March, 2017

• 22 March

  Bebe to close stores in brick-and-mortar retreat

  

    Bloomberg Bebe Stores Inc., a women’s apparel chain with locations across the US, is planning to shut its stores and seek a turnaround as an online brand, according to people familiar with the situation. The company is trying to close the locations without filing for bankruptcy, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the efforts aren’t ...

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• 22 March

  Climate outlook better on fewer coal plants

  

    BEIJING / AP Led by cutbacks in China and India, construction of new coal-fired power plants is falling worldwide, improving chances climate goals can be met despite earlier pessimism, three environmental groups said on Wednesday. A joint report by the groups CoalSwarm, the Sierra Club and Greenpeace follows a warning this week by two international agencies that the world ...

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• 22 March

  US nuclear subsidies may trigger higher power bills

  

    Bloomberg Expanding state aid to money-losing nuclear reactors across the eastern US may leave consumers on the hook for as much as $3.9 billion a year in higher power bills. Nuclear plant owners are seeking subsidies in Ohio, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey after Exelon Corp. won state aid for reactors in Illinois and New York last year. Should ...

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• 22 March

  Oil investment trio hunts for bargains after crude crash

    Bloomberg A trio of Houston-based private-equity funds is sifting through the oil industry with a view to potentially reaching $4 billion of investments after the market crash created some bargains. Argus Energy Managers, made up of three firms that invest in smaller explorers and service providers, expects to end the year with combined funds north of $2 billion and ...

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• 22 March

  Toshiba’s collateral on loans raises bond payment worries

  

    Bloomberg Toshiba Corp. bondholders, who have seen their investments tumble in recent months, have a new reason to worry: they may be paid only after banks in the event of a default. The concerns surfaced after people familiar with the matter said the Tokyo-based company is offering stock holdings and real estate as collateral to lenders as it seeks ...

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• 22 March

  Iron ore battered as bear market engulfs China futures

  

    Bloomberg Iron ore is getting battered. After rounds of warnings that this year’s rally may be overdone, the raw material is in retreat as doubts gather about the strength of demand in China as steel sells off and record port stockpiles put a spotlight on rising supplies. In China, futures on the Dalian Commodity Exchange sank into a bear ...

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• 22 March

  UK tops Europe for venture investment despite ‘Brexit’

  

    Bloomberg The UK drew more venture-capital investment last year than the next four European countries combined, mitigating concerns that Brexit is hurting British startups’ fundraising. Venture-capital firms plowed 6.8 billion pounds ($8.5 billion) into Britain last year, according to an annual study released on Wednesday from Tech City UK, a London-based organization that promotes the country’s digital economy. That’s ...

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• 22 March

  Telecom policy tilts in favour of industry under Trump’s FCC

  

    NEW YORK / AP Trumpism is slowly taking hold on your phone and computer, as newly installed federal regulators begin chipping away at hard-fought protections on privacy and competition. These protections, put in place during the Obama administration, had upset the phone and cable industries. The new regime at the Federal Communications Commission says consumers win if businesses face ...

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• 22 March

  Mexico rising as most alluring emerging market for investors

  

    Bloomberg Mexico is the most attractive emerging market for investors, based on a range of metrics analyzed by Bloomberg including growth, yields and equity valuations. India is the worst. Mexico saw its currency slide and bond yields surge as President Donald Trump was elected in November after lambasting the country for stealing US jobs. Even after an initial sell-off ...

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• 22 March

  BMW reviewing UK plant options amid trade threats

  

    Bloomberg BMW AG said it’s reviewing its factories in the UK ahead of Brexit and that it has the flexibility to move production elsewhere if necessary. The Munich-based manufacturer, which makes vehicles for its Mini brand in Oxford, Rolls-Royces in Goodwood and engines in Hams Hall, is preparing for “different scenarios” once the UK leaves the European Union, BMW ...

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