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Bloomberg Nigerian policy makers urged banks to turn on the taps and increase lending to stimulate the economy, or have access to a near-risk free way of making money choked off. The West African nation’s Monetary Policy Committee is using persuasion to get banks away from parking their cash in high-yielding government securities to divert these funds to the private ...

Bloomberg Japan’s biggest banks have warned investors of a tough year ahead. The nation’s three megabanks have been relying on the healthy status of borrowers and sales of so-called cross-shareholdings for earnings as rock-bottom interest rates crimp lending profitability. Results on Wednesday showed they are losing those benefits at a time when the economy is weakening, trade tensions are escalating ...

Bloomberg JPMorgan Chase & Co. won shareholder approval for its executive pay plan even after an advisory firm criticised the firm’s policy as too subjective and opaque. A resolution to approve compensation for five named executive officers received backing from 72 percent of voters, according to a preliminary tally at JPMorgan’s annual shareholders meeting in Chicago. It was the lowest ...

Bloomberg Airbus SE will enhance the capabilities of the A220 single-aisle jet it acquired last year from Bombardier Inc in a bid to challenge Boeing Co by opening up potential new routes. Airbus will boost the range of the former C Series plane by about 450 nautical miles, sales chief Christian Scherer said in a briefing at the European planemaker’s ...

Bloomberg Marks & Spencer Group Plc plans to open more large food stores, shifting away from a strategy of expanding smaller convenience outlets as it prepares for an alliance with online grocer Ocado Group Plc. The prospect of another costly store revamp as profit falls weighed on the UK retailer’s shares, which declined as much as 5.4 percent on Wednesday. ...

Bloomberg Ascena Retail Group Inc will start winding down its Dressbarn clothing chain, the latest upheaval in a continued retail shakeout. After trying to find a new owner, Ascena said that it’s preparing to close the approximately 650-store chain. No timeline was given, and stores will remain open until the wind-down commences. Ascena, whose brands have come under pressure as ...

Bloomberg Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct International Plc sold its stake in MySale Group Plc after the Australian fashion website withdrew from the UK market, another setback for the billionaire UK retailer. The sports retailer sold its 4.8 percent holding for an undisclosed amount, according to a regulatory filing. MySale shares began selling at $2.91 in June 2014, which would have ...

Bloomberg Southwest Airlines Co mechanics approved a new contract that provides pay increases and a retroactive bonus, closing out more than six years of negotiations that included a lawsuit and an alleged worker slowdown. The five-year agreement won 95 percent support from the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), the union said. About 94 percent of eligible voters participated. The approval ...

DUBAI / WAM His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has launched the ‘Golden Card’ scheme to grant permanent residency benefits to investors, entrepreneurs, specialised talents, researchers, and outstanding students. The Golden Card offers unprecedented benefits to the cardholders and their families, while creating an attractive environment ...

Bloomberg Trade tensions have derailed the global economy, plunging it onto a low-growth track that’s clouded by risks, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) latest outlook. The report sticks to the gloomy tone long held by the Paris-based organisation, which has warned that trade disruptions could ricochet throughout the world economy. Now that scenario has come ...