July, 2018

• 31 July

  Triple-leveraged ETFs store up trouble for $8.5 billion fund

  

  Bloomberg Trouble in the leveraged ETF complex could spark a fresh volatility explosion that hits commodity investors in its wake, according to Macro Risk Advisors. The New York-based firm warns the VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF, ticker GDX, is vulnerable to outsized price swings if its tracked basket of stocks drops by 5 percent or more in a single day. …

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• 31 July

  IndiGo Q1 profit dips 97%

  

  Bloomberg IndiGo, India’s biggest airline, fell to the lowest in 16 months as rising fuel prices and a weaker rupee led to its worst-ever quarterly profit in a fiercely-competitive market. The carrier, operated by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., said net income dropped 97 percent to 278 million rupees ($4 million) in the three months through June, its worst quarterly result since …

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• 31 July

  Ryanair strike woes worsen as German pilots vote for walkout

  

  Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc’s labour crisis deepened as pilots in Germany voted to strike in a dispute over pay and conditions. Crews could walk out at 24 hours’ notice after more than 96 percent of respondents backed industrial action in a poll, the Vereinigung Cockpit union said. It set an August 6 deadline for the discount carrier to avoid disruption …

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• 31 July

  Lotte mulls selling China malls amid anti-Korean sentiment

  

  Bloomberg Lotte Group, reeling from a wave of anti-Korean sentiment in China for more than a year, is considering selling some of its department stores in the country, a move that would accelerate the conglomerate’s withdrawal from the world’s second-largest economy. The sale of some of Lotte Shopping Co.’s five malls is among options being reviewed in the country, a …

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• 31 July

  Cathay plans job cuts overseas amid competition from China

  

  Bloomberg Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. offered a voluntary early retirement package to employees in Japan as part of a three-year restructuring effort to revive earnings growth. Cathay is undergoing a “comprehensive review” of regional organisation including Northeast Asia, which consists of Japan, Taiwan and Korea, the airline’s Japan office said in emailed comments. Employees in Japan were briefed on the …

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• 30 July

  Oil hits one-month high amid global supply risks

  

  Bloomberg Crude rose by the most in a month as traders focus on supply risks from Canada to the Middle East. Futures in New York advanced as much as 2.5 percent on Monday amid speculation that a Canadian oil-sands facility that supplies US refineries won’t return to full production as quickly as expected. Threats elsewhere included an imminent labour strike …

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• 30 July

  CBI first-half profit up 55%

  DUBAI / WAM Commercial Bank International (CBI) announced financial results for first six mon- ths of 2018, with net profit up 55 percent to AED81 million, compared to AED52 million in H1 2017. Operating profits were up 6 percent to AED194 million, from AED183 million during same period last year. Mohammad Sultan Al Qadi, Chairman of CBI, said, “The strong …

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• 30 July

  UAE-Indonesia pact to boost halal sector, promote trade exchange

  

  JAKARTA / WAM The Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indonesia’s National Standardisation Agency (BSN) and National Accreditation Committee (KAN) to officially recognise halal certificates issued by KAN. ESMA Director-General Abdulla Abdul Qader Al Maeeni told Salaam Gateway, which is a joint effort between Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre and Thomson …

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• 30 July

  Total lifts 2018 output target as oil rally propels earnings

  

  Bloomberg Total SA raised its production target for the second time this year, accelerating its emergence from the oil slump as rising prices deliver a surge in profit. While the return of US sanctions on Iran derailed a major gas endeavor of the French energy giant, the move also boosted oil prices just as Total reaped the benefits of project …

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• 30 July

  Protests hit South African power plants

  

  Bloomberg Protests at some South African power stations amid deadlocked wage talks are stopping coal from getting to plants and threaten to force the country’s electricity provider to implement rolling blackouts. “The national grid is expected to be constrained this evening due to instability at several power stations due to acts of intimidation,” Khulu Phasiwe, a spokesman for Eskom, said …

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