May, 2017

• 27 May

  Diesel fades from US roads amid lawsuits, probes

  

  Bloomberg It’s easy to imagine diesel will die in America. The troubles that started almost two years ago with the emissions scandal at Volkswagen AG just keep rolling on and on. News that General Motors Co. is now confronting a class-action lawsuit over 700,000 diesel trucks adds to the growing sense across the auto industry that the days of diesel …

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• 27 May

  OPEC insiders reel as key minister fired during meeting

  

  Bloomberg As OPEC ministers gathered in Vienna to agree a nine-month extension of their oil-supply pact, the man credited with bringing about the landmark deal learned from a news broadcast that he had been fired. The story broke as Algerian Energy Minister Noureddine Boutarfa attended a closed session with counterparts. First came an unconfirmed report from an Algerian TV station, …

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• 27 May

  Kuwait’s Agility to pay $95mn to settle US ‘food supply’ case

  

  DUBAI / Reuters Kuwait’s Agility, one of the largest Gulf logistics companies, said it had agreed to pay $95 million in cash to settle a civil lawsuit accusing it of defrauding the United States military on food supply contracts. It follows the earlier settlement of the parallel criminal portion of the case involving more than $8.6 billion of contracts that …

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• 27 May

  UK breaks solar power record on hottest day of the year

  

  Bloomberg Britain’s fleet of solar panels generated a record amount of electricity, as the nation basked in sunshine during the hottest day of the year. UK solar power output rose to a record 8.75 gigawatts at 1 p.m. London time, according to data compiled by National Grid Plc and Sheffield University. That satisfied 24% of electricity demand and broke the …

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• 27 May

  Saudi take aims at swollen US oil stockpiles in strategy shift

  

  Bloomberg After sparing its prized US market from oil-output cuts, Saudi Arabia plans to “markedly” reduce exports to its political ally in the coming weeks in an effort to reduce swollen and highly visible crude inventories in the world’s biggest consumer. “Exports to the US will drop measurably,” Energy and Industry Minister Khalid Al-Falih told reporters after chairing a meeting …

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• 27 May

  China’s bicycle renaissance no boon to biggest producers

  

  Bloomberg In China, a bicycle-sharing phenomenon is changing the way urban dwellers get around — and forcing listed manufacturers to scramble to get a slice of the profits. Across major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, sidewalks are filling up with parked bikes that anyone with an app can unlock with a swipe of their phone. The cost is a …

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• 27 May

  SoftBank weighs raising stake in chipmaker Nvidia

  

  Bloomberg SoftBank Group Corp., the Japanese company that raised a $93 billion fund for technology investments, is considering boosting its stake in chipmaker Nvidia Corp., people familiar with the matter said. The firm would raise its holding over time and begin to work more closely with Nvidia, the people said, asking not to be identified because the deliberations are private. …

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• 27 May

  BMW, Mercedes caught in Trump crossfire

  

  Bloomberg BMW, Mercedes-Benz and VW are getting their turn in the crosshairs of US President Donald Trump, who’s making a habit out of attacking the visible — and free trade-dependent — auto industry. “The Germans are bad, very bad,” Der Spiegel cited Trump as saying to unidentified participants at a closed-door meeting with European Union officials in Brussels. “Look at …

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• 27 May

  American wheat exports to overtake Russia’s

  

  Bloomberg The US and Russia are engaged in a rivalry for dominance once again, this time in the wheat market. After Russia recently pulled ahead, the US has fought back, with the help of a weaker dollar. One irony of the situation is that the US is taking market share partly amid the FBI investigation into ties between President Donald …

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• 27 May

  California guv blasts bill on auto-efficiency rules

  Bloomberg California Governor Jerry Brown criticized a US Senate bill that aims to simplify auto efficiency standards, warning the measure represents a step toward decimating requirements that manufacturers produce cleaner cars. Legislation introduced by Missouri Republican Roy Blunt would align the differing approaches that separate US agencies take to regulating fuel mileage and carbon emissions. Sponsors include Michigan Democrat Debbie …

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