January, 2018

• 2 January

  Indonesia’s rupiah range shrinks to 20-year low

  

  Bloomberg While volatility in many financial markets has been rising over recent weeks, one notoriously unpredictable currency has been dead in the water. The trading range for Indonesia’s rupiah shrank to the least in two decades last year and volatility all but vanished as the central bank made maintaining the currency’s stability its chief mission. All this in a year …

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• 2 January

  Former UBS trader says bank ‘mandated’ conduct that led to ban his from industry

  

  Bloomberg An ex-UBS Group AG trader banned from the finance industry over allegations that he manipulated Libor rates told a London court that his actions were “mandated” and “sanctioned” by the bank. Arif Hussein, a former head of UBS’s sterling rates desk, is challenging a decision by the Financial Conduct Authority to ban him at a London court hearing on …

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• 2 January

  At a glance: What key Africa markets hold for investors in 2018

  

  Bloomberg For bond investors, Africa was a happy hunting ground last year. Its local-currency and dollar securities easily outperformed those of emerging markets overall as investors piled into a continent offering high yields and starting to recover from the commodity bust of three years ago. But risks abound, among them policy tightening in advanced economies, local and global politics, weakening …

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• 2 January

  JetBlue sings the delay blues, heading for worst since 2007

  

  Bloomberg JetBlue Airways Corp. has little to show for its efforts to improve on-time performance. In the year gone by, through October, the airline’s on-time arrival rate of 70 percent trails the industry average of 79 percent, according to the US Transportation Department. That puts the carrier on track for its worst showing since 2007. Flight delays threaten two of …

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• 2 January

  EasyJet to carry 90mn travellers in 2018: CEO

  

  Bloomberg EasyJet Plc Chief Executive Officer Johan Lundgren laid out plans to serve 13 percent more passengers, widen links with other airlines and help pioneer testing of a hybrid-power plane in his first year of leading the discount carrier. Lundgren, who succeeded Carolyn McCall as CEO on December 1, 2017, said EasyJet will carry about 90 million travellers in 2018, …

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• 2 January

  Steinhoff gains as it plans to restate earlier results

  Bloomberg Shares of Steinhoff International Holdings NV rose after the South African retail giant said it will restate financial results going back as far as 2015 amid a probe into accounting irregularities. The stock jumped 27 percent to 5.90 rand by 9:56 am in Johannesburg, the most on an intraday basis since December 12, 2017. Shares in Steinhoff, whose retail …

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• 2 January

  US carriers pile into Cancun despite violence in Mexico

  

  Bloomberg US airlines are wagering that American tourists will keep flocking to Cancun despite rising violence in Mexico and a warning from the State Department. Southwest Airlines Co., Spirit Airlines Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. are adding flights to the resort. United Continental Holdings Inc. is using one of its biggest jets once a week to ply the Chicago-Cancun …

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• 1 January

  Uber investors all set to sell stocks

  

  Bloomberg Uber Technologies Inc. shareholders agreed to sell a sizable stake in the ride-hailing leader to an investor group led by SoftBank Group Corp., allowing the Japanese conglomerate to amass a piece of the company at a steep discount to the last valuation. The transaction implies a $48 billion value for Uber, according to a person familiar with the deal. …

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• 1 January

  Time for battery makers to rethink their technology

  

  Bloomberg Battery makers must rethink their technology if predictions for a wave of self-driving vehicles pan out, according to one of the inventors of the lithium-ion battery. In addition to focussing on making batteries more powerful to extend the driving range of single-owner cars, manufacturers will also need to develop devices that can withstand the rigors of near-constant driving and …

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• 1 January

  Chinese billionaire Li turns gaze on Volvo trucks after cars

  

  Bloomberg About a decade after Chinese billionaire Li Shufu bought the Volvo Car nameplate from Ford Motor Co. and revived the brand, he’s turning his attention to the Swedish company’s heavy vehicles in a bid to bulk up outside China. Li’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. said it plans to buy a stake in Volvo AB from activist investor Cevian …

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