February, 2019

• 20 February

  Walmart’s Christmas turned out to be fine

  

  Never mind the mixed signals about the state of global consumers, and never mind Amazon.com Inc.’s growing might. Walmart Inc.’s run of booming comparable sales growth continues unabated. The big-box giant reported that its US comparable sales rose 4.2 percent in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, better than analysts had expected. It was its biggest growth on this ...

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• 20 February

  Here comes DBS’s muddle-through year

  Singapore’s largest bank had only the briefest of honeymoons with an improving global economy. Rising global interest rates, amplified by US president Donald Trump’s late-cycle fiscal expansion, boosted DBS Group Holdings Ltd.’s loan profitability. But only up to a point. In the past three months, the two to four rate increases CEO Piyush Gupta expected from the Federal Reserve in ...

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• 20 February

  Trump shouldn’t take the easy way out over China

  

  When it comes to the trade talks with China, US President Donald Trump and his negotiators have more leverage than any US administration has ever had. Chinese policymakers are desperate for a trade deal with the US in order to avoid more damage to China’s economy by further pressuring its trade surplus and export industries. There is speculation that Trump ...

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• 20 February

  Facebook can breathe easy in UK post Brexit

  

  Facebook Inc. might have one reason to be thankful for Brexit. UK lawmakers investigating disinformation and fake news published their findings. Among the select committee’s recommendations was the insistence that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Britain’s antitrust authority, conduct a “deep audit of the advertising market on social media.” There’s no doubt that the CMA is the correct body ...

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• 20 February

  Amazon’s winner-take-all approach to small business

  

  Small businesses are a pillar of capitalism and of a healthy economy. They provide a path into the middle and upper-middle class for people who don’t have elite connections or a fancy college degree. And they distribute capital income broadly, so that the gains from business ownership aren’t concentrate among a few wealthy shareholders. Retail is a big component of ...

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• 20 February

  US equity futures drift as Europe, Asia stocks climb

  

  Bloomberg US equity futures struggled for direction and stocks in Europe and Asia climbed as investors awaited the release of minutes from the latest meetings of two of the world’s key central banks. The dollar edged higher and the yuan rose after a report America is asking China to keep its currency stable. Contracts on the Dow Jones and S&P ...

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• 20 February

  China’s stock rally nearing $1 trillion

  

  Bloomberg As suddenly as it rolled in, the crisis of confidence that shook Chinese stocks last year may be ending. The rally since January has added more than $893 billion to the value of the country’s equities, lifting Shenzhen’s risky startups and state-backed giants alike. The rebound has been so quick and widespread that it’s already triggered signs of overheating ...

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• 20 February

  For tech bulls, Samsung puts Korea back on the map

  

  Bloomberg As Samsung Electronics Co. unveils the next generation of its smartphones on Wednesday, investors will no doubt be looking for a better showing from the mobile giant after a difficult 2018. Based on the hot start from Samsung shares, they already seem to be counting on South Korea’s biggest stock to succeed. It has surged 21 percent so far ...

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• 20 February

  Elusive $15bn India arms deal frustrates Boeing to Lockheed

  

  Bloomberg In the world of multibillion dollar defense contracts, India stands out. Home to one of the biggest armed forces on the planet, the country has an uneasy co-existence with neighbours Pakistan and China. Its rapidly aging fighter jets make it a lucrative potential prize for the likes of Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. While India wants to upgrade ...

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• 20 February

  Britain to ban drones within 5kms of airports

  

  Bloomberg Britain will impose a 5 kilometer (3.1 mile) drone exclusion zone around its runways as the government responds to illegal incursions that closed London Gatwick airport for 36 hours in December, disrupting travel for more than 120,000 people. The measures, taking effect March 13, extend the current 1-kilometer no-fly zone for unmanned and model aircraft, the Department for Transport ...

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