December, 2019

• 30 December

  When ultimate refuge turns risky

  

  Until the financial crisis of 2008, government bonds were the traditional haven for investors. More than a decade on, their nature has fundamentally changed. In any future crisis, sovereign debt will be a propagator of risk rather than a refuge. Government debt has reached levels not seen outside of major wars. In advanced economies, it has risen to more than ...

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• 30 December

  Netflix shakes up Hollywood as Disney, AT&T fight back

  It was the decade that altered the very definition of “TV” — Noun: Netflix. Verb: to stream. The industry’s struggle to adapt to the new terminology sparked a merger mania that has rapidly condensed the market for entertainment content and pay-TV services into the hands of a powerful few. Here’s a look at what the rise of Netflix Inc., the ...

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• 30 December

  India’s economy came back down to earth

  India’s economy lost its sheen this year. As it stumbles through a deep slowdown and a credit crisis, the country has gone from being hailed as a colossus-in-waiting to placing among the also-rans. Rarely has a major economy had such a humbling turn in fortunes. In the third quarter, gross domestic product rose 4.5% from a year earlier, about half ...

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• 30 December

  China M&A bankers are facing another grim year

  

  You’d expect the world’s second-largest economy to have a bigger presence on the world stage. But in mergers and acquisitions, China’s presence has been shrinking for years, and 2020 is unlikely to be any better. In 2016, the country was the world’s largest acquirer of overseas assets after the US. It tumbled to eighth place this year, trailing Japan and ...

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• 30 December

  Sharp’s Japan play doesn’t bode well for Wisconsin

  

  Sharp Corp. buying all or parts of Japan Display Inc. could bring more bad news for Wisconsin’s hopes of hosting a world-class display factory. That’s because Osaka-based Sharp is actually owned by Foxconn Technology Group, the Taiwanese iPhone assembler that at one point said it would invest $10 billion to build a leading-edge 10.5-generation liquid crystal display plant in the ...

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• 30 December

  High-speed rail is going nowhere fast in the US

  

  Some leaders in the US are intent on reviving the old dream of high-speed rail. Senator Bernie Sanders is proposing $607 billion for a new high-speed train network as part of his Green New Deal. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez included it in her own plan earlier this year. On Twitter, Sanders’s political allies sing the praises of high-speed rail systems such ...

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• 30 December

  Cebu Pacific boosts its fleet with Airbus A320Neo aircraft

  

  Dubai / Emirates Business Cebu Pacific, the Philippines’ largest national flag-carrier, signed a Purchase Agreement with Airbus SAS for the order of 15 A320Neo (New Engine Option) family aircraft. The transaction is valued at $2 billion. The 15-aircraft order includes up to 10 A321XLR (Xtra Long Range) jets, the world’s longest-range single-aisle aircraft. The increased capacity of the A320neo will ...

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• 30 December

  Lufthansa’s Eurowings hit as three-day UFO union strike begins

  

  Bloomberg Cabin crew at Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s Germanwings unit began a three-day strike on Monday that will affect around 180 mostly domestic Eurowings flights out of about 1,200 scheduled during the New Year period. The latest industrial action affecting Lufthansa underscores fragile relations between Europe’s biggest airline group and labour representatives as the company fights a continent-wide capacity war with ...

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• 30 December

  Emirates to provide fast-track Tikram services to its customers

  

  Amman / Emirates Business Emirates customers travelling in First and Business class, and Emirates Skywards Platinum and Gold members can now enjoy a smoother departure and arrival experience at Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) with complimentary Tikram fast-track services. The Tikram services will facilitate smoother journeys for the almost 300 premium passengers that travel on Emirates First and Business Class ...

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• 30 December

  Ted Baker opens flagship store in Dubai Mall

  Dubai / Emirates Business Ted Baker announces the reopening of his prestigious Dubai Mall store. After relocating just around the corner, Ted’s flagship location has undergone a tailor-made makeover. In the heart of Downtown Dubai, known for threading together internationally recognised fashion and fine dining, this is his most grandiose setting of all for the newly improved Ted Baker store. ...

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