April, 2019

• 30 April

  UK brimming with natural gas as LNG flows hit record

  

  Bloomberg Britain’s appetite for natural gas usually declines in the summer, but this season is different with a record number of LNG tankers due to land this month. The incoming cargoes show no sign of slowing, and will keep the pressure on benchmark prices already trading below their five-year seasonal average. That’s good news for factories and households as Brexit ...

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• 30 April

  PetroChina records steady income in Q1

  Bloomberg PetroChina Co. reported steady net income in the first quarter as higher exploration and production earnings countered a slump in refining. Net income rose 1 percent from a year ago to 10.26 billion yuan ($1.5 billion), the company said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange, using international accounting standards. Despite international oil prices averaging 5 percent ...

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• 30 April

  India power goals further out of reach as discom losses rise

  

  Bloomberg Losses by India’s power retailers are set to rise, reversing two years of declines they enjoyed since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government unveiled a plan to make the ailing utilities profitable. Combined losses by state distributors that signed up for the federal government’s reform plan in the first nine months of the fiscal year rose to about $3.4 billion, ...

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• 30 April

  Jungle Ventures raises $175mn from Temasek

  Bloomberg Singapore’s Jungle Ventures has raised $175 million from investors including Temasek Holdings Pte for the first close of its third fund, according to people familiar with the matter. The firm is likely to exceed its original target of $200 million as it finishes raising money for the fund in the next few months, said the people, asking not to ...

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• 30 April

  Land Rover’s new Defender hits Kenya for tough terrain test

  

  Bloomberg Jaguar Land Rover’s revamped Defender sport utility vehicle is headed for the rugged slopes of Kenya to tow heavy loads and wade through rivers before the resurrected icon goes on sale next year. Testing of the prototype will take place in the Borana Conservancy and include carrying supplies across unforgiving terrain in real-world trials at the 14,000 hectare reserve, ...

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• 30 April

  Alphabet continues slump on ad revenue slowdown fears

  

  Bloomberg Alphabet Inc. reported first-quarter revenue that missed analysts’ estimates and spar-ked fears that advertisers are shifting some spending to digital rivals. Shares of Google’s parent company were down 7.8 percent during pre-market trading in New York on Tuesday. The stock closed at a record $1,296.20 shortly before its earnings were published. Sales came in at $29.5 billion, excluding payments ...

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• 30 April

  Microsoft announces tie-up with VMware to keep up with Amazon

  

  Bloomberg Microsoft Corp. unveiled a partnership with VMware Inc. in a bid to bring more customers to its Azure cloud-computing service, emulating a pact that has benefited rival Amazon.com Inc. The agreement will let VMware customers move their technology systems to Microsoft’s Azure cloud-computing services, the companies said in a statement. Amazon Web Services, the leader in the market for ...

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• 30 April

  Euro area kicks off 2019 with unexpected growth spurt

  

  Bloomberg Europe’s economy began 2019 with an unexpected growth spurt buoyed by France and Spain, easing pressure on the European Central Bank to add stimulus. The 0.4 percent increase in euro-region gross domestic product during the first quarter reported by Eurostat was twice the pace at the end of last year and more than economists predicted. Strong investment in Spain ...

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• 30 April

  Coal’s near-record stockpiles weigh on Europe power prices

  

  Bloomberg Coal is piling up at ports across Europe, depressing both the cost of the fuel and price of electricity. Stockpiles at three European ports — Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Vlissingen — are near the highest since 2013. Supplies built up during a warmer than usual winter and as governments tried to reduce emissions from the most polluting fossil fuel. The ...

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• 30 April

  Youth voters at 20-year low as S Africa protests beat polls

  

  Bloomberg Young South Africans are turning their backs on elective politics at the fastest pace in at least two decades, a trend that may hurt the ruling party in next week’s vote. The number of South Africans under 20 who have registered to participate in the May 8 general election has dropped to the lowest level since at least 1999, ...

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