February, 2019

• 5 February

  Australian retail sales see biggest slump in a year

  

  Bloomberg Australian retail sales suffered the biggest drop in 12 months and imports slumped by the most in almost seven years, raising doubts about the resilience of household spending. Sales fell 0.4 percent in December, compared with estimates for an unchanged reading, statistics bureau data showed on Tuesday. Imports dropped 6 percent in the month, the worst result since February …

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• 5 February

  Ocado in talks with retailers on potential deals

  

  Bloomberg Ocado Group Plc said it is talking to retailers about potential deals, renewing speculation about a possible partnership with Marks & Spencer Group Plc. The UK online grocer signed a number of technology licensing agreements in 2018, including a mammoth partnership with Kroger Co. in which the US supermarket chain agreed to buy a stake. Talk that Ocado might …

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• 5 February

  dnata launches new resource management system in Dubai

  

  Dubai / Emirates Business dnata, one of the world’s largest air services providers, continues to drive innovation in the Middle East aviation industry by launching a new resource management system in Dubai. The new system, which includes a leading-edge software platform and advanced analytic tools, will help the company optimise operations and efficiently manage its 20,000 employees and resources at …

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• 5 February

  European airline crews ditch Venezuela layovers

  Bloomberg The mounting political crisis in Venezuela has prompted European airlines to add a stop in the Caribbean so that pilots and flight attendants don’t have to spend the night in the strife-torn country. Spanish airline Iberia has begun using Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic as a staging post for its three weekly services from Madrid to Caracas, while …

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• 5 February

  US futures rise as Europe stocks jump on results

  

  Bloomberg US equity futures advanced on Tuesday, taking their cue from a rally in Europe after strong earnings from oil giant BP. The euro edged lower and the pound weakened. Contracts on the S&P 500, Nasdaq and Dow Jones indexes all gained ground through the European morning after a lackluster start, though Google-parent Alphabet Inc. slipped in early trading after …

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• 5 February

  Goldman Sachs says don’t hold your breath for big stock returns

  

  Bloomberg Investors that didn’t profit from the equity rally in January, missed out on most of the returns for the year, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. strategists. “The dislocation at the outset of the year — when markets had overpriced the slowdown — has almost disappeared,” said the strategists led by Sharon Bell. “The rally we expected has happened …

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• 5 February

  Deutsche Bank options shrink as revenue extends declines

  

  Bloomberg Christian Sewing’s options for turning around Deutsche Bank AG are shrinking. After an eighth straight quarter of declining revenue, reaction from investors and analysts suggested that the cost cutting at the heart of the chief executive’s strategy won’t be enough to keep markets at bay. “I can hardly see a future for Deutsche Bank as long as there’s no …

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• 5 February

  China’s PBOC sets up bureau to improve financial oversight

  

  Bloomberg The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has set up a department to oversee and eliminate financial risks, as part of its restructuring of departments and personnel. The PBOC established the macro-prudential management bureau to draft rules, monitor and handle financial systemic risks, and to advise on currency issues including yuan convertibility, according to a statement published by the State …

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• 5 February

  Trump, Powell met to discuss economic outlook: Fed

  

  Bloomberg Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell met President Donald Trump at the White House for dinner to discuss the economy’s performance and outlook, but the central bank said its chief did not share his expectations for monetary policy. Powell’s comments were “consistent with his remarks at his press conference of last week,” the Fed said in a statement. “He did …

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• 5 February

  Cash-rich Ghana banks boost loan growth

  

  Bloomberg A regulatory spring-clean that’s cut the number of Ghanaian banks by almost a third is strengthening the industry, brightening prospects for lending growth and easing the pain of unpaid debts. The expanding economy is also helping lenders put behind them years of challenges weighing on the West African nation — including daily power outages, poor banking regulation and an …

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