Bloomberg The biggest cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal in about two decades has slightly weakened before hitting the coasts of India and Bangladesh on Wednesday, with authorities making preparations to evacuate more than 5 million people to safer places. Cyclone Amphan, equivalent of a category 4 hurricane at present, was expected to have a sustained wind speed of ...
Read More »Covid-19 increases food aid’s need in East Africa
Bloomberg The number of acutely food insecure people in East Africa and the Horn of Africa is likely to increase to between 34 million and 43 million from May through July due to the socio-economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the World Food Programme. “The most vulnerable and at risk are poor, urban communities living hand-to-mouth in informal ...
Read More »Mumbai prepares for virus peak with beds in parks
Bloomberg Mumbai, India’s financial hub and the epicenter of the nation’s coronavirus outbreak, is converting several of its iconic structures into quarantine facilities as it races to prepare for a predicted peaking of infections this month. From a new hospital being built just a short stroll away from the US Consulate building and the India offices of Citigroup Inc to ...
Read More »Carnival cut to junk by Moody’s
Bloomberg Carnival Corp. was cut to junk by Moody’s Investors Service amid a prolonged suspension of the cruise company’s operations because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Moody’s assigned the company a Ba1 rating, the highest junk grade, and lowered its rating on Carnival’s senior unsecured notes by one notch to the same level. It said in a statement Monday that Carnival’s ...
Read More »Covid-19 reveals risks to UK supply chains before Brexit
Bloomberg Coronavirus-fractured supply chains are providing a wake-up call to British business and leaders with just seven months to go before Brexit triggers the biggest shakeup of trading relationships in a generation. Eighty-two percent of small- and medium-sized manufacturers say the pandemic has affected their supply chains. That’s according to a survey of more than 600 English firms by the ...
Read More »Downturn risks becoming prolonged recession: WEF
Bloomberg Leaders need to do more to secure a quick and sustainable recovery for the global economy, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). In a survey of almost 350 risk professionals, the Geneva-based group said that two-thirds identified a drawn-out downturn as the greatest risk now facing the world over the coming year and a half. The pandemic has ...
Read More »US unemployment likely to remain high through 2021: Fed
Bloomberg While uncertainty abounds in economic forecasting, US unemployment will likely stay “severely†elevated well into next year, according to a report by two economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. The jobless rate has already climbed to historic levels in just two months following the onset of the coronavirus-induced economic lockdown. A return to low unemployment will ...
Read More »Europe car sales see record monthly drop
Bloomberg European car sales virtually stopped in April, dropping the most on record after the coronavirus halted production and closed dealerships from Spain to Germany. Passenger vehicle registrations in the European Union, the European Free Trade Association and the UK fell 78% year-over-year. Companies sold just 292,182 cars — the lowest number since data-gathering began in 1990, and a further ...
Read More »Thyssenkrupp to break up German giant in fight for survival
Bloomberg Thyssenkrupp AG will shrink and focus on higher-margin businesses as the coronavirus pandemic speeds the break up of one of Germany’s last mega-conglomerates. The company said it’s considering the sale of units that make steel and submarines as it fights for survival. Once a byword for German engineering prowess, Thyssenkrupp will be gradually split apart as Chief Executive Officer ...
Read More »European stocks turn lower with US futures; oil advances
Bloomberg European stocks turned lower alongside US equity futures on Tuesday as the risk-on mood that kicked-off the week faded. Oil prices rose for a fourth straight session. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index had opened in the green following news that Germany and France have backed a $546 billion, European Union-wide economic recovery fund. But after strong gains on Monday, ...
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