September, 2018

• 12 September

  Trump tariffs spark industry campaign to defuse trade war

  

  Bloomberg Trade associations representing farmers, retailers and manufacturers are joining forces in a new multi-million-dollar campaign to oppose President Donald Trump’s tariffs, in the latest attempt by US business to stop an escalating trade war. Groups lobbying for months to persuade the president that tariffs are the wrong approach have been largely ignored, as Trump slapped duties on billions of ...

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• 12 September

  EU’s Juncker rejects Britain bid to stay in parts of single market

  

  Bloomberg European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker rejected a key plank of the UK’s post-Brexit blueprint, saying that Britain can’t stay in “parts” of the bloc’s single market. Still, he said he would work “day and night” for a divorce deal, boosting the pound. The pound erased losses as investors focused on the positive tone of Juncker’s comments. But his message ...

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• 12 September

  Google, Facebook dealt blow in copyright fight

  

  Bloomberg Tech platforms and internet activists protested the outcome of a European Parliament vote on Wednesday to back copyright rules that would help video, music and other rights holders seek compensation for use of their content online. Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Facebook Inc. and other tech firms may now be forced to negotiate licenses for content that appears on their sites ...

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• 12 September

  Farmers in Hurricane Florence’s path race to cushion blow

  

  Bloomberg North Carolina corn farmer Darren Armstrong is racing to harvest as much as he can before potentially the worst storm in 64 years hits the state. It’s already one of the busiest times of the year for US growers as they reap what they sowed in the spring. Now, Armstrong and scores of other crop, poultry and livestock farmers ...

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• 12 September

  How emerging-markets contagion loop may play

  

  Slowing global trade is evidence of how emerging-market (EM) stresses are being transmitted to advanced economies. The real concern of contagion remains financial linkages, though. Since 2009, non-resident gross flows into EM financial assets — loans, debt and equity securities — have averaged around $1 trillion annually, although the figure has been volatile. Total outstanding exposure, which remains opaque, may be ...

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• 12 September

  Mittal’s Essar show mired in legal farce

  

  It’s a forlorn sight when emerging markets stage a creditable performance and investors don’t turn up. It’s miserable when patrons head for the exit after denouncing the play as a flop. While it’s still grappling with the second problem, India also has a third. It has a good show going, for which the likes of ArcelorMittal are reluctantly paying a ...

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• 12 September

  Amazon delivery push is a gift to automakers

  

  Amazon.com Inc. is usually cast as a predator that’s going to topple business models. But here’s a role that’s less talked about: valued customer. The e-commerce giant this week announced an order for 20,000 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans, making it the world’s largest customer for the vehicle. It’s a key vindication of Daimler AG’s $500 million investment in a new state-of-the-art ...

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• 12 September

  The trade slowdown has already begun

  One of the paradoxes of this year’s trade tensions is that in many parts of the world, it doesn’t yet feel like a crisis. For all the turmoil in emerging-market currencies, equity investors in major markets seem … relaxed? The milestone passed with little fanfare, but the S&P 500 index closed at a record high of 2,914.04 on August 29. ...

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• 12 September

  Italy’s greater fiscal clarity alone won’t be enough

  

  After a summer of shadow-boxing over Italian fiscal policy, autumn will deliver the main event. By the end of September, finance minister Giovanni Tria is expected to finalize a medium-term budgetary plan. The entree, however, will be the 2019 Budget Law, due in October. Over this period, rating agencies will complete their reviews of the country’s credit-worthiness. Another downgrade would ...

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• 12 September

  Hershey is getting into online shoppers’ heads

  

  The packaged-food industry faces an unenviable list of problems right now. The most existential is shoppers’ embrace of healthy eating habits, but these companies also are being pummeled by insurgent niche brands, rising commodity costs, and retailers’ focus on private labels. Several are also navigating a CEO change or other leadership drama, while others have become the target of activist ...

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