July, 2019

• 22 July

  Trump health plan win is loss for everyone else

  President Donald Trump’s efforts to rein in prescription drug prices aren’t going very well. His attempts to erode the Affordable Care Act are going just fine. A federal judge upheld an administration rule that expands the availability of short-term health-insurance plans that don’t have to abide by Obamacare regulations.The ruling is excellent news for companies that sell those plans; they’ll ...

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• 22 July

  America cannot shake the Baumol cost disease

  

  A disturbing graph is making the rounds. Labelled the “chart of the century” by some commentators, it shows the changes in prices for various goods and services in the US since 1997. Although food, clothing, cars and electronics have all become cheaper, health care, child care and education have soared in price relative to workers’ wages. Why is this happening? ...

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• 22 July

  Honeywell earnings do little to alleviate industrial unease

  

  Even investor darling Honeywell International Inc. isn’t immune to the slowdown taking place in manufacturing. The maker of jet engines and air-conditioner controls reported second-quarter earnings that beat analysts’ estimates, but sales in the period were weaker than expected, both including and excluding the impact of M&A and currency swings. The 5 percent organic revenue growth Honeywell notched in the ...

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• 22 July

  Air conditioning is making the world a hotter place

  

  With two-thirds of the US experiencing a heat wave, it seems like a good time to talk about air conditioning. According to the annual Characteristics of New Housing data released by the Census Bureau early this month, 94 percent of the new housing units completed in the US in 2018 came with it built in, up from 65 percent in ...

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• 22 July

  Barneys New York explores restructuring, bankruptcy

  

  Bloomberg Luxury department store Barneys New York is exploring restructuring options that could include filing for bankruptcy as it struggles to keep up with higher rent and adapt to changing consumer habits. Barneys is working with financial advisers at MIII Partners and lawyers at Kirkland & Ellis, according to people with knowledge of the situation. The company hasn’t made a ...

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• 22 July

  BA seeks injunction to block pilot strikes

  

  Bloomberg British Airways (BA) is preparing to go to court to block a potential walkout by its pilots at the height of the busy summer travel season. The airline, a unit of IAG SA, was expected to the UK’s high court on July 23 to seek an injunction against the British Airline Pilots Association, known as Balpa, should members vote ...

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• 22 July

  Sainsbury teams up with Deliveroo on pizza parcel

  

  Bloomberg J Sainsbury Plc is joining forces with Deliveroo to speed hot pizza to UK consumers’ living rooms. Customers in London, Birmingham, Brighton and Cambridge, England, will also be able to order snacks and drinks from the supermarket chain as part of the two-month trial. It’s one of the first steps Deliveroo has taken since Amazon.com Inc in May led ...

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• 22 July

  JC Penney says no advisers hired for bankruptcy filing

  

  Bloomberg JC Penney Co, the struggling department-store chain, said it’s taking measures to improve its financial health but assured investors that it hasn’t hired advisers to prepare for a restructuring in bankruptcy court. “We have no significant debt maturities coming due in the near term, and we continue to maintain a strong liquidity position,” the company said in a statement. ...

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• 22 July

  Thailand’s aCommerce raises another $10m

  Bloomberg aCommerce, a Bangkok-based startup that helps brands such as Samsung, L’Oreal and Unilever sell their products online across Southeast Asia, has raised more than $10 million from existing investors including KKR & Co. KKR’s Emerald Media, investment house Blue Sky, DKSH Holding AG and an arm of Indonesian conglomerate Sinar Mas also took part in the company’s latest funding ...

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• 22 July

  American luxury grocer struggles to survive as sales fall

  

  Bloomberg Dean & DeLuca, the gourmet grocer whose trend-setting New York store introduced Americans to international delicacies more than four decades ago, is struggling to hold on amid stalling sales and a cutthroat competitive landscape. Some shelves at its flagship store are bare, and suppliers have gone to court over unpaid bills. Other US locations have been shut, leaving Dean ...

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