March, 2017

• 29 March

  Stada CEO holds out on offering timeline for takeover talks

    Bloomberg Stada Arzneimittel AG Chief Executive Officer Matthias Wiedenfels played for time to complete negotiations with private equity firms on a proposed $3.9 billion takeover, offering little reprieve to investors seeking an end to weeks of jostling among the suitors and the drugmaker’s management. “This is about getting the best result for the company and its stakeholders” including employees ...

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• 29 March

  UK borrowing slowdown may not be enough to allay concerns

    Bloomberg UK consumers are borrowing less freely as inflation bites and Britain prepares for Brexit, though the slowdown may not be enough to dispel concerns over the level of personal debt. Unsecured lending growth slowed to 1.4 billion pounds ($1.7 billion) in February, below the 1.6 billion pounds averaged over the previous six months, data published by the Bank ...

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• 29 March

  Praxair’s $34bn Linde deal runs risk of falling apart

  

    Bloomberg Praxair Inc.’s plan to buy German industrial-gas maker Linde AG edged closer to collapse for a second time after Linde’s works council signaled strong opposition to the $34 billion deal and a government minister questioned its value. A deal with Praxair will lead to significant job losses, and the combined company will be run from headquarters in the ...

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• 29 March

  US stocks fluctuate pound slips on Brexit

  

    Bloomberg US stocks rose for just the second time in nine sessions, as financial shares rebounded from a six-week low after a spike in consumer confidence rekindled optimism in the strength of the American economy. Treasuries slipped and the dollar edged higher. Banks slammed by concern Donald Trump would have trouble getting regulatory roll-backs through Congress rallied on Tuesday ...

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• 29 March

  Asian stocks mixed as investors weigh US data

  

    HONG KONG / AP Asian stocks were uneven on Wednesday as investors weighed strong US economic reports against uncertainty as Britain readies a formal request to leave the European Union. Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index was practically unchanged at 19,208.10 and South Korea’s Kospi rose less than 0.1 percent to 2,164.32. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng climbed 0.4 percent to ...

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• 29 March

  Saudi outperforms in otherwise sluggish region

    DUBAI / Reuters A small rebound in the Brent crude oil price towards $52 a barrel helped lift Saudi Arabia’s stock index on Wednesday, in an otherwise sluggish trading session in the region. The Saudi index rose 1.1 percent to 6,949 points as almost three-quarters of traded stocks advanced. Petrochemical shares were particularly strong with all but one of ...

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• 29 March

  Brexit doesn’t have to be a disaster

  

    As UK Prime Minister Theresa May starts the clock on Britain’s departure from the European Union, there’s no real question that the divorce is going to hurt both parties — and the UK, to be sure, much more than the EU. But this isn’t to say there’s no upside. The right kind of deal will recognize these opportunities and ...

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• 29 March

  China’s banks are looking healthier. Time to get picky

  

    China’s banks are turning the corner — or are they? A surprise increase in full-year profit at Agricultural Bank of China Ltd. and better-than-estimated 2016 earnings at Bank of Communications Co., or Bocom, are reinforcing the view that lenders in the People’s Republic are getting a grip on their multiyear bad-loan problem. And with short-term interest rates starting to ...

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• 29 March

  What Putin should do about those protests!

    New protests in Russia highlight a fundamental flaw in the regime of President Vladimir Putin: His grip on power relies far too much on the very corruption that is increasingly trying Russians’ patience. If he doesn’t find a way to address their grievances, it won’t end well for him or the country. Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to ...

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• 29 March

  Brexit will aggravate EU problems

    The United Kingdom on Wednesday started the clock on two years of negotiations to withdraw from the European Union. Britain’s top envoy to European Union Tim Barrow hand-delivered a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk, triggering final split. Tusk has said that he would respond with a draft negotiating guidelines within 48 hours. Leaders of remaining 27 nations ...

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