March, 2018

• 26 March

  SNB’s elusive German investor may be clue to bank’s big share gain

  

  Bloomberg The Swiss National Bank’s (SNB) biggest private shareholder sold 10 percent of his stake in 2017, capitalising on the thinly traded stock’s mystifying rally. Theo Siegert, a German businessman and professor, held 6,070 shares — or 6.07 percent of the SNB — as of Dec. 31, down from 6,720 a year earlier, the central bank said in its annual …

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• 26 March

  As trade war heats up, currency whales make their move

  

  Bloomberg For the first time in a decade, the world’s central banks are looking beyond the dollar to build their currency reserves. With US protectionism on the rise, a number of Wall Street strategists say the case for the euro has rarely been better. Existential crises that hobbled the European experiment have receded. A resurgent economy has spurred talk the …

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• 26 March

  Givaudan taps organic trend with $1.6 billion Naturex deal

  

  Bloomberg Going organic can come with a high price tag. Just ask Givaudan SA. The Swiss flavours and fragrance company agreed y to buy Naturex for about 1.3 billion euros ($1.6 billion), or 135 euros a share. That’s 42 percent above where the supplier of natural plant extracts closed in Paris trading. The deal values the Avignon, France-based company at …

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• 26 March

  JD Sports to acquire Finish Line for $558mn

  

  Bloomberg JD Sports Fashion Plc agreed to buy US sportswear retailer Finish Line Inc., seeking to snatch away a company in which Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct International Plc has built a stake. The agreement is valued at a total of $558 million. Ashley’s Sports Direct International, a UK rival of JD Sports, is the second-largest shareholder in Indianapolis-based Finish Line, …

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• 26 March

  Rolls-Royce 787 engine snag extends to Airbus new A330neo

  

  Bloomberg Glitches with Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc engines that have dogged Boeing Co.’s 787 wide-body jet are also an issue for the competing A330neo model from Airbus SE. Rolls-Royce’s Trent 7000 turbine, the only one available on the Airbus plane, shares durability problems afflicting the Trent 1000 from which it was developed, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked …

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• 26 March

  Argentina airport operator seeks new market deals

  Bloomberg Corporacion America Airports SA, the largest private airport operator in the world, is looking at growth opportunities in emerging markets such as Brazil and India, CEO Martin Eurnekian said. The company, which earlier this year raised $486 million when it listed its shares in New York, is already in a bidding process in Jamaica and is actively seeking to …

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• 26 March

  Best Buy to sever ties with Huawei on security concerns

  

  Bloomberg Best Buy Co., the large consumer electronics retailer, plans to sever ties to Chinese phone maker Huawei amid US government criticism of the phone maker, a person with knowledge of the matter said. Best Buy follows US mobile-phone carriers AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. in distancing themselves from Huawei, which has come under scrutiny by US officials concerned …

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• 25 March

  Bond traders face gut-check in record $300bn US auctions

  

  Bloomberg Bond bulls who enjoyed a rare rally in short-term Treasuries last week might not want to get too comfortable: The world’s biggest debt market is about to be inundated with an unprecedented wave of issuance. The US Treasury will probably auction about $294 billion of bills and notes this week, its largest slate of supply ever. The $30 billion …

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• 25 March

  Dana Gas lifts Abu Dhabi; some Saudi blue-chips advance

  

  Reuters Gulf stock markets were generally little changed on Sunday, though Abu Dhabi’s Dana Gas surged on news of plans for its first annual dividend for several years. The Abu Dhabi index rose 0.8 percent as Dana Gas jumped 8.3 percent after the board said it would seek shareholder approval for a cash dividend for 2017 totalling 5 percent of …

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• 25 March

  Trump may be helping Canada revive LNG export industry

  

  Bloomberg US President Donald Trump may be helping to revive Canada’s dream of a liquefied natural gas export industry to supply growing markets in Asia. The tariffs Trump formally ordered against $50 billion in Chinese goods threaten to raise construction costs for LNG projects in Texas and Louisiana, providing a leg up to rival projects on Canada’s Pacific Coast. With …

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