January, 2019

• 5 January

  Zimbabwe gets more time to pay for fuel

  

  Bloomberg Zimbabwe has reached flexible payment arrangements with some gasoline importers that will ensure it stabilises supplies amid a forei- gn-currency shortage that threatens economic growth. The government has struck a deal with a unit of Trafigura Beheer BV and Independent Petroleum Group (IPG) of Kuwait Ltd to extend payment periods for gasoline supplies to as many as six months ...

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• 5 January

  New Petrobras CEO rejects govt intervention

  Bloomberg The new head of Brazil’s state-controlled oil company criticised its history of government interference and vowed to pursue policies that will boost profit, echoing a wider pledge by President Jair Bolsonaro to reduce the state’s role in Latin America’s largest economy. Roberto Castello Branco, who was sworn in as chief executive officer of Petrobras, said he was “revolted” by ...

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• 5 January

  Amazon, Google and smart-home offerings

  

  Bloomberg As he browsed digital store shelves last month in search of an aromatherapy diffuser, entrepreneur David Berger had a single requirement for his wife’s Christmas gift: It had to work with Amazon.com Inc.’s Alexa software. “She’s really into making the house smell beautiful, and I’m really into Alexa,” says Berger who lives in Weston, Connecticut. “So this is a ...

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• 5 January

  Slump in iPhone demand hits lens maker Largan’s Dec sales

  

  Bloomberg Largan Precision Co., which supplies camera lenses to Apple Inc, said revenue in December fell by a third amid weakening appetite for iPhones in China. Sales dropped 33.9 percent from a year to NT$3.23 billion ($104.9 million), and were in line with Largan’s estimates, a company spokeswoman said on Saturday. The company, which also makes lenses for Huawei Technologies ...

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• 5 January

  Microsoft, Google use artificial intelligence to fight hackers

  

  Bloomberg Last year, Microsoft Corp’s Azure security team detected suspicious activity in the cloud computing usage of a large retailer: One of the company’s administrators, who usually logs on from New York, was trying to gain entry from Romania. And no, the admin wasn’t on vacation. A hacker had broken in. Microsoft quickly alerted its customer, and the attack was ...

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• 5 January

  Powell hints Fed open to pause if economy weakens

  

  Bloomberg Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell signalled the central bank could pause interest-rate increases if the US economy weakened and pledged he will stay at his post even if President Donald Trump presses him to resign. Invoking events of 2016, when the Fed held rates unchanged through most of the year amid financial market turmoil spurred by concerns over slower ...

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• 5 January

  Polish central bank chief questioned in watchdog scandal

  

  Bloomberg Polish central bank Governor Adam Glapinski is undergoing “routine” questioning by prosecutors in relation to a bribery scandal that led to the arrest of the country’s banking watchdog chairman. The latest in a string of central bankers from emerging Europe becoming involved in legal probes, Glapinski has rebuffed calls to step down from opposition parties that are demanding a ...

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• 5 January

  ECB takes reins of Italian bank Carige

  

  Bloomberg The European Central Bank (ECB) took the unprecedented step of placing the cash-strapped Italian lender Banca Carige SpA in temporary administration, a move that could be a prelude to a sale or merger. The administrators and a three-member surveillance committee will focus on reducing balance sheet risk and finding a possible partner for the bank, Carige said in a ...

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• 5 January

  Indian banks plunge over merger terms

  Bloomberg The two Indian banks which will be merged into Bank of Baroda saw their share prices plunge in reaction to news of the terms of the deal. The share swap ratio has been set at 110 Bank of Baroda shares for every 1000 shares in Dena Bank, and 402 Bank of Baroda shares for 1000 shares of Vijaya Bank, ...

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• 5 January

  PBOC tweaks liquidity tap as growth jitters persist

  

  Bloomberg China’s central bank took a further step to secure liquidity to the slowing economy, amid investor jitters over the outlook and expectations that more easing moves are in the pipeline. The amount of cash lenders must hold as reserves will be cut by 1 percentage point, dropping by 0.5 percentage point on January 15 and a further 0.5 percentage ...

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