Any attempt at sweeping out a corner of India’s financial system means bringing investors face to face with creepy-crawlies. Disagreeable as the task is, it’s also necessary. More than $200 billion in bad loans tumbled out when banks were made to open their attics to the regulatory broom four years ago. That cleanup isn’t over, and already it’s the stockbrokers’ ...
Read More »High-seas rescues putting migrants in harm’s way
The inflow of migrants from North Africa has split Europe between those who think governments should do all they can to save human lives and those who fear rescue operations mainly benefit smugglers. A new study shows such concerns could be well-grounded. Giovanni Mastrobuoni, one of Europe’s preeminent economists of crime based at the Collegio Carlo Alberto in Turin, worked ...
Read More »China dollar bond sale shows trade war limits
Those who fear an impending cold war between the U.S. and China need only look to the bond market to see evidence of a potential thaw. In the midst of a holiday-shortened week for American markets, China easily sold a record $6 billion of dollar-denominated bonds, accumulating $20 billion of investor orders that allowed it to tighten yield spreads for ...
Read More »Micro-targeting ban won’t improve political ads
Google says it will limit the targeting of political ads to make it harder to sneak misinformation to impressionable voters. That puts the company ahead of the pack when it comes to making the political business of big internet platforms look less threatening. But the efficiency of political micro-targeting is questionable, and Google is responding to a moral panic rather ...
Read More »FAA rebuffs Boeing with vow to scrutinise all 737 deliveries
Bloomberg US aviation regulators will conduct the final approval of factory-fresh Boeing Co 737 Max jets rather than allowing company employees to handle routine sign-offs before the planes are delivered. The plan amounted to the latest signal from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that it intends to retain full control over all aspects of the grounded jetliner as Boeing prepares ...
Read More »Modi mulls to exclude $7bn of Air India debt
Bloomberg India is considering a plan to exclude more than half of Air India Ltd’s $11 billion of debt in the government’s latest attempt to lure investors to the struggling carrier, people with knowledge of the matter said. Prime minister Narendra Modi’s administration plans to ask proposed investors to take over 300 billion rupees of the airline’s debt, which are ...
Read More »Storms to disrupt travel for Thanksgiving in US West
Bloomberg A cluster of powerful storms is set to disrupt Thanksgiving holiday travel for the Western US, with heavy snow cancelling flights in Denver and a higher risk of mudslides in parts of California. Winter storm warning and advisories cover the West from Oregon to Arizona and a flash flood watch stretches from north of Anaheim to the border with ...
Read More »Barneys bankruptcy leads to luxury deals over Black Friday
Bloomberg Barneys New York Inc will deepen its discounts over Black Friday weekend in a rare clearance of luxury brands — undercutting rival retailers that are generally loathe to offer price cuts on expensive merchandise. Clearance sales at Barneys will average 30% to 35% off starting on Wednesday as the holiday shopping rush begins, a representative for B. Riley Financial, ...
Read More »Thanksgiving grocery basket costs less this year
Bloomberg For the least expensive Thanksgiving meal, head to discount grocery chain Aldi. That’s the conclusion of a report that measures the price tag on a basket of 20 common Thanksgiving items, including a 12-pound turkey, potatoes, green beans and corn, at 15 retailers in New Jersey. The average cost for a Thanksgiving dinner has dropped about 2.3% from last ...
Read More »Best Buy surges as retailer boosts forecast on sales gains
Bloomberg Best Buy Co entered the holiday shopping season on a positive note after posting quarterly sales that topped estimates and raising its full-year-outlook, sending the shares higher. Fuelled by demand for appliances, headphones, tablets and services like tech support, comparable-store sales in the US rose 2%, easily beating analysts’ projections. The Minneapolis-based consumer-electronics retailer also boosted its forecast for ...
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