Bloomberg Deutsche Bank AG faces stiff resistance from some supervisory board members to a merger with German competitor Commerzbank AG as the deal raises the prospect of tens of thousands of job cuts. Jan Duscheck and Stephan Szukalski, two key labour representatives on Deutsche Bank’s highest oversight body, oppose the merger, saying a combination would fail to achieve the goal ...
Read More »Strategists from UBS to SocGen see global markets at crossroads
Bloomberg Strategists are telling investors to prepare for both the best and the worst outcomes as risk assets around the world reach a crossroads. Global markets are facing a number of positive catalysts in 2019. The Federal Reserve’s in a wait-and-see mode, and the European Central Bank has begun upping its stimulus. Economies around the world are growing and the ...
Read More »Negative ‘jaws’ bite South African banks battling costs
Bloomberg The bottom line is that the top line stinks. That’s the challenge facing South Africa’s biggest banks as they fight to contain costs that are accelerating faster than revenue. The reasons are pretty much the same: South Africa’s economy hasn’t expanded at more than 2 percent a year since 2013 and unemployment is at 27 percent. In addition, consumers ...
Read More »Barclays got amber alert after failing to predict series of trading losses
Bloomberg As an activist investor targets Barclays Plc for taking on too much risk, the London-based lender has disclosed how its internal models failed to predict a series of trading losses at its investment bank. Barclays issued a so-called amber alert last year after the issues with its trading arm’s value-at-risk modeling, according to a recent filing. Tests of its ...
Read More »BNP seeks to beef up operations in China
Bloomberg BNP Paribas, France’s biggest lender, plans to expand China operations to include brokerage, futures trading and wealth-management ventures, as the bank anticipates further foreign investment flows into world’s second-biggest economy. CG Lai, CEO of BNP Paribas China, said his firm was one of many international players establishing and expanding their presence in the country. The moves come as index ...
Read More »Boeing crash isolates FAA as China leads push against Max
Bloomberg The second fatal crash of a Boeing Co. 737 Max aircraft in less than five months is creating a new hierarchy in aviation safety. Thrusting to the top: China. Three days after an Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed, killing all 157 people on board, country after country ignored assessments by the US Federal Aviation Administration that the plane is safe ...
Read More »Pile-up of grounded planes could drive India airfares up 20%
Bloomberg A pilot shortage for one. A cash crunch for another. And now the Boeing Max crisis. As Indian airlines ground plane after plane, passengers can expect to pay a lot more. Airfares for domestic travel may rise by 20 percent heading into the annual school break, a prime time for families to travel, according to an online booking firm. ...
Read More »Retail malaise drags Inditex’s earnings growth to 5-year low
Bloomberg Inditex SA fell the most in 2019 after the Spanish owner of the Zara apparel chain reported the weakest earnings growth in five years, showing it’s not immune to the retail malaise that has burdened rival Hennes & Mauritz AB. Even a more generous dividend policy unveiled on Wednesday failed to stem the decline. The shares fell as much ...
Read More »IATA sets priorities to meet growing air cargo demand
Emirates business The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on governments and the air cargo industry to focus on three priorities to accommodate the expanding demand for air cargo and ensure the economic and social benefits of aviation can be maximised. The three priorities are: Accelerating the speed of process modernisation; Implementing and enforcing global standards; and keeping borders open ...
Read More »Nakheel to showcase $15.8bn realty projects at France expo
DUBAI / WAM Dubai-based master developer Nakheel is heading back to MIPIM, the leading real estate exhibition held at Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, for the fourth year. The developer will showcase plethora of real estate investment opportunities — including newly-launched residential projects — collectively worth more than $15.8 billion. Nakheel, which first represented Dubai at MIPIM in 2016, ...
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