December, 2019

• 30 December

  ‘Johnson won’t ‘die in a ditch’ over Brexit timeline’

  

  Bloomberg The UK is likely to drop its opposition to extending the Brexit transition period beyond 2020, European Union Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan said. In an interview with the Irish Times, Hogan said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had previously pledged to “die in a ditch” rather than extend an earlier deadline of October 31 to exit the bloc — ...

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• 30 December

  Behavioural scientist, data analyst top jobs next year

  

  Bloomberg The next decade could see growing demand for behavioural scientists, data analysts, upcycled clothing designers and even digital detox consultants. Brexit, climate change, an economic slowdown and technology are among the factors that could have the greatest impact on jobs in the 2020s, according to the UK’s Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. It looked ...

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• 30 December

  Netflix’s rally underlines shift to streaming

  

  Bloomberg Over the past 10 years, Netflix Inc has led a revolution in the way the world consumes entertainment, and in doing so, it ruled over Wall Street. The shares have soared nearly 4,100% since the end of 2009, a gain that at one point made Netflix a larger company than Walt Disney Co by market value. No other S&P ...

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• 30 December

  Commodities clinch best year since 2016 as trade fears wane

  Bloomberg Commodities are set for the best annual performance since 2016, with crude to copper posting annual gains. The Bloomberg Commodity Spot Index has hit the highest since November 2018 as trade tensions ebb, a risk-on mood sweeps markets, and the dollar eases. The gauge is now up 11% in 2019. Commodities are benefiting from an end-of-year surge as the ...

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• 30 December

  Bitcoin creator says fortune may remain locked

  

  Bloomberg The man who claims he invented the world’s largest cryptocurrency and was ordered by a judge to surrender about $3 billion of his Bitcoin holdings said he may not be able to do so anytime soon. In a statement to Bloomberg News, Craig Wright said that he “cannot be certain that information will in fact arrive” to help identify ...

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• 30 December

  US futures drift as dollar drops with Treasuries, euro climbs

  

  Bloomberg US equity futures drifted and stocks mostly slipped in Europe and Asia on the penultimate day of a blockbuster year for markets. The dollar weakened, and Treasuries extended their declines. Contracts on three main US stock indexes were steady, signalling the gauges may open near their record highs in the countdown to the New Year’s Day holiday on Wednesday. ...

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• 30 December

  India stocks flat as investors watch for broader rally in 2020

  

  Bloomberg Indian stocks were little changed as investors watched for signs that a record-breaking rally could broaden out beyond a handful of large companies. The S&P BSE Sensex fell 0.04% to 41,588 at the close in Mumbai. The NSE Nifty 50 Index advanced 0.1%. While the Sensex has recovered from a mid-year slump to deliver a roughly 15% return in ...

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• 30 December

  Africa exchanges lobby group to link seven bourses by 2021

  Bloomberg The African Securities Exchanges Association has started a project that will link seven bourses on the continent by the first quarter of 2021 as part of efforts to increase trading in securities. The move would enable brokers on the Casablanca Stock Exchange, the Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières in Abidjan, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the ...

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• 30 December

  Grab, Singtel team up to bid for Singapore digital bank license

  

  Bloomberg Grab Holdings Inc is partnering with Singapore Telecommunications Ltd to apply for a full digital banking license, jumping aboard a Singapore government initiative to attract technology firms into its financial sector. A Grab entity will own a 60% stake in the consortium that will apply for the bank license in Singapore, while the telco known as Singtel will hold ...

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• 30 December

  ECB president Lagarde is trying to learn German

  

  Bloomberg European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde is attempting an endeavour possibly as daunting as reigniting inflation in the euro area: Learning German. It’s understandable that the region’s new monetary chief, an internationally minded Frenchwoman now based at the ECB’s headquarters in Frankfurt, might want to communicate in the first language of her latest home. Not only is German ...

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