March, 2019

• 24 March

  Avon rises as Natura confirms possible deal

  

  Bloomberg Avon Products Inc spiked after rival Natura & Co confirmed that it has engaged in talks with Avon about a “potential transaction,” without giving further details. The confirmation, made in a regulatory filing, comes hours after the Wall Street Journal reported Avon and Natura were in early discussions about a potential sale that could put the cosmetics maker and …

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• 23 March

  Oil hits 3-week low on global slowdown fears

  

  Bloomberg Oil fell the most in three weeks as disappointing economic data sowed new fears of slowing global growth. West Texas Intermediate futures in New York dropped 1.6 percent, paring the week’s gain to less than 1 percent. Weaker than expected manufacturing data from Germany and France cast fresh doubts on Europe’s economic outlook, dragging equities down. The US treasury …

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• 23 March

  US existing-home sales rise at fastest pace in a year

  

  Bloomberg Sales of previously owned US homes rebounded in February to fastest pace in almost a year, topping estimates and snapping a three-month streak of declines to offer a robust indication that the housing market is stabilising after last year’s slump. Contract closings increased 11.8 percent, the most since 2015, from January’s pace to a 5.51 million annual rate, the …

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• 23 March

  Ford plans $900mn bet on Michigan-made autos of future

  

  Bloomberg Ford Motor Co plans to spend about $900 million and hire about 900 workers to build electric and self-driving vehicles in Michigan, while moving production of a small commercial van to Mexico from Europe. The moves, announced the same day Donald Trump visits an Ohio tank plant, follow the president’s sharp criticism of General Motors Co for idling a …

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• 23 March

  Facebook’s Oculus unveils its new PC-connected Rift S

  

  Bloomberg Facebook Inc’s Oculus division unveiled a new version of the Rift virtual-reality headset, the Rift S, adding a higher-resolution display and a new design. The new model, which goes on sale for $399 sometime in the spring, plays the same games as the original Rift, but adds embedded sensors instead of external cameras for tracking. The previous model, which …

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• 23 March

  Nintendo, Sony fall after Google unveils gaming service

  

  Bloomberg Sony Corp and Nintendo Co shares slid after Alphabet Inc’s Google outlined a major push into video games with a streaming service called Stadia. Nintendo dropped as much as 4.6 percent and Sony declined 4.5 percent, the biggest intraday drop in six weeks. Stadia lets developers put games on a streaming platform that will allow players to access the …

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• 23 March

  Trump escalates feud with Fed by picking Moore for board

  

  Bloomberg It looks like a textbook example of political meddling with a central bank in an emerging market, except it’s happening in the US. President Donald Trump said he’s nominating former campaign adviser Stephen Moore to be a governor of the Federal Reserve — potentially putting a political loyalist in lockstep with Trump’s view on juicing the economy into the …

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• 23 March

  US banks tumble as bad news piles up

  

  Bloomberg Big banks extended losses into a fourth day, as 10-year Treasury yields tumbled, the 3-month/10-year yield curve inverted for the first time since 2007, US manufacturing data missed expectations and Europe’s economic outlook darkened. The KBW Bank Index slid 4.5 percent, the most since December 4, to a session low after President Trump said he will nominate long-time supporter …

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• 23 March

  Sweden’s oldest bank risks big fines from $10bn money laundering case

  

  Bloomberg Swedbank AB may now be facing substantial fines for money laundering that could put pressure on its capital buffers. Sweden’s oldest bank has so far failed to convince markets that it stayed on the right side of the law amid allegations it was used to launder more than $10 billion from the former Soviet Union. A report intended to …

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• 23 March

  Delay in new rules spares India banks from bad loan

  

  Bloomberg India delayed the introduction of tough new accounting rules for the second year running, in a move that will spare the country’s banks from adding another layer to the $190 billion pile of bad loans on their books. The Reserve Bank of India said that legislative amendments needed to implement the new Indian Accounting Standards are still under consideration …

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