtedly” emerged from its first economic slump in three decades, while European Union (EU) stimulus and a government plan to boost spending will stabilise the economy and ensure strong growth in the coming years, Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Gowin said. Polish output shrinks for a fourth straight quarter in the first three months of this year. But ...

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• 25 May

  China stocks rise most since July amid record foreign purchases

  

  Bloomberg China’s equity benchmark rallied by the most since July as investors piled into stocks amid attempts by policymakers to contain commodity prices. The yuan also advanced to its strongest since 2018. The CSI 300 Index closed 3.2% higher at its strongest since early March, driven by gains in consumer staples equities. The surge came as overseas investors net purchased ...

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• 25 May

  Futures buoyed by Fed price comments; dollar weakens

  

  Bloomberg US equity futures rose Tuesday along with European stocks after Federal Reserve officials played down the risk of persistent inflation. A gauge of dollar strength against a basket of peers headed for the lowest level since January. The Stoxx Europe 600 index was on track for a fresh record high, with technology stocks boosted by results from Aveva Group ...

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