Bloomberg Devon Energy Corp agreed to acquire WPX Energy Inc in a $2.56 billion all-stock deal, creating one of the largest independent US shale producers and answering investor calls for consolidation at a time of crisis for the sector. Devon shareholders will own about 57 percent of the combined company, Devon and WPX said on Monday in a statement. The ...
Read More »PM Modi’s Vodafone loss gives India a stark choice
Strong states grow stronger by putting limits on their own power; weak states become weaker by descending into arbitrariness. India has to choose which it wants to be. That’s the message being given to New Delhi by an international arbitration tribunal in The Hague. The panel threw out the Indian government’s $3 billion tax demand against Vodafone Group Plc, finding ...
Read More »SMIC joins China security threats
Having delivered a heavy blow to the semiconductor plans of China’s biggest technology manufacturer, the US government now seems keen to knock down the nation’s biggest contract chipmaker. The action looks opportunistic. Export restrictions placed on Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) mean US companies will have to apply for a license to sell some products to the Shanghai-based chipmaker. The ...
Read More »Johnson’s enemy No. 1 has weaknesses, too
Keir Starmer, the Labour Party’s new leader, has made a smooth start wooing British voters. In his former career the leader of the UK’s official opposition was indeed a successful defense lawyer in human rights cases, knighted subsequently for serving as Director of Public Prosecutions. Now he’s restoring Labour’s fortunes after a disastrous election and leads Boris Johnson in the ...
Read More »Is there room for any surprises from Barrett
Here is a paradox. It is pretty easy to predict the voting patterns of new Supreme Court justices. But it can be exceedingly difficult to predict the votes of justices in specific cases, which means that it can be difficult as well to predict how those cases are going to be decided. When President Bill Clinton appointed Stephen Breyer to ...
Read More »FAA’s chief to fly 737 Max as agency approval nears
Bloomberg The top US aviation regulator plans to test-fly Boeing Co’s grounded 737 Max in an attempt to show an antsy public that proposed fixes will be safe, according to a notification sent to Congress. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Steve Dickson, who is licensed to fly the 737 along with several other jetliners from his time as a pilot ...
Read More »Delta sees $2.5b charge on plane retirements
Bloomberg Delta Air Lines Inc warned it would take a pretax accounting charge of $2 billion to $2.5 billion after deciding to remove three aircraft types from its fleet amid an unprecedented collapse in air travel. The noncash impairment will be recorded in third-quarter results, which are due next month, Delta said in a regulatory filing. The company will retire ...
Read More »American Air receives $5.48b Treasury loan in upsized deal
Bloomberg American Airlines Group Inc closed a $5.48 billion loan with the US Treasury, increasing its pool of cash to help fund operations until travel demand begins to return. The credit facility, backed by American’s loyalty program, increased from an original $4.75 billion target after rivals such as Delta Air Lines Inc and Southwest Airlines opted out of the funds ...
Read More »Used-clothing platform Poshmark files for IPO 
Bloomberg Poshmark Inc, an online resale marketplace for second-hand clothing, said it has filed confidentially for an initial public offering. The number of shares and the price range for the IPO haven’t been determined, Poshmark said in a statement. The Redwood City, California-based company had put off a potential IPO to focus on boosting sales and improving its execution, people ...
Read More »Neiman leaves bankruptcy with less debt to face turmoil
Bloomberg Neiman Marcus has officially come out of bankruptcy, a process that left the upscale department store with a lighter debt load and new owners to confront the same industry trends that led to its financial woes. The new Neiman Marcus Holding Company Inc emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, saying it had eliminated more than $4 billion of existing ...
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