Bloomberg US solar panel maker SunPower Corp. is planning to ask for an exemption to the 30 percent tariff on imported solar panels that President Donald Trump approved. The company that manufactures most of its panels at factories in Asia and Mexico could hire more workers at its headquarters in San Jose, California, and invest in a “pilot†factory in …
Read More »Landowners, frackers in tense faceoff in wake of Colorado blast
Bloomberg The fracking frenzy in Colorado is spurring a tense faceoff between shale drillers in the region and residents seeking a better handle on the dangers in their own backyards after a killer pipeline explosion last year. Gov. John Hickenlooper ordered a review of oil and natural gas operations after the April blast, which destroyed a home, killed two men …
Read More »Fitch sees $14bn bank bailout easing India downgrade woes
Bloomberg Pressure on the ratings of India’s state-owned banks is set to ease after the government unveiled plans to inject 881 billion rupees ($14 billion) of fresh capital to help the lenders meet looming Basel norms without hurting a nascent recovery in credit growth. “The large recapitalisation is credit positive and will stem downward pressure on viability ratings, which have …
Read More »DBS to hire private bankers to tap $19trn Asia market
Bloomberg DBS Group Holdings Ltd. plans to increase the number of relationship managers in its private banking business to tap into surging Asian wealth. Headcount will rise between 10 percent and 20 percent this year — after increasing more than 20% in 2017 — adding to a team that currently comprises 200 private bankers, Lawrence Lua, deputy private-banking head, said …
Read More »Nordea CEO ‘not satisfied’ as profit slumps
Bloomberg Nordea Bank AB reported a slump in profit at the end of last year, lagging behind analyst estimates, as the Nordic region’s only global systemically important bank struggles with a transformation it says will ultimately make it more efficient. Investors were quick to express their dissatisfaction. Shares in the bank opened more than 4 percent lower in Stockholm, their …
Read More »Bank Leumi plans to take Pepper mobile bank global
Bloomberg After aggressive digitalisation and cost-cutting programs helped turned around Bank Leumi Le-Israel Ltd, Chief Executive Officer Rakefet Russak-Aminoach is preparing an international expansion of its mobile bank. “We are looking at going global; we are checking some business plays and considering some partnerships with others†including technology companies and larger banks, she said in an interview on the sidelines …
Read More »Malaysia raises key rate as analysts bet no more this year
Bloomberg Malaysia’s central bank raised its benchmark interest rate for the first time since 2014, with economists guessing that it won’t need to tighten again this year. Bank Negara Malaysia increased the overnight policy rate to 3.25 percent from 3 percent, it said in a statement in Kuala Lumpur, as predicted by 16 of the 20 economists in a Bloomberg …
Read More »Walmart joins Rakuten to counter Amazon’s dominance
Bloomberg Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has forged another alliance to counter Amazon.com Inc., partnering with Japan’s Rakuten Inc. to sell e-books in the US and improve its online grocery business in Asia’s second-largest economy. The collaboration will bring Rakuten’s Kobo device and e-book catalog to Walmart’s US stores later this year, the companies said in a statement. The partnership also includes …
Read More »Airlines tumble as ‘risky’ growth bet stirs fare worries
Bloomberg US airlines tumbled for a second day as more carriers announced plans to add seating capacity— compounding fears of a fare war that would crimp revenue as fuel costs climb. Alaska Air Group Inc. said it expects to increase capacity 7.5 percent this year, while JetBlue Airways Corp. projected as much as 8.5 percent. Economists predict gross domestic product …
Read More »Asos trumps retail rivals with strong holiday sales in UK
Bloomberg Asos Plc’s domestic sales growth rebounded over the holidays as the UK’s largest online-only fashion retailer profited at the expense of store-based rivals. Sales in the UK, Asos’s largest market, rose 23 percent to $429 million in the four months ended on December 31, the London-based company said. The shares rose as much as 1.3 percent, recouping early losses. …
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