Germany’s stake on solar power may get lost in wind

As Germany prepares to pass its climate protection plan through 2030, the government is trying to decide whether to prioritise solar or wind energy. The latest version of the plan leans towards solar, and that makes economic sense, but it also represents something of an unwelcome turnabout for the existing renewables industry, which is mostly wind-focused. In the most recent ...

Read More »

Hedge funds and bad tactics kill $4.4b deal

The heated auction between buyout firm Bain Capital and Austria’s AMS AG for the German LED-maker Osram Licht AG has ended in no deal. The prospect of a transaction being rekindled in the near term looks bleak — though not impossible over the longer run. It beggars belief that a tense round of bidding can culminate in no more than ...

Read More »

Amazon, Walmart will help really save India’s banks

A common refrain you hear in India is, “There’s no credit in the market.” The despondence cuts across industries as diverse as real estate, autos and road construction. An 88% slump in the flow of funds to the commercial sector between April and September shows that the producers’ unease is justified. However, one credit tap is starting to gurgle, giving ...

Read More »

Stocks decline as investors weigh prospects of trade

Bloomberg US equity futures dropped alongside stocks in Europe after China appeared to pour cold water on a partial trade deal touted by Donald Trump, saying it wanted to iron out details before signing it. European bonds gained. Contracts on the three main equity indexes signalled US stocks may run out of steam after the S&P 500 rose to within ...

Read More »

Pound drops from 3-month high on Brexit reality check

Bloomberg The pound pulled back from a three-month high and UK government bonds rallied as traders reassessed the prospect of the UK securing a Brexit deal this week. Sterling dropped as much as 0.9% against the dollar after surging 3.8% during the previous two days amid optimism the two sides would reach an agreement to avoid a no-deal. The European ...

Read More »

Singapore central bank hints more easing amid growth risks

Bloomberg Singapore’s central bank signaled it’s ready to adjust monetary policy further after easing on Monday for the first time since 2016 as risks to the economic growth outlook persist. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), which uses the exchange rate as its main policy tool, reduced “slightly the rate of appreciation” of the currency band and said it’s prepared ...

Read More »

Low rates may risk more severe downturns:BOE

Bloomberg A prolonged period of low interest rates risks making economic downturns more severe, according to Bank of England (BOE) deputy governor Jon Cunliffe. Speaking in London, Cunliffe said the drop in long-term market rates in developed economies partly reflected an over-pessimism about long-term prospects, and was also part of a structural trend. One “challenge of low for longer for ...

Read More »

India’s HDFC surrounded by lending crisis

Bloomberg All around HDFC Bank Ltd, India’s biggest lender by market value, the news seems to be bad and getting worse: economic growth is slowing, loan losses are rising and shadow banks are mired in crisis. And yet investors keep piling into HDFC Bank’s stock, convinced it will emerge a winner from India’s financial woes. The company’s market value has ...

Read More »

Kenya plans to borrow $4.1b from external banks

Bloomberg Kenya plans to borrow 422 billion shillings ($4.1 billion) from external lenders after lawmakers approved the government’s proposal to increase its debt limit. The government of the East African nation is negotiating or about to sign 44 loan agreements with 15 lenders including the African Development Bank, China, Japan and the World Bank, parliament documents show. The lawmakers approved ...

Read More »

Trade doubts lurk in yuan fixing amid ‘markets rally’

Bloomberg Considering the lack of enthusiasm for the so-called mini trade deal in China, the country’s disappointing trade data, an unexciting yuan fixing and the cautious-sounding analyst commentaries, it was a wonder that emerging markets were able to make any headway at all. But catch-up was predictably the order of the day following the US rally, so most currencies strengthened, ...

Read More »
Send this to a friend