January, 2018

• 7 January

  Drop in complaints is silver lining for Wells Fargo in 2017

  Bloomberg Wells Fargo & Co. spent much of 2017 trying to dig out of several consumer banking scandals. By one measure, it’s making progress. Complaints lodged against the lender with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau through Dec 15 dropped 18% from the same period of 2016, the steepest decline among major banks, federal figures show. Still, it remained first among …

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• 7 January

  Greece’s 10-step road map to a bailout program exit in August

  

  Bloomberg For Greece, 2018 is a crucial year. The key question in the months ahead for what was once the epicenter of the European credit crisis is: Will it turn the corner and wean itself of external aid like Ireland, Portugal and Cyprus — something the Greek government wants? Or, will the current bailout program, which ends August 20, be …

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• 7 January

  Grocery price war heats up as Aldi, Lidl make inroads

  

  Bloomberg The price war in the American grocery aisle is getting more intense. And believe it or not, the reason isn’t Amazon.com Inc. Amazon’s debut as a brick-and-mortar grocery chain in 2017 sent tremors through the supermarket industry, with Kroger Co. and other established players losing billions in market value. But with its plans for Whole Foods developing slowly, Amazon …

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• 7 January

  Airbus expects China jet order during French president’s visit

  

  Bloomberg Airbus SE is discussing a large plane order from China during French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit this weekend, according to people familiar with the plans. The size of the order is in flux, while talks are focussed on Airbus’s A320 single-aisle and A330 and A350 wide-body jets, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing the …

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• 7 January

  Thai firm is world’s most valuable airport operator

  Bloomberg After strong international tourist arrivals in 2017, Airports of Thailand Pcl surpassed Spain’s Aena SA as the world’s most-valuable airport services company. Powered by a 75 percent gain since May 1, the operator of Thailand’s main international airports also passed the 1 trillion baht ($31 billion) market capitalisation mark, joining only state-controlled energy company PTT Pcl above that milestone. …

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• 7 January

  Beautycounter raises $65mn

  Bloomberg Counter Brands LLC, parent company of skin-care and cosmetics seller Beautycounter, raised about $65 million in new funding as it seeks to expand, according to a person familiar with the matter. The financing round was led by Mousse Partners and included earlier investor TPG Growth, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the details are private. …

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• 7 January

  Days after Trump aviation safety tweet, FAA chief to depart

  

  Bloomberg The US agency overseeing aviation safety loses its chief at midnight with no replacement in sight—days after President Donald Trump took credit in a tweet for the airlines’ safest year on record. Federal Aviation Administration head Michael Huerta, who rose unexpectedly to lead the agency in 2011 after the sudden departure of his predecessor, will step down at the …

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• 6 January

  Saudi king orders extra pay to offset rising cost of living

  Bloomberg King Salman ordered extra pay for Saudi government workers and soldiers this year after the implementation of value-added taxation and a surge in fuel prices stirred grumbling among citizens. Royal orders issued early on Saturday restored an annual pay raise for Saudi civil servants, suspended as part of attempts to rein in a hefty public-sector wage bill. The king …

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• 6 January

  Oil scores best opening week since 2013 as supply tightens

  

  Bloomberg Oil had its strongest opening week for any year since 2013 as refiners and exporters whittled away at crude inventories tucked away in US storage tanks. Futures rose 1.7 percent this week in New York. The pull on oil stockpiles in the world’s biggest economy accelerated to 7.42 million barrels last week, a level last seen in early August. …

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• 6 January

  Trump seeks to open most US coastal waters to oil drilling

  

  Bloomberg The Trump administration is proposing to open almost all US coastal waters to oil drilling, including those off California and Florida where activists have fought for decades to spare delicate ecosystems from oil spills. The proposal will go far beyond President Donald Trump’s April order directing the Interior Department to consider auctioning oil and gas leases in the Arctic …

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