April, 2021

• 19 April

  How Covid-19 revealed power of live video

  For years, video consumption was rising — from television to streaming apps to social media platforms. But one of the most thrilling parts of entertainment was mostly missing from the video world until the pandemic hit: the power of truly “live” streaming content. But with large gatherings off-limits during the pandemic, musicians and arts organisations started putting together live performances ...

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• 19 April

  EU bond bonanza will change capital markets

  The fixed-income landscape is set to be transformed as the European Union revs up to borrow $1 trillion by selling bonds in its own right. While talk of creating a market to rival US Treasuries is overblown, the forthcoming flood of securities will offer investors a genuine alternative to German bunds as the region’s debt benchmark. The EU will issue ...

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• 19 April

  China must take ‘decisive’ steps to boost domestic demand: US

  

  Bloomberg The US said China continues to focus its policies on exports, and called on its biggest economic rival to implement forceful measures to boost domestic demand. “China’s recovery has been highly imbalanced” since the hit from the coronavirus pandemic, the US Treasury Department said in its semiannual foreign-exchange report. “Stringent containment measures enabled China to quickly resume manufacturing while ...

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• 19 April

  India’s Razorpay triples valuation to $3 billion

  

  Bloomberg Razorpay, an Indian startup that facilitates digital payments, is raising $160 million from Sequoia India, Singapore’s sovereign fund GIC Pte and others, tripling its valuation to $3 billion in six months. The Bangalore-headquartered company, which helps businesses to automate their payment systems, will use the funds to expand into banking and lending, make acquisitions and add services in Southeast ...

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• 19 April

  HK billionaire Fungs weigh sale of luxury bagmaker

  Bloomberg Hong Kong billionaire brothers Victor and William Fung are exploring selling their stake in Delvaux, a 192-year-old Belgian luxury leather bagmaker, people with knowledge of the matter said. The Fungs are working with advisers and have reached out to prospective suitors on the potential divestment of the asset, the people said. A sale could value the bagmaker at around ...

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• 19 April

  SoftBank’s $120m Norway deal includes high-pay theme to it

  

  Bloomberg After spending $120 million on a stake in an online grocer in Norway, SoftBank Group Corp is laying out the business logic of targeting a market that boasts Europe’s highest hourly labour costs. The deal is an example of how countries that pay average workers really well often come up with some of the smartest technology, according to Paul ...

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• 19 April

  Japan’s exports jump most since 2017

  Bloomberg Japanese exports posted a double-digit gain for the first time in more than three years in March, offering another indication that a recovery in global trade is gaining strength. The value of overseas shipments jumped 16.1% from a year ago, for the biggest increase since November 2017, led by exports of cars, plastics, semi-conductors and chip-making equipment, the finance ...

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• 19 April

  Trade tensions may disrupt supply of chip equipment: TSMC

  

  Bloomberg Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, warned for the first time that trade tensions may disrupt its access to key production equipment and hit its operations, amid increasing friction between the US and China. The company, which produces semiconductors for Apple Inc and other major global tech companies, said in its annual report released that ...

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• 19 April

  Russia hits back as US warns of response if Navalny dies

  

  Bloomberg Russia hit back defiantly after the US warned of “consequences” if jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny dies on hunger strike, deepening the conflict over the dissident who’s already survived an alleged assassination attempt. “It’s obvious that Russia’s development as a strong, sovereign state is of no interest” to the West, Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament ...

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• 19 April

  Chad says it repels advancing rebels; US urges staff to leave

  

  Bloomberg Chad said its army repelled rebels advancing southwards towards the country’s capital, as the US ordered non-emergency staff at its embassy to leave the country. A rebel convoy was intercepted in the southwestern Kanem region, army spokesman Colonel Azem Bermandoa said in a statement on state-run Office National de Radio et Television du Tchad. “The convoy was destroyed and ...

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