Manila to allow workers to return to HK, Macau

Bloomberg The Philippines will allow citizens employed in Hong Kong and Macau to return to their jobs, partially lifting a ban imposed earlier to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. A government task force decided to exempt those working in Hong Kong and Macau from the travel ban “subject to certain formalities,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido Dulay said on his ...

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The reemergence of moderate Democrat

For all the thunder on the Bernie Sanders left, the most interesting trend in the Democratic campaign this year may be the reemergence of the moderate wing of the party, led by charismatic new voices, “Mayor Pete” Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar. In our barbell view of politics, where all the weight seems to be at the two ends, this ...

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Lagarde’s $186bn coronavirus fear

An infection typically hits the vulnerable hardest — and in the new coronavirus outbreak this might apply economically too. For all the geographical distance between Europe and China, the euro zone has much to fear from its spread. The disease is another challenge to the export-driven model of the monetary union, which was already struggling with the global lurch towards ...

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UK bond vigilantes grab your saddles with Sunak in charge

Last week’s shock resignation of Sajid Javid from his perch as UK chancellor of the exchequer is widely expected to facilitate a more profligate fiscal stance by the government. If the well-flagged increase in spending isn’t accompanied by higher taxes, bond yields could well head higher — especially if the Bank of England responds by adopting a more hawkish stance ...

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French giant is looking at Tesla with burning envy

On one side of the Atlantic, Tesla Inc. is capitalising on its soaring share price by selling $2 billion in stock so it can build more electric vehicles. On the other, French manufacturer Renault SA has been forced to cut its dividend by 70% and announce a big reduction in fixed costs so it can afford to do the same. ...

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Our decadent energy system needs renewal

Like many of you, I’m sure, I read Ross Douthat’s essay on “The Age of Decadence” in Sunday’s New York Times while sprawled on a chaise, picking at my smashed avo and laudanum. Stirring from the languor, I wondered: How does energy fit with this thesis? Our energy system is decadent at a fundamental level. Roughly four fifths of what ...

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Alibaba’s China disconnect cuts Hong Kong dead

The decision to exclude shares of China’s biggest e-commerce company from a cross-border trading link is a blow to Hong Kong. Is it a punishment, or simple self-interest at work? The answer matters, both for the city’s exchange and for Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Alibaba can’t be included in the stock connect program linking Hong Kong with the Shanghai and ...

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Three risks for banking in the time of coronavirus

When bankers fret about contagion, it’s usually the financial kind. DBS Group Holdings Ltd. is battling a different outbreak. The full-year results of Singapore’s largest lender are pre-coronavirus. Still, they offer clues to what investors in banks with pan-Asian heft — including HSBC Holdings Plc, Standard Chartered Plc and Citigroup Inc. — should be watching. A day before its earnings ...

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US futures fall after Apple says sales to miss forecast

Bloomberg US equity-index futures fell along with European stocks on Tuesday after Apple Inc said quarterly sales would miss forecasts, spooking investors who had hoped for a limited economic impact from the deadly coronavirus. Treasuries rose as American markets re-opened after a holiday. Contracts on the three major US equity benchmarks dropped, with Apple shares slumping as much as 4.2% ...

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India’s Sensex drops as virus adds to woes

Bloomberg India’s stock benchmark declined for a fourth straight day, with disruptions from the coronavirus outbreak clouding the outlook for an economy already facing its weakest expansion in 11 years. The S&P BSE Sensex Index fell 0.4% to close at 40,894.38 in Mumbai, its longest losing streak in more than four months, after sliding as much as 1.1%. The NSE ...

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