To say it’s absurd that an electric-truck maker that hasn’t yet delivered any trucks to regular customers should seek an $80 billion valuation is to state the obvious. That isn’t a knock on Rivian Automotive Inc, which announced that it has filed for an IPO confidentially. From what we can tell, it seems like the real deal. It’s just a ...
Read More »How many Idas can electricity users afford?
One of the less obvious outcomes of the Great Blizzard of 1888 was that, by the following year, crowds of New Yorkers were following workers around yelling “timber!†as they chopped down wooden utility poles. The ferocious winter storm pushed the city to get serious about burying the growing network of power and telegraph lines strung over its streets. Climate ...
Read More »Jobs are Federal Reserve chief’s number one job
In his address at the annual Jackson Hole economic conference, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell offered a finely calibrated message that I think is worth amplification: The Fed wants to do everything it can to restore jobs lost during the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean it’s not taking the risk of inflation seriously. As I interpret his remarks, Powell remains ...
Read More »Back-to-school blues hit airlines bracing for winter
Bloomberg European airlines hoping to extend the holiday season are running up against the start of the school year that’s denting family bookings, while the spread of the delta variant of Covid-19 prompts new travel curbs. Carriers including Ryanair Holdings Plc are keeping prices low to prolong leisure demand through October. The airline is also beefing up winter timetables in ...
Read More »Southwest bumps hiring goal 16% in an effort to cut delays
Bloomberg Southwest Airlines Co increased the number of workers it wants to hire by 16% to 5,200, part of an effort to ease flight disruptions and reduce overtime, even as the carrier pares service. The airline wants to add the new employees by the end of November to reduce delays and cancellations, Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly said. It has ...
Read More »Japan’s H2O nears deal to buy Kansai’s stake
Bloomberg Japanese department store operator H2O Retailing Corp said on Tuesday it will increase its stake in grocery store owner Kansai Super Market Ltd and make it a subsidiary. H2O said in a statement that it will buy newly-issued and existing shares from Kansai Super Market until it owns a 58% stake in the company, which will remain listed. H2O ...
Read More »Jewellery firm Brilliant Earth adds to year’s US IPO rush
Bloomberg Digital-first jewellery company Brilliant Earth Group Inc filed for an initial public offering, leading a flurry of planned listings. The San Francisco-based company in its filing listed the size of the offering as $100 million, a placeholder that will change when terms of the share sale are set. Amplitude Inc, saying it’s pioneering a new category it calls digital ...
Read More »Covid-19: Hong Kong retail growth slows again in July
Bloomberg Hong Kong’s retailers saw consumption growth slow more than expected in July as social distancing measures to control the virus continued to constrain spending and local shoppers awaited the arrival of electronic vouchers the following month. Retail sales value was HK$27.2 billion ($3.5 billion), up 2.9% from a year ago, according to a government report. That’s well short of ...
Read More »US troops exit Afghanistan after nearly two decades
Bloomberg The US officially ended its military presence in Afghanistan on Tuesday with the final flight out of Kabul, concluding two decades of American involvement touched off by the September 11 terrorist attacks. “I’m here to announce the completion of our withdrawal from Afghanistan and the end of the military mission to evacuate American citizens, third-country nationals and vulnerable Afghans,†...
Read More »Japan seeks record $50b defense budget with eye on China
Bloomberg Japan’s Defense Ministry is seeking a record $50 billion annual budget that would entail the largest percentage jump in spending in eight years as it seeks to bolster its capabilities amid simmering tensions with China. If granted in full, the 5.5 trillion yen budget request for the year starting in April would amount to a 2.6% increase on the ...
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