May, 2019

• 29 May

  Global Payments to buy Total System in a $21.5 billion deal

  

  Bloomberg Global Payments Inc. agreed to buy Total System Services Inc. in a deal valued at $21.5 billion, the payment industry’s third mega-merger of the year. The transaction will create a powerhouse that provides payment technology and software to more than 3.5 million small to midsize merchants and more than 1,300 financial institutions worldwide, the two companies said in a ...

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• 29 May

  Mediaset expands into Germany with ProSiebenSat.1 stake

  

  Bloomberg Italian broadcaster Mediaset SpA has bought a stake in Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE as it seeks to diversify beyond its home country and fend off growing competition from Netflix Inc. The 9.6 percent holding is worth about 340 million euros ($380 million), based on ProSieben’s closing price. ProSieben shares gained 4.4 percent in Frankfurt, while Mediaset fell less than ...

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• 29 May

  ArcelorMittal tumbles after cutting European steel output

  

  Bloomberg ArcelorMittal fell the most in two years after announcing that it’s cutting steel production across its European plants to cope with weak demand and rising imports. The world’s largest steelmaker will reduce primary production in Dunkirk, Fra-nce and Eisenhuettenstadt, Germany, according to a statement on Wednesday. It will also cut output in Bremen, Germany and extend a stoppage planned ...

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• 29 May

  Unemployment rises in Germany as weak economy starts to bite

  Bloomberg German unemployment unexpectedly rose for the first time in almost two years as the economic slowdown finally started to take a toll on the labour market. The number of people out of work unexpectedly climbed by 60,000 in May, compared with economists’ forecasts for a decline of 8,000. The jobless rate also rose, to 5 percent from a record-low ...

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• 29 May

  EPA poised to scrap biofuel trading curbs

  

  Bloomberg The Environmental Protection Agency is poised to jettison proposed trading rest- rictions on a $5.2 billion market for biofuel compliance credits in a coming rule, casting aside changes sought by independent refiners complaining of hoarding and wild price swings. The EPA’s shift comes as the agency races to meet a May 31 rulemaking deadline amid pressure from large oil ...

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• 29 May

  Macron, Merkel at odds over EU jobs; decision due in June

  

  Bloomberg For an eagerly-anticipated decision on who will lead the European Union’s institutions, investors will need to tune in at the end of June for clarity. EU leaders gathered after the continent-wide ballot and differences were immediately apparent between key players German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. Together they have a lot riding on who will run ...

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• 29 May

  Bolton warns Iran’s proxies they risk strong US response

  

  Bloomberg US National Security Adviser John Bolton warned Iran’s proxies not to attack US interests, saying any assault on their patron’s behalf would “risk a very strong response.” Bolton, in a briefing with reporters in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, said the US is “very concerned” that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps would use allied Shiite militia groups in Iraq to ...

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• 29 May

  Indian PM may wait for land, labour reforms

  

  Bloomberg PM Narendra Modi has once again taken control of India’s lower house of parliament. But it’s the upper house, which has thwarted him in the past, that might now define his reform agenda — and his position there is set to improve. That could place long-awaited but politically controversial land and labour reforms back on the political agenda, a ...

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• 29 May

  Voter apathy clouds Buhari’s new term

  Bloomberg As the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari began his second term on Wednesday, he did so with the blessing of just 8 percent of the nation’s 201 million people. While Buhari won 56 percent of the ballots, only 15.2 million of the 29 million registered voters backed him. The 35 percent turnout, down from 44 percent in the last elections ...

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• 29 May

  Johnson’s leadership ambitions hit snag

  

  Bloomberg Boris Johnson’s leadership ambitions were dealt an embarrassing setback when a London judge ruled that he must attend court to face allegations of misconduct in public office. Conservative Party favourite Johnson will face a preliminary hearing and then a criminal trial, District Judge Margot Coleman said on Wednesday, allowing an unprecedented private prosecution attempt to proceed against the politician. ...

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