Fitfully, fretfully, the world is beginning to decarbonise. Fossil-fuel demand is likely to peak in the next few years. Solar and wind energy are growing ever cheaper. Related technology, such as battery storage, has improved dramatically. In its most recent report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change cited “signs of progress†— by its standards, an expression of effusive ...
Read More »Is this latest merger Spac era’s worst deal?
The abysmal performance of businesses that have gone public by merging with special purpose acquisition companies (SPAC) has emboldened the US Securities and Exchange Commission to beef up investor protections and disclosure requirements. Spacs were touted as a shortcut to a stock-market listing and a way for retail investors to gain access to promising start-ups. But the hype and ...
Read More »EasyJet’s bookings pick up ahead of summer season
Bloomberg EasyJet Plc reported a surge in summer bookings while saying there’s still too much uncertainty over demand to provide an outlook for the fiscal year ending in September. Sales over the past 10 weeks are running 6% ahead of 2019 levels, Luton, England-based EasyJet said after reporting a narrower first-half loss. Yet almost two-thirds of seats for the crucial ...
Read More »Hong Kong Air asks pilots to take leave on less pay
Bloomberg Hong Kong Airlines Ltd has asked pilots to take several months leave on sharply reduced pay as Covid-19 lockdowns in China snarl supply chains, weakening demand for air freight — the carrier’s key source of income during the pandemic. The financially troubled carrier is calling for volunteers to take leave starting in June through until the end of ...
Read More »Business travel is climbing its way back, says Singapore Air
Bloomberg Business travel is returning for Singapore Airlines Ltd, with forward bookings accounting for a similar proportion of ticket sales as before the Covid pandemic now that border restrictions have been lifted. “Since April of this year, when Singapore fully opened its borders, we have seen a strong rebound in corporate travel,†the carrier’s executive vice president of commercial ...
Read More »Investors flee stocks over Walmart, Target losses
Bloomberg Losses for Walmart Inc and Target Corp are mounting as investors fled the stocks after the US retail giants cut their growth outlook for 2022 — an industry wide warning that inflation is denting consumer expenditures across the country. Walmart fell 6.6% after posting its biggest one-day decline since 1987 the prior day when it cut its full-year ...
Read More »China aviation sector lost $12.5b in 2021
Bloomberg China’s aviation industry lost a combined 84.3 billion yuan ($12.5 billion) last year, as the country kept its borders closed to keep out Covid-19. A rebound in domestic travel to pre-pandemic levels helped narrow total losses from 97.4 billion yuan in 2020, China’s aviation regulator said Thursday. Sales by airlines and airports rose 22% last year, but that ...
Read More »Boeing gets boost from IAG with 737 order it dangled for years
Bloomberg British Airways owner IAG SA agreed to buy 50 737 Max jets from Boeing Co, giving a lift to the beleaguered US planemaker and concluding a widely watched commitment for 200 aircraft originally agreed three years ago. The jets, which include 25 high-capacity Max 200s and 25 as-yet-uncertified Max 10s, can be used by any airline in the ...
Read More »China warns US a ‘dangerous situation’ forming over Taiwan
Bloomberg China’s top diplomat again warned the US over its increased support for Taiwan, showing the island democracy remains a major sticking point between the world’s biggest economies as Beijing sent more military aircraft toward the island. “If the US side insists on playing the Taiwan card and goes further and further down the wrong road, it will certainly lead ...
Read More »Biden sees little to entice Kim to stop ICBM tests
Bloomberg The last time a US president visited Seoul in 2019, Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un agreed to restart nuclear talks during an impromptu meeting at the heavily fortified demilitarised zone (DMZ). As Joe Biden prepares to land in Seoul on Friday, the White House hasn’t indicated he’ll be heading to the DMZ. There’s also little he can do to ...
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