AFP The exotic stage and costume designs of Russian-born designer Leon Bakst, made famous at the Ballets Russes, are on display in a major retrospective in Moscow which examines his shock impact on fashion and theatre. The exhibition which opened this week at the Pushkin Musem of Fine Arts features around 250 works by the designer, born 150 years ...
Read More »Bond investors losing faith in Central Banks turn to German debt
Bloomberg Investors are showing little appetite for repeating the rebellion against record-low government bond yields in Europe that peaked this time last year. As faith in central bankers’ ability to boost economic growth and revive inflation diminished, German 10-year bund yields slid to a record this week. The previous low set in April 2015 was followed by a spike ...
Read More »Fitch holds Britain’s rating stable but warns over Brexit
Washington / AFP Credit agency Fitch left Britain’s rating unchanged at “AA+” but warned that if the country votes in favor of exiting the European Union, the rating could be lowered. Fitch said the country merits its second-highest credit grade due to its wealthy, diversified and flexible economy, its solid policy management and the global strength of the British ...
Read More »No plans to disrupt transport to Euro opener: French union
Paris / AFP France’s main union said that striking transport workers had been instructed not to block football fans from reaching the Paris stadium for the Euro 2016 kick off. “All the supporters will be able to reach the Stade de France stadium this evening,” CGT union leader Philippe Martinez, adding that despite an ongoing train strike “there are ...
Read More »Pound traders seek more security against drop before June 23 vote
Bloomberg Less than two weeks before the U.K. votes on whether to remain in the European Union, traders are piling into more options on the pound that protect against a decline versus a gain. The bias toward the downside, the most in at least 13 years, coincided with sterling depreciating for a second week as opinion polls signaled the ...
Read More »Brexit poll sees 10-Point ‘Leave’ lead two weeks before vote
Bloomberg The campaign for Britain to leave the European Union took a 10 percentage-point lead in a poll published late Friday, less than two weeks before the country votes in a referendum. The survey of 2,000 people by ORB for the Independent newspaper found 55% in favor of a so-called Brexit, up 4 points since a previous poll in ...
Read More »ECB’s foray into junk-rated bonds seen as ‘too little, too late’
Bloomberg Mario Draghi’s foray into corporate bonds with junk ratings was an “aggressive” effort in monetary stimulus, but it still may not be enough to jump-start the region’s economy, according to Putri Pascualy at Pacific Alternative Asset Management Co. “It was a very aggressive move,†Pascualy, managing director and credit strategist for Paamco, said of the European Central Bank ...
Read More »Mercedes-Benz to start selling plug-in fuel cell GLC sports utility vehicle in 2017
Bloomberg Mercedes-Benz will start selling a fuel-cell electric version of its GLC sport utility vehicle next year, an effort to broaden the appeal of the technology with the first publicly available battery that can be charged both with hydrogen and at a wall socket. Able to drive about 500 kilometers (310 miles) before recharging, the car is part of ...
Read More »Bank of Canada chief warns over Toronto,Vancouver housing risks
Bloomberg Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz gave one of his bluntest warnings to date about the country’s housing boom, saying Vancouver and Toronto buyers should realize strong price gains probably can’t be sustained by economic fundamentals. “This suggests that prospective homebuyers and their lenders should not extrapolate recent real estate performance into the future when contemplating a transaction,†...
Read More »Kenyan realtor seeks funds post 95% stock slump
Bloomberg Home Afrika Ltd., a Kenyan real estate developer whose stock has dropped 95 percent since 2013, plans to raise 5.5 billion shillings ($54 million) from investors to enable it to complete stalled projects. The only publicly traded property developer in East Africa’s largest economy will ask shareholders at its June 30 annual meeting to approve the sale of ...
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