January, 2019

• 28 January

  Civilians trapped as Cameroon army battles separatists

  

  Bloomberg Cyprain fled his home when separatist fighters in Cameroon’s Northwest region threatened to kill him after he served government soldiers. He’s one of a growing number of civilians trapped between the army and roaming gangs of English-speaking insurgents fighting to break away from the majority-Francophone nation. The conflict has decimated the local economy in the conflict zone, and according ...

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• 28 January

  US stocks slide on Nvidia, Caterpillar earning results

  

  Bloomberg US stocks fell after Caterpillar and Nvidia blamed slowing global growth for disappointing results, adding to concern the trade war with China is hitting corporate profits. The dollar edged higher. The S&P 500 began a crucial week for trade and monetary policy sharply lower as the sector bellwethers doused enthusiasm over the young earnings season. The Dow Jones Industrial ...

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• 28 January

  Pound’s rally over Brexit unsustainable

  

  Bloomberg The pound’s world-beating rally is unsustainable as traders are over-optimistic about the way forward on Brexit, according to money managers. Sterling has gained more than 3 percent versus the dollar this year, the most among its Group-of-10 peers, on conviction that the possibility of a no-deal Brexit has receded. Fund managers at both Aberdeen Standard Investments and BlueBay Asset ...

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• 28 January

  Nissan faces SEC probe in US over exec pay

  

  Bloomberg The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating whether Nissan Motor Co accurately disclosed its executive pay in the US, according to several people familiar with the matter, compounding the carmaker’s woes as it grapples with the aftermath of former chairman Carlos Ghosn’s arrest. The US financial regulator is examining whether Nissan’s executive-pay disclosures were accurate and whether the ...

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• 28 January

  Malaysia to put $5.5 billion of homes on sale rack in March

  

  Bloomberg Malaysia is planning a sale for $5.5 billion of real estate to bridge the gap between property oversupply and lack of affordable homes, with developers asked to offer at least 10 percent discount. The numbers are staggering: about 180 developers will offer 22,000 units worth a total of 22.5 billion ringgit ($5.5 billion) at the expo planned for March ...

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• 28 January

  Pakistan looks to raise $500mn from diaspora

  

  Bloomberg Pakistan will raise $500 million in March through a fund aimed at its nationals living overseas, as South Asia’s second-biggest economy seeks investment after averting a balance-of-payment crisis. Pakistani citizens living abroad will be asked to invest in the fund managed by the Board of Investment and the central bank, Haroon Sharif, the chairman of the state-run agency, said. ...

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• 28 January

  Hong Kong’s exports fall amid trade gloom

  Bloomberg Exports from Hong Kong fell more than expected in December as the impact of US-China trade tensions deepened in the port city, the first time sales abroad have contracted in consecutive months since 2016. December exports tumbled 5.8 percent from a year ago to HK$339.9 billion ($43.3 billion), while imports slid 7 percent to HK$391.2 billion in the same ...

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• 28 January

  Takeda plans biggest Japanese company bond sale

  

  Bloomberg Takeda Pharmaceutical Co is planning what would be the biggest single-tranche Japanese corporate yen bond sale in an effort to extend its debt obligations following its $62 billion purchase of Shire Plc, according to people with knowledge of the discussions. The drug maker is planning to sell as much as 500 billion yen ($4.6 billion) of hybrid notes in ...

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• 28 January

  EU sees Siemens-Alstom deal remedies inadequate

  

  Bloomberg A last-ditch bid by Siemens AG and Alstom SA to win approval from the European Union’s top antitrust regulator for their planned rail merger isn’t good enough to allay concerns about competition, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The fresh concessions, first reported by Bloomberg January 25, come too late and fall short of the bold ...

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• 28 January

  France prepares to toughen 5G telecom equipment access

  

  Bloomberg The French government is preparing to toughen access for equipment makers to its future 5G telecommunications networks. The government is readying an amendment to the appropriate law with a view to make the vetting process for gear more stringent and increase the oversight of suppliers and locations by the concerned authorities, according to the Finance Ministry. The new rules ...

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