July, 2018

• 25 July

  BOE to estimate interest rate that’s just right

  

  Bloomberg The Bank of England (BOE) is about to try to put a number on normality. After months of research, the central bank will provide an assessment of the Goldilocks interest rate for the first time when it announces its policy decision on August 2. Known as r* (r-star), it’s the rate that keeps the economy neither too hot nor …

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• 25 July

  Standard Bank group earmarks $751mn to fund energy projects

  

  Bloomberg Standard Bank Group Ltd. has allocated $751 million to fund energy projects in South Africa as the continent’s largest lender by assets grows more confident in its home market and invests in riskier ventures. “We are exceedingly optimistic about the future of this country, more so now than in December,” Lungisa Fuzile, the Johannesburg-based lender’s South African head, said. …

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• 25 July

  Credit Suisse shuts five more exchange-traded notes

  

  Bloomberg Credit Suisse is shuttering five more exchange-traded notes next month, eliminating a pair of structured products that let investors bet on swings in stock markets and a trio of notes tied to oil prices. The investment bank, which infamously closed the $1.9 billion VelocityShares Daily Inverse VIX Short-Term ETN, ticker XIV, in February amid a maelstrom in which the …

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• 25 July

  US carriers plan to heed China demands on naming Taiwan

  

  Bloomberg US airlines plan to comply with a Chinese government demand that they revise their website identifications of Taiwan to reflect China’s claim on the island territory, said a person familiar with the discussions. The US carriers affected by the mandate — American Airlines Group Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc., United Continental Holdings Inc., and Hawaiian Holdings Inc. — will …

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• 25 July

  Ryanair hits out at striking workers with Irish fleet cuts

  

  Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc is pulling a fifth of its planes from its Dublin base this winter as the budget carrier moves to counter intensifying labor unrest causing flight disruptions across Europe. The airline said it will cut its Irish fleet by a fifth to 24 aircraft for winter 2018, blaming pilot walkouts for hurting bookings, air fares and consumer …

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• 25 July

  Lululemon names Sephora veteran as CEO to augment growth plan

  

  Bloomberg Lululemon Athletica Inc. has named Calvin McDonald to lead the surging yogawear brand as it looks to rehabilitate its culture and expand its international presence. McDonald, a 46-year-old native of Canada who most recently served as a top executive at makeup chain Sephora, steps into the CEO role vacated by Laurent Potdevin, Lululemon said in a statement. Potdevin departed …

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• 25 July

  Ivanka Trump to shut fashion brand as big-name stores drop it

  

  Bloomberg Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter, is pulling the plug on Ivanka Trump, the purveyor of womens’ fashion. After a year and a half of sporadic controversy over potential conflicts of interest, Trump, a White House adviser, said that she would wind down the company. She made the decision after some big-name department stores dropped her brand, but said in …

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• 24 July

  Borouge awards EPC contract to build fifth petchem plant in Ruwais

  

  ABU DHABI / WAM Borouge has awarded the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for an additional Polypropylene Plant, PP5, to be integrated with the existing Borouge 3 complex in Ruwais and grow the polymer production capacity to almost 5 million tonnes per annum by 2021. The EPC contract has been awarded to Tecnimont SPA, a subsidiary of Italy’s Milan-based …

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• 24 July

  Earnings-driven technology rally sends US stocks higher

  

  Bloomberg US equities climbed along with European stocks as positive earnings reports boosted investor sentiment, and China’s efforts to support its economy spurred interest in higher-risk assets across Asia. The S&P 500 Index opened higher on Tuesday, as the likes of Boeing and Verizon climbed on strong results. Google parent Alphabet anchored a big leap in tech stocks after beating …

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• 24 July

  Pound jumps as May takes control of Brexit talks

  

  Bloomberg The pound rose to a one-week high against the dollar after UK Prime Minister Theresa May said she will take control of Brexit talks, as investors bet on a softer exit from the EU. Sterling climbed as much as 0.4 percent to $1.3159, the highest level since July 17, after May said she will lead Brexit negotiations, relegating the …

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