DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Kuwait rings up small bill in tower merger
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A three-way partnership deal will enable Qatar’s Ooredoo (ORDS.QA) to offload capital-intensive infrastructure but only by offering Kuwait’s Zain (ZAIN.KW) favourable deal terms. Ooredoo and Zain are creating a regional powerhouse with an estimated enterprise value of $2.2 billion to be managed by Zain-backed TASC Towers Holding. The $8.9 billion Ooredoo and $6.9 billion Zain will own 49.3% each, with the rest going to TASC. But Zain is paying an average price of $73,000 per tower, 9.5% less than the average price per tower in previous deals, according to JPMorgan analysts. The Kuwaiti group will also call the shots as the founders of Dubai’s TASC Towers Holding – which Zain controls with an 83.47% stake – will manage the new entity.

Persons: Qatar’s, Kuwait’s Zain, Zain, Ooredoo, Dubai’s, Pamela Barbaglia, Neiman Marcus, Francesco Guerrera, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, TASC, Bloomberg, JPMorgan, X, Saks, Thomson Locations: Algeria, Tunisia, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi, Kuwaiti, Hong Kong

☆ Central bank blunders undermine tough rate talk
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Comments by central bankers underline their desire to keep interest rates high until price growth quiesces. Policymakers’ recent mistakes mean they will struggle to convince investors their tough talk is real. U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell says his fellow policymakers are “not thinking about rate cuts at all”. In May, after another U.S. regional bank failure, markets concluded that the Fed’s rate hike at the beginning of that month would be its last. Respected central bankers might be able to convince markets that these numbers don’t portend imminent rate cuts.

Persons: Jay Powell, Christine Lagarde, Andrew Bailey, Powell, backtrack, –, Lagarde, Treasuries, BoE, Bailey, Ben Bernanke, Jacob Frenkel, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Traders, U.S . Federal, European Central Bank, Bank of England, titans, Deutsche Bank, Treasury, Reuters Graphics Reuters, LSEG, Silicon Valley Bank, Fed, ECB, Bank of Israel, Federal Reserve, European, Thomson Locations: Silicon, Bailey, United States, Ukraine, Central

☆ Forex swings will upend lucrative yen carry trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But as central banks start moving in the opposite direction, those “carry trades” will become a lot riskier. Notably those who bet against its government bonds in a trade so bad it became known as the “widow maker”. Foreign exchange traders beg to differ: the carry trade has been a sure-fire money maker this year. That’s due to the huge gap in short-term interest rates between Japan, where they are -0.1%, and other countries. Reuters GraphicsThe most popular carry trade with yen has been into U.S. dollars .

Persons: ”, –, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Federal Reserve, Deutsche Bank, LSEG, Bank of America, U.S, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Japan, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Ukraine

☆ Slowing China still leads the race for commodities
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Yawen Chen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"When it comes to copper, the thinking usually goes that copper equals property, property equals China," said one commodities trader. "And because China property is down, copper must be down too." That’s why China's copper demand will still rise by 4 million tonnes from the 2020 level to around 18 million tonnes per year in 2030, according to estimates by commodity trading group Trafigura. And China's copper demand has grown by 8% this year, faster than the 5% Xi is targeting for overall GDP growth. China's annual aluminium demand rose by 18 million tonnes from 2010 to 2020 and is forecast to grow by another 13 million tonnes to over 50 million tonnes a year in 2030, per Trafigura.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Communist Party’s, Wood Mackenzie, Francesco Guerrera, Katrina Hamlin, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, HK, Communist, Shanghai Futures Exchange, London Metal Exchange, ING, International Monetary Fund, IMF, World Bank, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Oxford, HSBC, Democratic, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, China, Washington, Moscow, Taiwan, Shanghai, Republic, United States, Australia, Beijing, Chile, Indonesia, Democratic Republic of Congo

