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Bloomberg Major airlines reported a surge in bookings from Hong Kong last week as the city saw a new pandemic-era record in net population outflow, underscoring how a deepening Covid-19 crisis is pushing more residents to leave. Emirates Airlines said it is seeing weekly double-digit growth for advanced bookings until July, particularly to the UK and other European countries, according …

Bloomberg Associated British Foods Plc said sales at budget-clothing retailer Primark picked up during the first half but are still below pre-pandemic levels as omicron deterred some shoppers from leaving their homes. Primark’s sales are expected to rise more than 60% in the six months through March 5, AB Foods, which also owns grocery, agriculture and sugar businesses, said. The …

  Bloomberg Distressed flag carrier Garuda Indonesia plans to cancel billions of dollars worth of aircraft orders from Airbus SE and Boeing Co as part of a court-supervised debt restructuring to slash its debt and weather a slump in air travel due to the pandemic. The state-owned carrier wants to cancel its order for nine A330-900 jets and four A330-800s, …

  Bloomberg China’s smaller banks could come under greater scrutiny over financing to Russia as the nation’s biggest lenders are already showing signs of complying with US and European sanctions in a bid to protect their large international footprints. Within the commercial banking system, one model allowing China to support its strategic partner would be through an institution similar to …

  Bloomberg China’s central bank pledged to keep its monetary policy flexible and responsive to changing economic conditions, with an overriding objective of achieving stability. The People’s Bank of China will adjust the strength, pace and focus of its monetary policy as needed, the central bank said. The statement was the first in a series planned in relation to the …

  Bloomberg German bonds surged on Tuesday, sending the benchmark yield below zero for the first time in a month as rates traders bet the European Central Bank will put off raising interest rates until next year. The repricing comes as investors come to terms with the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the risks it poses to the …

  Bloomberg Commerzbank AG raised the prospect of higher shareholder payouts and lifted a key profit target as the turnaround under Chief Executive Officer Manfred Knof gathers pace. The German lender on Tuesday said it may pay out as much as 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion) to shareholders until 2024, compared with up to 3 billion euros promised last year. …

  Bloomberg Barclays Plc named JPMorgan Chase & Co veteran Urvashi Batra as its head of equities electronic trading for the Americas. Batra’s page on the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority BrokerCheck website and her LinkedIn page both show the move, and Barclays formally announced the hire in a statement Tuesday. In her new role, she’ll oversee electronic equities client offerings …

Bloomberg Hong Kong’s banking regulator told finance executives in recent weeks that it’s lobbying the government to shorten the strict hotel quarantine placed on incoming travelers as it seeks to prop up confidence in the city’s status as a financial hub. Hong Kong Monetary Authority told a group of banks that it will start engaging with the government to reduce …

  Bloomberg A fresh wave of volatility hit global markets as the conflict in Ukraine intensified amid mounting penalties against Russia. Stocks in Europe fell along with US equity futures, while bonds gained and oil pushed sharply higher. Utilities, car makers and travel stocks lead a decline of more than 1% in the Stoxx Europe 600 index as traders assessed …