March, 2019

• 4 March

  German growth to remain subdued: Bundesbank

  

  Bloomberg German economic growth is likely to remain subdued at least through the first half of the year as deteriorating business expectations threaten to hamper company investment — yet there’s no reason for concern, according to the Bundesbank. “There are no signs that the slowdown is morphing into a downturn,” the country’s central bank said in its monthly report. Some ...

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• 4 March

  Pentagon seeks fewer Lockheed F-35s in 2020

  

  Bloomberg The Pentagon will request 78 F-35 jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp, six fewer than previously planned, in the budget expected to be sent to Congress next week, according to defense officials. The cutback from the 84 fighters projected a year ago for fiscal 2020 is a setback for Lockheed, the No. 1 defense contractor, even as interest in ...

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• 4 March

  South African Airways files fraud charges against former pilot

  

  Bloomberg South African Airways has laid fraud charges against a former pilot after finding out that he operated international flights with the wrong type of license. SAA is seeking to reclaim “millions of rand” paid to the aviator on the assumption that he held an Airline Transport Pilot License, it said in a statement. Following an incident involving a flight ...

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• 4 March

  Use of automation increases in air travel

  

  DUBAI / Emirates Business Airline passengers are using automated technology for passport checks at double the rate recorded in 2017 and are more satisfied when doing so too. This is according to the SITA 2019 Passenger IT Insights, co-sponsored by Air Transport World, which shows that in 2018, 44% of passengers sailed through automated passport control, a jump from 21% ...

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• 4 March

  DSW lures millennials with nail salons in stores

  

  Bloomberg Nothing like a fresh pedicure to show off a new pair of sandals. At least, that’s what DSW Inc. is banking on as it tries to accelerate shoe sales by adding nail services inside more of its stores. The retailer said it’s adding nail salons to five shoe stores this year in Washington, Austin, Texas; and Dublin, Ohio. DSW ...

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• 4 March

  Australia, Indonesia sign free trade deal as elections near

  

  Bloomberg Indonesia and Australia signed a free-trade agreement, overcoming more than eight years of negotiations and 11th-hour delays in a move designed to bolster their under-developed economic relationship. Indonesia’s Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita and Australia’s Trade Minister Simon Birmingham inked the deal in Jakarta on Monday. It will need to be ratified by parliaments in both nations before it comes ...

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• 4 March

  China plans $90b cut in VAT rate for manufacturers

  

  Bloomberg China is planning to cut the value-added tax rate that covers the manufacturing sector by 3 percentage points as part of measures to support the slowing economy, a person familiar with the matter said. The reduction in the highest of the nation’s three VAT brackets could be announced as soon as this week, when political leaders are gathering in ...

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• 4 March

  Singapore allocates $222mn to spur innovation in digital push

  

  Bloomberg Singapore will allocate a further S$300 million ($222 million) to spur research in digital innovation as the government transforms the economy through technology. The amount, almost double the current budget, is part of the next phase of the National Research Foundation’s five-year plan ending 2020, Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran said during a parliamentary session on Monday. ...

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• 4 March

  Japan’s inflation outlook looks dim

  

  Bloomberg The inflation outlook is looking dismal for the Bank of Japan as cheaper oil and falling mobile phone charges threaten to push price growth towards zero by mid-summer. The Bloomberg Inflation Barometer, which draws on eight drivers of prices, points to a sharp slowing in the months ahead as lower oil costs feed their way into electricity bills. Over ...

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• 4 March

  Ghosn lawyer steps up calls for release, hints at ‘higher power’

  

  Bloomberg Carlos Ghosn’s new lawyer escalated his public appeal to release the former Nissan Motor Co. chairman from prison by hinting at the involvement of a “higher power” in the case and questioning why only Ghosn and an associate have been accused of crimes so far. Junichiro Hironaka, the lawyer hired by Ghosn last month, also said on Monday his ...

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