Bloomberg BYD Co, the Chinese electric-vehicle maker backed by Warren Buffett, will start offering a full suite of EV components to rivals and aspiring auto manufacturers to diversify its revenue sources amid sputtering car demand. Among the parts that the Shenzhen-based company makes and now sells are electric-car batteries, powertrains and lights, founder Wang Chuanfu said in an online press ...
Read More »Russia’s Rosneft sells Venezuelan assets
Bloomberg Russian oil giant Rosneft PJSC sold its assets in Venezuela to the Russian government, in what may be a maneuver to avoid any US sanctions in an escalating fight between Caracas, Washington and Moscow. Rosneft is selling local production, service and trading assets to a state-owned company, it said in a statement. The move is to protect shareholders’ interests, ...
Read More »Carbon market’s virus blow softened by Brussels technocrats
Bloomberg The carbon market’s automatic stabilisers are set to kick in, softening the blow of the economic slump in the European Union caused by the spread of the coronavirus. The system, known as the Market Stability Reserve and introduced last year, will absorb some of the supply of allowances that factories and utilities need to buy to cover their greenhouse ...
Read More »Namibia halts mining, quarrying operations
Bloomberg Namibia halted mining and quarrying operations to curb the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak, according to Minister of Mines and Energy Tom Alweendo. The semi-arid southwest African nation is the world’s top producer of marine diamonds and the fifth-biggest of uranium. While minimal operations and critical maintenance work will be allowed, employers should ensure that “preventative measures such as ...
Read More »Covid-19: France’s business confidence plunges by record
Bloomberg French business confidence plunged at a record pace in March as shutdowns to contain the coronavirus have left the economy running at 65% of normal activity. The drop mirrors that seen in Germany in figures earlier this week, where the Ifo Institute said sentiment dropped at the fastest pace since reunification. The French index fell to 95 from 105 ...
Read More »Carnival seeks $7b to shore up its finances
Bloomberg Carnival Corp. is in talks to raise as much as $7 billion as the cruise ship operator seeks to shore up its finances amid a halt on global travel, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The company, looking to raise cash to improve liquidity as the Covid-19 pandemic upends its business, is being advised by lenders including ...
Read More »IMF seeks G-20 backing to boost reserves to fight crisis
Bloomberg The International Monetary Fund (IMF) asked the leaders of world’s biggest economies for more support to keep the international monetary system from seizing up due to the pandemic. The IMF sought backing to create a sizable quantity of reserve assets called SDRs, or special drawing rights, as it did in the 2009 global financial crisis, Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva ...
Read More »Hertz in talks with banks for new financing amid travel bans
Bloomberg Hertz Global Holdings Inc. is discussing options with banks to raise cash as the rental-car company seeks to weather a worldwide slowdown in travel, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Among the options being discussed by the company and banks led by Barclays Plc are a first-lien loan, second-lien financing or collateralising the company’s vehicle fleet. Hertz ...
Read More »GM to pay $120mn to settle faulty ignition suits
Bloomberg General Motors Co. (GM) agreed to a $120 million settlement over faulty ignition switches that allegedly caused cars to stall and air bags to deploy, in some cases triggering fatal accidents. The deal, which must be approved by a judge, would resolve hundreds of lawsuits filed before the automaker sought bankruptcy protection in 2009. Under the settlement, which was ...
Read More »Irish unemployment set to reach 30-year high
Bloomberg Irish unemployment may surge to the highest level since the 1980s, as the coronavirus takes an unprecedented toll on the economy. The jobless rate could rise 18% in the second quarter, the government-backed ESRI think-tank said, should current restrictions remain in place for 12 weeks as planned. About 350,000 people would lose their jobs, the think tank said, with ...
Read More »