☆ Panasonic’s auto deal deserves a speedy sequel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Toru Hanai/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHONG KONG, Nov 22 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Panasonic’s (6752.T)decision to sell part of its automotive unit suggests CEO Yuki Kusumi’s plans are taking a promising turn. The business, which pioneers technology like infotainment systems for the next generation of internet-connected cars, is a growing but capital-intensive opportunity. Selling a stake to Apollo Global Management (APO.N), with the possibility of a listing later, could help fund faster development without denting Panasonic’s balance sheet or returns. This was an obvious target for Kusumi, who previously led the auto unit. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Toru Hanai, Yuki Kusumi’s, Panasonic’s, it’s, Katrina Hamlin, Francesco Guerrera, Thomas Shum Organizations: Panasonic Corp, Advanced Technologies, Makuhari, REUTERS, Reuters, Apollo Global Management, Sony, Hitachi, Panasonic, X, Walmart, Thomson Locations: JAPAN, Chiba, Japan, HONG KONG, Asia, Rome

☆ Banks may resist China’s push to help developers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE, Nov 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Beijing is giving Chinese banks another nudge to persuade them to play the property white knight. Regulators including the People’s Bank of China are drafting a “whitelist” of 50 property developers, including state-backed China Vanke (000002.SZ) and fully private ones like Seazen (1030.HK) and Longfor (0960.HK), Bloomberg reported citing unnamed sources. More importantly, barring specific lending targets, banks are likely to remain in wait-and-see mode because they fear getting stuck with a mountain of bad loans. Last December, Chinese banks pledged new credit lines worth around 3 trillion yuan ($424 billion) to a dozen developers deemed worth saving, following a similar effort by Beijing. But at a time when China’s outstanding property loans are contracting, such vaguely worded guidance loses relevance.

Persons: Stringer, Yawen Chen, Francesco Guerrera, Thomas Shum Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Regulators, People’s Bank of China, HK, Bloomberg, X, Walmart, Thomson Locations: Dalian, Liaoning province, China, Rights SINGAPORE, Beijing

☆ EU fiscal pact ignores green elephant in the room
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

REUTERS/Henry Nicholls Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Nov 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The European Union’s troubled fiscal pact, once branded as "stupid" by former European Commission President Romano Prodi, has reached its sell-by date. Average EU debt has been consistently above the 60% target. NEW COURSEThe proposed revamp of the fiscal pact, now under discussion, is an improvement. BRAVE NEW DEBT WORLDFor all of Brussels’ reforming zeal, Europe’s future debt rules ignore a giant elephant in the room: climate change. Another option is to remove green investments from the fiscal rules’ deficit calculations.

Persons: Henry Nicholls, Romano Prodi, Christian Lindner, Giorgia Meloni, Breakingviews, Bruno Le Maire, Olaf Scholz’s, Mario Draghi, Francesco Guerrera, Thomas Shum Organizations: Trust, REUTERS, Reuters, European, Reuters Graphics Reuters, European Commission, French Finance, EU, Intel, European Central Bank, Italian, Union, Thomson Locations: Green Park, London, Britain, Maastricht Treaty, Germany, it's, Italy, Greece, Brussels, EU, United States, Spain, Europe

☆ Alibaba’s U-turn casts dark clouds over China tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Alibaba (9988.HK) scrapped the spinoff of its prized cloud computing business, blaming U.S. curbs on advanced chips. The U-turn dashes market expectations of stability among technology companies after the end of Beijing’s years-long regulatory crackdown. Add in so-so results from Alibaba’s main businesses, also reported on Thursday, and it is hard to see a silver lining in the dark clouds gathering over China’s technology sector. The technology giant reported revenue of 224.8 billion yuan ($31 bln) in the three months to September, up 9% year-on-year, and in line with market estimates. Alibaba posted a net profit attributable to shareholders of 27.7 billion yuan versus a net loss of 20.6 billion yuan, due to an increase in the value of its equity investments.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Daniel Zhang, Zhang, Alibaba, Francesco Guerrera, Thomas Shum Organizations: IFA, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, HK, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Rights SINGAPORE, Hong Kong, U.S, China

☆ China moves to clean up Huarong’s “bad bank” brand
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of China Huarong Asset Management Co is seen at its office in Beijing, China, April 16, 2021. REUTERS/Thomas Peter Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE, Nov 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - What’s better than cleaning up your battered brand? That’s the view of China Huarong Asset Management (2799.HK), one of the country’s four so-called bad banks created after the 1997 Asian financial crisis to buy soured loans from state-owned lenders. Late on Wednesday, it renamed itself “China CITIC Financial Asset Management” after its top shareholder, state-owned financial conglomerate CITIC group. Now that Huarong has taken up the CITIC brand, the state’s support of the bad bank has more at stake if its troubles don't go away.

