July, 2019

• 30 July

  Pound slumps as no-deal Brexit concerns intensify

  

  Bloomberg The pound slumped for a fourth day as investor concerns over a no-deal Brexit intensified. Sterling continued its slide versus both the dollar and the euro, with investors pricing a higher chance of the UK crashing out of the European Union on October 31. As differences between the two sides increase, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office said the UK …

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• 30 July

  Trump’s bid to dismantle global trading system poised for a win

  

  Bloomberg US President Donald Trump’s assault on the World Trade Organization — and the global system of rules that guide inte- rnational businesses — may be quietly scoring a major victory. Thanks to a US veto on new appeals judges, the WTO’s dispute arm is expected to start slipping into the institutional equivalent of a coma at the end of …

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• 30 July

  US stocks fall on earnings, trade talk; Treasuries gain

  

  Bloomberg US stocks fell a second day amid a mixed bag of corporate results and growing speculation a trade deal with China remains elusive. Treasuries edged higher as the Federal Reserve began deliberating on the path for interest rates. The S&P 500 Index slumped, with overnight trading reaching lows after President Donald Trump criticised China just as his negotiators start …

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• 30 July

  Australia’s $239b stock rally blasts past record high

  

  Bloomberg One of this year’s best-performing stock markets has just hit a fresh record. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index reached its highest level, having added about $239 billion in value this year as investors cheered a dovish central bank, a surprise federal election victory by the incumbent center-right government and skyrocketing iron ore prices. The gauge rose 0.3 percent to close …

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• 30 July

  Citi plans to cut hundreds of trading jobs

  

  Bloomberg Citigroup Inc is preparing to cut hundreds of jobs in its trading division — stark new evidence that an industrywide slump in revenue this year may be more permanent than the tweets and policy moves rattling clients. The New York-based bank plans to slash jobs across its fixed-income and stock-trading operations over the course of 2019, according to people …

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• 30 July

  Swedish economy shrinks in Q2 in blow to Riksbank

  

  Bloomberg Sweden’s economy unexpectedly shrank in the second quarter, casting further doubts on the Riksbank’s plans to continue to raise rates. Gross domestic product contracted 0.1 percent in the second quarter from the first, according to preliminary numbers from Statistics Sweden. Economists had predicted an expansion of 0.3 percent. Annual growth was 1.4 percent while economists and the Riksbank had …

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• 30 July

  RBS approaches Whitbread chief for CEO role

  

  Bloomberg Whitbread Plc Chief Executive Officer Alison Brittain has been approached as a candidate to succeed Ross McEwan as boss of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Group Plc, adding to signs the lender is broadening its search as it seeks a new leader. Brittain, who has run the British hotel and restaurant operator for nearly four years, is one of …

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• 30 July

  Kuroda: ‘More positive’ towards easing as global peers shift

  

  Bloomberg The Bank of Japan said it’s “more positive” about adding monetary stimulus as it eyes a global shift in which the Federal Reserve is set to cut interest rates on Wednesday for the first time since 2008. While Governor Haruhiko Kuroda kept policy unchanged despite trimming inflation forecasts, he added a phrase to the policy statement saying the BOJ …

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• 30 July

  Lufthansa’s earnings deepen aviation gloom amid fare war

  

  Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa AG said threats to its financial outlook are mounting after a fare war and stuttering global economy dented second quarter-earnings, adding to the gloom surrounding Europe’s airline industry. Lufthansa warned that the fight for market share means business trends could deteriorate further in the second half, sending the stock down 7.4 percent even as the group stood …

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• 30 July

  Ryanair CEO takes swipe at Boeing over Max jet delays

  

  Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc Chief Executive Officer Michael O’Leary harangued Boeing Co over the grounding of the 737 Max jet, saying he’s concerned the Irish carrier will receive zero planes by summer 2020. Ryanair, Boeing’s biggest European customer for the Max, has already slashed its estimate for the number of aircraft likely to be available for next year’s peak season. …

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