Bloomberg German factory orders expanded for a second month as Europe’s largest economy picked up speed. Orders, adjusted for seasonal swings and inflation, rose 1 percent in March, after expanding an upwardly revised 3.5 percent in February, data from the Economy Ministry in Berlin showed on Monday. The typically volatile reading compares with a median estimate for a 0.7 ...
Read More »Liberty Global pares growth target
Bloomberg Liberty Global Plc lowered its growth target for Europe this year as billionaire John Malone’s cable carrier reported a weaker-than-expected start in the UK. Liberty now forecasts operating cash flow growth of 5 percent for 2017, down from February’s outlook of 6 percent to 7 percent, the London-based company said. The operator lost more customers than expected in ...
Read More »Dubai’s DSI ends higher on CEO remarks, region rebounds
DUBAI / Reuters Shares of builder Drake & Scull (DSI) rose in the final hour of trade on Monday as retail investors reacted to some potentially positive news from the company, while the region recovered some of the previous session’s losses. DSI, which fell by a little more than 5 percent earlier in the session, closed 0.8 percent higher ...
Read More »Euro slips after Macron win, dollar rises
Bloomberg Europe’s common currency weakened and equities dropped following a convincing defeat of populism in France’s presidential election that investors had already priced in. Crude fluctuated even as Saudi Arabia and Russia signaled output cuts will be extended. The euro fell after climbing for five of the past six days in the buildup to the election of Emmanuel Macron ...
Read More »Top banker says funding costs at Turkish banks are rising
Bloomberg Turkish banks’ funding costs are rising, says the chairman of the nation’s largest-listed lender by assets, threatening government efforts to engineer a credit boom. “Capital erosion is the most important issue in the Turkish banking industry, because capital has become the most important limited resource,†Ersin Ozince of Turkiye Is Bankasi AS said in an interview with Bloomberg ...
Read More »Risks to growth almost back in balance: ECB
Bloomberg The European Central Bank (ECB) will soon be able to adopt a more optimistic tone on the euro-area economy — a possible first step in winding down stimulus — according to Executive Board member Yves Mersch. “The recovery in the euro area is gaining more and more traction,†Mersch said in a speech in Tokyo on Monday. “The ...
Read More »Attijariwafa plans Africa expansions this year
Bloomberg Attijariwafa Bank, Morocco’s biggest lender, is planning to complete expansions in East and West Africa this year as it focuses on consolidating its new acquisitions to spur growth. The Casablanca-based bank aims to finalize a deal to buy Rwanda’s Cie Generale de Banque, known as Cogebanque, start commercial banking operations in Chad and apply for a banking license ...
Read More »Alawwal bank named Saudi’s ‘Best Retail Bank’
Riyadh / Emirates Business Alawwal bank was named the ‘Best Retail Bank’ in Saudi Arabia 2017 at the Asian Bankers, International Finance Excellence Awards held at the Ritz Carlton in Dubai on 20 April. The award recognises Alawwal bank’s customer centric approach and focus on innovation in products, services and its digital channels. “We are delighted and honoured to ...
Read More »Etihad appoints interim Group CEO, CFO
Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business The Etihad Aviation Group Board of Directors on Monday appointed Ray Gammell as interim Group CEO, and confirmed that James Hogan, current President and Group CEO, will leave the company on July 1. Consistent with the company’s leadership transition plan, Gammell will assume full management responsibilities from today. Gammell is Etihad Aviation Group’s current ...
Read More »Southwest to spend $500mn to update ‘old’ technology
Bloomberg Southwest Airlines Co. plans to shift its domestic reservation system to a new platform on Tuesday, attempting to avoid the havoc that plagued similar transitions at other carriers. “These are very complicated,†said Bob Edwards, a former chief information officer at United Airlines who supervised the merger of reservation systems for United and Continental in 2012. “All of ...
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