February, 2019

• 4 February

  Maduro defies Trump with vow to resist intervention

  

  Bloomberg Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said “we’re getting ready to defend our country” as the US presses him to cede power. While President Donald Trump signaled he’s confident a transition of power to opposition leader Juan Guaido is under way and said the use of US military force in Venezuela remains “an option,” Maduro went on Spanish television to denounce ...

  Read More »
• 4 February

  Most oppose Trump ‘emergency’ to build border wall, says CBS

  

  Bloomberg Two-thirds of Americans oppose President Donald Trump declaring a national emergency if Congress doesn’t offer up the funds he wants to build a wall on the US-Mexican border, a CBS News poll shows. Most survey respondents —73 percent —also said they want Trump to continue negotiating while keeping the government open, rather than forcing another shutdown when funding expires ...

  Read More »
• 4 February

  Ex-Bashir aide says change possible as protests rock Sudan

  

  Bloomberg A former top adviser to embattled Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir sees a “new spirit” in widespread protests that he said may bring great change to the economically troubled North African nation. Ghazi Salaheddine Atabani, who quit the ruling party after 2013 protests, said events such as the fall of the Soviet Union are proof that long-standing political systems can ...

  Read More »
• 4 February

  Merkel, Abe seek to avoid no-deal Brexit chaos

  

  Bloomberg German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said they want to head off a no-deal Brexit that could rattle their economies, as both braced against the UK’s increasingly chaotic course towards an exit from the EU. Abe and Merkel, both 64, are two of the most outspoken defenders of the international order being shaken by Brexit ...

  Read More »
• 4 February

  Belgium to take in Ivory Coast ex-president

  Bloomberg Belgium has agreed to receive former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo after his conditional release by the International Criminal Court, pending an appeal of his acquittal on charges of crimes against humanity, the Belga news agency reported. The Brussels government decided to host Gbagbo following a request by the ICC, which cleared him of the charges, foreign ministry spokesman ...

  Read More »
• 4 February

  Tech leads US stocks higher

  

  Bloomberg US stocks rose for a fourth day, with technology shares leading the advance as investors awaited fresh catalysts after digesting solid American economic data and inconclusive trade talks in Washington. The S&P 500 overcame morning weakness to push higher, while Nvidia, Adobe, Microsoft and Apple led the Nasdaq indexes to solid advances. Alphabet reports earnings after the closing bell. ...

  Read More »
• 4 February

  India’s sensex climbs to four-month high

  

  Bloomberg India’s benchmark equity index rose to its highest level since September in a late surge helped by gains in a handful of large-cap stocks, as investors digested the the government’s last federal budget before the national ballot. The S&P BSE Sensex rose 0.3 percent to 36,582.74 in Mumbai after falling as much as 0.7 percent in early trade. The ...

  Read More »
• 4 February

  $364 billion of Australian shares just got a bump

  Bloomberg Australian investors just got the final piece of a 13-month inquiry into rampant misconduct at nation’s biggest banks and financial firms that could set the tone for country’s stocks this week. The report on financial companies was released after the stock market closed on Monday and recommended against a structural separation. The S&P/ASX 200 Finance Index, whose companies account ...

  Read More »
• 4 February

  Warmer shift in Europe brings mixes for gas, power traders

  

  Bloomberg For the thousands of energy traders, utility executives and analysts descending on Essen and the E-world fair in Germany this week the impact of a relatively mild winter on the power and gas markets will be a main topic of conversation. The warmer-than-usual temperatures for most of the heating season so far, along with concern about climate change, is ...

  Read More »
• 4 February

  Pemex bonds sink as Fitch puts it near junk

  

  Bloomberg Petroleos Mexicanos bonds cratered after Fitch Ratings downgraded the state-owned company to just a notch above junk, spurring a slide in sovereign debt and the peso. The yield on Pemex bonds due in 2027 rose 28 basis points to 7.251 percent at 1:02 pm in New York, after jumping as much as 40 basis points earlier in the day. ...

  Read More »