March, 2020

• 18 March

  Taiwan to cut rates to brake impact of virus

  

  Bloomberg The combined weight of the coronavirus and the monetary easing trend around the world could finally persuade one of Asia’s most cautious central banks to cut rates. Taiwan’s policymakers will likely lower borrowing costs in its first policy-rate move since June 2016, joining the expanding ranks of central banks seeking to shore up a receding global economy. Taipei’s monetary ...

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• 18 March

  Barclays warns it’s very unlikely to hit profit goal amid Covid-19

  

  Bloomberg Barclays Plc might struggle to reach its profitability target for the year and could cut discretionary awards as the coronavirus pandemic disrupts its business, joining a string of global lenders. “It’s going to be a tough year for earnings,” Tushar Morzaria, finance director, said on Tuesday at the Morgan Stanley European Financials Conference, held virtually this year. Barclays might ...

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• 18 March

  HSBC names caretaker Noel Quinn as permanent CEO

  

  Bloomberg HSBC Holdings Plc’s search for a new chief ended where it began: with its caretaker CEO Noel Quinn. The bank said Quinn would become its permanent boss, after seven months as interim leader. The board had struggled to secure an external candidate while trying to respond to an increasingly treacherous global economy that’s been rocked by the impact of ...

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• 18 March

  Covid-19: Iceland slashes rates to new all-time low

  Bloomberg Iceland’s central bank made a second emergency cut to its benchmark interest rate inside a week as the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus rose to 247 in the tiny north Atlantic nation. The seven-day term deposits rate was reduced by 0.5 percentage points to 1.75%, its lowest level ever. Sedlabanki also reduced countercyclical capital buffer on financial institutions ...

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• 18 March

  BofA pledges $100mn to fight virus crisis

  Bloomberg Bank of America Corp. (BofA) pledged to donate $100 million to support populations hurt by the coronavirus. The funds will be distributed to various communities, as well as national and global organisations, the bank said. They’re intended to aid medical response, address food insecurity, assist educational efforts amid school closures and support vulnerable populations, according to the Charlotte, North ...

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• 18 March

  Germany to let banks tap capital buffer

  Bloomberg Germany’s financial watchdogs eliminated a key capital requirement for the country’s banks to keep credit flowing to an economy that’s approaching a standstill as the coronavirus spreads. The countercylical capital buffer, meant to strengthen banks in good times for a downturn, will be cut to 0% starting on April 1 and remain there until at least through December, the ...

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• 18 March

  Airlines need up to $200b to survive virus, says IATA

  

  Bloomberg The global airline industry needs government aid and bailout measures totalling between $150 billion and $200 billion if it’s to survive the coronavirus crisis, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Even then, the pandemic is likely to reshape the industry, with many airlines failing, others consolidating and entirely new groupings emerging, IATA Chief Executive Officer Alexandre de ...

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• 18 March

  United cuts 85% of international flights

  

  Bloomberg United Airlines Holdings Inc will slash international flights by 85% in April, the most among major US carriers, as the coronavirus outbreak kills demand for air travel. The carrier will also reduce flights across the US and Canada by 42%, and is monitoring changes in local rules and government restrictions before further adjusting its schedule, it said in a ...

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• 18 March

  Chicago Midway flights resume after virus fears shut its tower

  

  Bloomberg Flights to Chicago’s Midway Airport resumed, ending a temporary halt that occurred after technicians who work in the air-traffic control tower tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had blocked flights departing from other airports to Midway as it switched control to a nearby air-traffic facility, according to an agency flight-tracking website. The restriction was ...

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• 18 March

  FedEx suspends outlook as virus clouds e-comm revamp

  

  Bloomberg FedEx Corp suspended its financial forecasts as the coronavirus pandemic blurred the demand outlook, upsetting a major overhaul at the courier to cut costs and handle a flood of e-commerce packages. While the uncertainty is shutting down daily life in much of the world, FedEx is beginning to see a cargo rebound in China, where the outbreak originated. About ...

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