Persons: Thomas Peter Acquire, Lai Xiaomin, Huarong, Yawen Chen, Francesco Guerrera, Thomas Shum Organizations: Asset, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Asset Management, HK, Financial, Management, CITIC Ltd, CITIC, X, Goodyear, Alstom, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Rights SINGAPORE, Huarong, CITIC's Hong Kong

☆ Fierce e-commerce war leaves Sea in stormy waters
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In August, CEO Forrest Li declared that Sea (SE.N) would ramp up spending to fight off intense competition. Perhaps that’s because Sea had just reset its strategy over the past year. It had retreated from overseas markets, slashed marketing costs and shed thousands of jobs to claw its way to profitability. Li on Tuesday stressed that the company would prioritise investments to increase its market share, encouraged by its cash pile of about $8 billion. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Forrest Li, Li, taints, Cameron, Francesco Guerrera, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Alibaba, HK, X, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, New York, Singapore

☆ China’s property boost has to sway wary banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Chan Ka Sing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

That didn’t work because lenders balked at increasing their exposure to over-leveraged real estate groups. Xi needs to articulate a broader plan to restore banks’ confidence in the troubled property sector. Beijing’s problem is that the cash it doles out may not reach the intended targets because banks are reluctant to pass it on to property developers. Chinese banks heeded the strong signal coming from Beijing. Still, simply throwing money at reluctant banks won’t help heal the current real estate wounds.

Persons: Aly, homebuyers, Xi, shantytown redevelopments, ”, Francesco Guerrera, Thomas Shum Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, People’s Bank of China, Authorities, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: Guangfuli, Shanghai, China, HONG KONG, Beijing, shantytown

☆ Europe’s shrinking stash heralds economic trouble
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

But the interest they earned on their assets increased from 16 billion euros to 66 billion euros in the same period. As a result, euro zone firms’ net interest was negative 19 billion euros in the second quarter of 2023. These financial gains may have helped euro zone growth. A further 700 billion euros matures in 2026. Homeowners with mortgages, which account for around 27% of euro zone households, are yet to feel the brunt of higher rates.

Persons: That’s, Mathieu Savary, Gross, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, European Central Bank, Reuters Graphics Reuters, ECB, BCA Research, Oxford Economics, International Monetary Fund, Oxford, IMF, Thomson Locations: Oxford, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, United States, China

☆ China’s Singles Day shows buyers’ commitment issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Chan Ka Sing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Alibaba Group logo is seen during the company's 11.11 Singles' Day global shopping festival at their headquarters in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, November 11, 2020. The Singles Day sales period ended up with anemic growth in transactions, despite steep discounts by retailers. Alibaba (9988.HK), , the e-commerce giant behind Singles Day, used to hold a lavish gala in Shanghai to celebrate the consumption extravaganza. And China’s State Post Bureau said on Sunday that express delivery volume hit a record high during the Singles Day period, rising more than 23% between November 1 and November 11, compared to the previous year. Beijing may hope Chinese shoppers are more fatigued by the Singles Day’s barrage of promotions than consumption itself.

Persons: Aly, Xi, Taylor Swift, Alibaba, It’s, JD.com, Goldman Sachs, Francesco Guerrera, Thomas Shum Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, HK, Post Bureau, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, HONG KONG, Shanghai, Beijing

☆ Orsted’s losing US bets need rethink of UK plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Yawen Chen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Turbulent news has buffeted the wind sector of late, from faulty turbines at Siemens Energy (ENR1n.DE) to Orsted’s own surprise impairments in August. After that surprise – largely caused by suppliers’ issues – Orsted’s stock price is just a fifth of its 2021 peak of 1,350 Danish crowns. That suggests investors are neither counting on future growth from its U.S. portfolio nor sufficiently factoring in Orsted’s earnings from operating projects. That’s a far cry from the annual average increase of 14% from 2023 onwards implied by Orsted’s EBITDA target of up to 55 billion Danish crowns in 2030. Hornsea Three would require capital investments of 48.5 billion Danish crowns, according to Bernstein.

