March, 2021

• 18 March

  Inflation is a monster under the bed

  

  Economic recoveries are supposed to be a time of celebration for investors, and the recovery from Covid-19 now underway should be no different. The economy is growing again; business activity is picking up; deflation is a distant threat; cheap money is goosing the recovery; and stocks are surging on hopes of higher profits. And yet, rather than cheer their good ...

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• 18 March

  Central bankers have lost the plot on messaging

  It’s a big week for central bank meetings, with the US Federal Reserve on Wednesday, the Bank of England Thursday and the Bank of Japan wrapping it up on Friday. My plea is that they keep it simple. Central bank messaging really doesn’t have to be as difficult as it has become lately — with a plethora of jargon-infected initiatives ...

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• 18 March

  The UK wasted a chance to make women feel safe

  Sir Robert Peel, the father of modern policing and London’s first proper police force, said that policing succeeds when it prevents crime while gaining the public’s trust and partnership. Last week, the Met Police, as London’s force is known, failed on both counts. As perhaps the world knows by now, Sarah Everard was abducted and killed in south London despite ...

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• 18 March

  US airlines rally as bookings offer solid signs of recovery

  

  Bloomberg US airlines rallied as improved summer leisure bookings and rising fares offered strong signs of a recovery a year after Americans began staying close to home. Sales over the past three weeks have been the best since the coronavirus pandemic began, American Airlines Group Inc. said, while United Airlines Holdings Inc. said high demand for spring and summer travel ...

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• 18 March

  Sun Country Airlines IPO raises $218mn

  

  Bloomberg Sun Country Airlines Holdings Inc. priced its initial public offering (IPO) above range at $24 a share to raise about $218 million as it looks for a rebound in leisure travel. Minneapolis-based Sun Country sold about 9.1 million shares, according to a statement confirming an earlier Bloomberg News report. The company had marketed the shares for $21 and $23, ...

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• 18 March

  Walmart hires designer for Gaga, Oprah to steer upscale apparel

  

  Bloomberg Fashion designer Brandon Maxwell has dressed Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama and Meghan Markle. Soon, Walmart Inc. shoppers can wear his styles, too. The world’s largest retailer hired Maxwell as the first-ever creative director for its Scoop and Free Assembly fashion brands, it said in a statement. Maxwell, 36, will oversee four seasonal collections a year for the two labels, ...

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• 18 March

  Philippine fried chicken king targets expansion

  Bloomberg Jollibee Foods Corp., the largest Philippine restaurant operator, is looking toward foreign expansion and “opportunities” created by Covid-19 as it rebounds after historic losses induced by the pandemic. After a restructure amid last year’s setback, Jollibee CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong plans to open 450 restaurants around the world this year while looking for acquisitions that could be funded with the ...

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• 18 March

  Thai Airways revamp plan gets support from shareholder

  

  Bloomberg Thailand’s finance ministry, the largest shareholder of Thai Airways International Pcl, signalled its support for a restructuring plan that includes raising fresh capital, a temporary freeze on repayment of borrowings and slashing its workforce by half to return the debt-ridden airline to profit. The key elements of the debt rehabilitation plan are “quite acceptable,” Pantip Sripimol, director general of ...

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• 18 March

  Boeing gets new chief for 737 Max program

  Bloomberg Boeing Co. selected a new honcho for its 737 Max jetliner program — the fifth executive to hold the post since 2018. Ed Clark Jr., a vice president who previously served as chief mechanic and chief engineer for the single-aisle aircraft family, was named general manager of the operation, according to a memo sent to employees. His duties include ...

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• 18 March

  Biden says Putin will pay price for inteference in US elections

  

  Bloomberg President Joe Biden agreed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “killer,” and said in an interview with ABC News on Wednesday that Russia would pay for alleged interference in US elections. His comments, came the same day as a US intelligence community report that Putin ordered influence operations to hurt Biden’s candidacy, favouring former President Donald Trump just ...

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