The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.

Bloomberg Modell’s Sporting Goods halted its going-out-of-business sales as customers shelter at home and states order most merchants to close. The bankrupt retailer stopped liquidation sales and closed all stores as of March 21, CEO Mitchell Modell said. It plans to resume once the bans are lifted, he said. Retailers are pausing store-closing sales as a growing number of states and …

Bloomberg Oil dropped towards the lowest level since 2003 as demand plunged as governments froze economic activity to combat the coronavirus, and prospects for a Opec-Texas production deal faded. Futures in London fell 5.6% to near $25 a barrel as some traders estimate crude demand will collapse by as much as 20 million barrels a day this year. Texas Railroad …

Bloomberg Africa needs an immediate emergency economic stimulus of $100 billion to combat the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and almost half of that could come from waiving interest payments for countries on the continent, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). The waiver of interest payments, estimated at $44 billion for 2020, and the possible extension …

Bloomberg The UK economy will contract at least 10% in the first half of the year as the fallout from the coronavirus hammers output, according to Bloomberg Economics’ estimates. In a report released on Monday, senior UK economist Dan Hanson said support provided by the Bank of England and the Treasury should prompt a turnaround in the second half of …

Bloomberg Coal, the dirtiest and usually the cheapest option for energy, is now the world’s most expensive fossil fuel. Oil’s epic collapse over the past month means the global crude benchmark is now priced below the most widely traded coal contract on an energy-equivalent basis, according to Bloomberg calculations. Australia’s Newcastle coal on ICE Futures Europe settled at $66.85 a …

Bloomberg The Trump administration doesn’t plan to challenge a federal court ruling that dramatically curbs its ability to exempt oil refineries from biofuel-blending requirements, according to three people familiar with the matter. Under a decision reached late this week by top administration officials, the Environmental Protection Agency will now apply that 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling nationwide, so that …

Bloomberg Stocks dropped globally along with American futures while credit markets sagged after the coronavirus death toll surged and US Congress failed to agree on a $2 trillion stimulus plan. Government bonds rose. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures dropped to their daily limits in early trading before trimming those declines as the session progressed. The Stoxx Europe 600 slumped, …

Bloomberg Indian assets suffered a rough start to the week as stocks posted their worst-ever day on record as trading resumed after a system-wide halt, and the rupee hit a new low following a lockdown in much of Asia’s third-biggest economy. The S&P BSE Sensex and the NSE Nifty 50 indexes crashed 13% each at the close in Mumbai, just …

Bloomberg An investigation paid for by Swedbank AB into allegations of financial crime found that client transactions totaling 36.7 billion euros ($40 billion) represented a “high risk” of money laundering. “It’s obvious that there have been cultures in the bank that are not acceptable,” Swedbank CEO Jens Henriksson said in a statement on Monday. A review has been launched to …

Bloomberg Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau said Europe’s rescue fund should be activated to lend to states struggling with the coronavirus outbreak, a move that could pave the way for further sovereign bond purchases by the European Central Bank. Villeroy’s call comes as euro-area officials consider a plan that would see the European Stability Mechanism set up …