Persons: Mads Nipper, Nipper, Orsted, Bernstein, Orsted’s, Francesco Guerrera, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Siemens Energy, Reuters Graphics Reuters, U.S ., Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, United States, New Jersey, Danish, U.S . East Coast

☆ Big government will drive the next market cycle
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Growth picked up while quiescent inflation permitted interest rates to fall. Bereft of government support, central banks tried to stimulate their economies by pushing interest rates to new lows. That means interest rates will struggle to return to the ultra-low levels seen after 2008. The first takeaway is that higher debt levels, inflation and interest rates should be bad for bonds. Vincent Deluard of StoneX has proposed a division between intangible and tangible companies.

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, ” Ronald Reagan’s, Milton Friedman –, Britain’s Margaret Thatcher –, Reaganomics ”, Réka Juhász, Nathan J, Lane, Dani Rodrik, government’s, Vincent Deluard, StoneX, Lockheed Martin, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic, Thomas Shum Organizations: Republicans, Capitol, REUTERS, Reuters, Bank, Asset, Monetary Fund, Treasury, Capital Economics, Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics, Capital, Facebook, Meta, Lockheed, Micron Technology, U.S, Congress, Nasdaq, Energy, Exxon Mobil, Labour Party, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, “, Ukraine, Covid, Europe, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan

☆ Investors reject Sanofi's cure to sickly valuation
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Oct 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Sanofi (SASY.PA) investors dislike CEO Paul Hudson’s prescription to reinvigorate the pharmaceutical group’s weak valuation. Analysts polled by LSEG expect the division to hit an EBIT of 1.6 billion euros this year. On listed rival Haleon’s 15.6 times multiple, that business could be worth 25 billion euros. The rest of the Sanofi business may generate EBIT of 11.4 billion euros. The problem is that investors don’t appear to want to take the harsh medicine that leads to a cure.

Persons: Paul Hudson’s, Ernst & Young, Sanofi, EBIT, Roche, Karen Kwok, Francesco Guerrera, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Sanofi, Ernst, LSEG, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, GSK, AstraZeneca, X, Unilever, Thomson

☆ Russian war economy is overheating on a powder keg
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

LONDON, Oct 25 (Reuters Breakingviews) - His war on Ukraine may not be unfolding according to plan, but President Vladimir Putin can still claim that the Russian economy is performing, as he says, “better than previously expected”. This kind of understatement is unusual for the Kremlin leader: with a tight labour market and inflation showing no signs of abating, the Russian economy is in fact overheating. And these are conservative numbers, because other types of war spending – such as new construction in the occupied territories – are hidden in other sections of the budget. The Russian currency is down 30% since its January high. Follow @pierrebri on XCONTEXT NEWSThe Russian economy will grow by 2.2% in 2023, the International Monetary Fund said in its October World Economic Outlook.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, “, Putin, Alexandra Prokopenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Francesco Guerrera, Streisand Neto, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Kremlin, International Monetary, Bank of Russia, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Bank of, Danone, Carlsberg, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Russia, –, Moscow, Europe, Lithuania, microchips, Kazakhstan, Bank of Russia, United States, China, U.S, Beijing

☆ Breakingviews: Globalization woes create new winners and losers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Over the past seven decades, the world economy has grown 14-fold, powered by a 45-fold expansion in global trade, according to the World Trade Organization. World trade as a percentage of GDP peaked at 61% in 2008. The first is rising geopolitical tensions between the United States and China. The retrenchment is probably going to be gradual: global trade was still worth 57% of world GDP last year. For 2024, the WTO said growth in goods trade would pick up to 3.3%, virtually unchanged from its April estimate of 3.2%.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping “, ”, Caroline Freund, Aaditya Mattoo, Alen Mulabdic, Michele Ruta, Ursula von der Leyen, it’s, Laura Alfaro, Davin Chor, Dario Perkins, GlobalData’s Perkins, Peter Thal Larsen, Streisand Neto, Thomas Shum Organizations: Warehouse Union, REUTERS, Reuters, World Trade Organization, Economic, Reuters Graphics Reuters, HK, