January, 2020

• 5 January

  Joe Biden defends policy record amid Trump’s Iran threats

  

  Bloomberg Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden defended his foreign policy record as he campaigns on the argument that he’s best suited to be commander-in-chief amid President Donald Trump’s escalating threats against Iran. “It’s not to suggest I haven’t made mistakes in my career but I would put my record against anyone in public life in terms of foreign policy,” Biden ...

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• 5 January

  Nigeria faces challenges of politicking, debt

  

  Bloomberg Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is due to complete his second and final four-year term in 2023 and the battle over who will succeed him is already heating up, placing further pressure on an already strained economy. Buhari has thus far shied away from endorsing his deputy, Yemi Osinbajo, for the position, twice slighting him by opting not to transfer ...

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• 5 January

  Spain’s Sanchez on track to govern as key vote looms

  

  Bloomberg Spain’s acting PM  Pedro Sanchez failed to win enough support in a first parliamentary vote on Sunday, part of a process that should still allow him to form a government with help from Catalan separatists in 48 hours. Sanchez, 47, needs to win the endorsement of the 350-seat chamber in a process that will drag out through Tuesday. Sanchez ...

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• 5 January

  Starmer enters race to succeed Corbyn as Labour leader

  

  Bloomberg The Labour Party’s Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said he’s running to replace Jeremy Corbyn as leader following its worst electoral defeat since 1935. Starmer, 57, is the early front-runner according to a YouGov poll of Labour party members published on January 2. He’s on 36%, comfortably ahead of business spokeswoman Rebecca Long Bailey with Jess Phillips in third. “I ...

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• 5 January

  High-beta stocks that saved 2019 serve notice of its risks

  

  Bloomberg High-beta stocks, occupants of the market’s frenetic edge, were the names everyone wanted to own in the fourth quarter, when they rallied on signs of peace. Saviours of active funds, the high-beta group — defined as companies that do a little better or a little worse than standard benchmarks — annihilated all comers over the last three months of ...

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• 5 January

  Dollar’s losses may just be getting started

  

  Bloomberg The dollar had an awful December and things may only get worse. That’s the view of a growing number of fund managers and strategists including those at M&G Investments Ltd, Brandywine Global Investment Management and ABN Amro Bank NV. A truce in the US-China trade war, improving global growth and a shrinking yield premium on US Treasuries will undermine ...

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• 5 January

  Bitcoin begins year negative after 2019’s eye-catching surge

  Bloomberg Bitcoin’s not yet having a happy new year. A sell-off in the largest digital token pushed the price below $7,000 on January 2. Bitcoin dropped as much as 4% to fall to its lowest level since mid-December, according to Bloomberg data. Bitcoin is coming off an eye-catching 2019, which saw it gain close to 95% despite repeated bouts of ...

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• 5 January

  Minority shareholders win as Hudson’s Bay head raises offer

  

  Bloomberg Hudson’s Bay Co chairman Richard Baker raised his offer to take the struggling retailer private, handing a victory to minority shareholders including Catalyst Capital Group Inc that fought to derail the original bid. Hudson’s Bay said in a statement it agreed to a new bid by Baker and a group of allies, who together control the company. The offer ...

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• 5 January

  Nintendo’s flagship store in Tokyo not big enough for its fan base

  

  Bloomberg Just before Christmas last year, a trip to Nintendo Co’s flagship store in Tokyo would have required an hour’s wait just to get in and buy a plush Mario toy or a set of chopsticks bearing Luigi’s face. Opened in November on the sixth floor of the renovated Shibuya Parco shopping mall, the constantly packed 300-square-metre showcase exhibits the ...

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• 5 January

  Most of 2019’s jet accidents occurred in North America

  

  Bloomberg The number of fatal aviation accidents in 2019 rose above the five-year average to 20, with more than half occurring in North America, the Aviation Safety Network said. The 20 crashes killed 283 people, with the bulk of the deaths coming from the Ethiopian Airlines disaster in March, when a Boeing Co 737 Max jet plunged into the ground ...

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