July, 2019

• 28 July

  Why these chipmakers need their own Opec

  You’ve got to feel for the world’s biggest suppliers of DRAM (dynamic random-access memory).Makers of these chips, which temporarily store information in PCs, smartphones and services, endured years of boom-bust profit swings and bruising competition long before the trade war began. The sector finally consolidated into just three companies holding 95percent of global supply of DRAM. And yet earnings stability ...

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• 28 July

  The Fed is becoming more global than ever

  For all the anxiety about America’s retreat from the world, a vital US institution is becoming more global than ever. While the Federal Reserve’s impulse to juice the economy is laudable, it’s worth asking whether this mission creep is sustainable. Or even desirable, over a long horizon. The Fed, whose policymakers meet this week to set interest rates, lacks a ...

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• 28 July

  US firms are not going to bring Asian factories back

  

  President Donald Trump likes to brag that he’s bringing manufacturing back to the US. And indeed, with global trade slowing, the planet-spanning supply chains that have symbolised modern economic globalisation do appear to be contracting. But don’t be too quick to dismiss the idea of “borderless” production as a 1990s fluke. Even if their reach is more limited than before, ...

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• 28 July

  Nissan is ignoring the rot at home

  

  If you’re looking for a metaphor for how politics has swamped decision-making at Nissan Motor Co., look no further than reported plans to restructure its cratering global business. Nissan doubled its planned job losses to 12,500 and unveiled new production cuts after reporting a 99 percent plunge in fiscal first-quarter operating profit. The Japanese carmaker is considering reducing production in ...

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• 28 July

  Tesla breaks records but does not break even

  

  Tesla Inc.’s earnings calls have lately taken on the trappings of office going-away parties. Just before the Q&A portion of the second-quarter call, CEO Elon Musk announced that JB Straubel, the company’s veteran chief technology officer, would step down to become a senior advisor. This was at least said up front, as opposed to the by-the-way announcement of the CFO’s ...

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• 28 July

  Southwest CEO vexed at 737 Max delays

  

  Bloomberg Southwest Airlines Co is frustrated with the financial beating it’s taking from the grounding of Boeing Co’s 737 Max. But the carrier is ready to grab more of the single-aisle planes that eventually will make up the majority of its fleet. Parking its 34 Max jets since mid-March and missing out on new deliveries has shaved $225 million from ...

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• 28 July

  Tan’s Philippine Air to name new president amid revamp

  

  Bloomberg Philippine Airlines Inc is expected to name a new president on Monday, replacing Jaime Bautista, who abruptly quit the post last month. Gilbert Santa Maria, who was chief operating officer of IBEX Global Solutions Plc, tops the list of nominees, according to two people familiar with the matter, who declined to be identified because the decision has yet to ...

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• 28 July

  Dutch delivery company in talks to buy Just Eat

  

  Bloomberg Just Eat Plc said it’s in talks to be acquired by Dutch delivery company Takeaway.com NV. The UK firm confirmed a Sky News report on the discussions and added that there’s no certainty whether an offer will be made and on what terms, according to an emailed statement. Takeaway.com could make an offer for Just Eat and will have ...

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• 28 July

  Billionaire owners’ public spat weighs on IndiGo’s future

  

  Bloomberg A fight between two billionaire co-founders is threatening to hurt one of the world’s most successful airlines. Rakesh Gangwal, 65, is accusing partner Rahul Bhatia, 59, of corporate-governance transgressions at Indian budget airline IndiGo and wants his powers curbed. Bhatia denies the allegations, and there’s no sign yet that the disagreement is affecting financial performance of the airline, operated ...

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• 28 July

  Mexico settles dispute on airport terminal

  Bloomberg Mexico City’s airport authority settled a dispute with builders on an 85 billion peso ($4.45 billion) contract for the terminal at a new Mexico City airport that President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador canceled a month before taking office. Grupo Aeroportuario Ciudad de la Mexico will pay 14.2 billion pesos, equivalent to 16.7 percent of the contract’s total cost, to ...

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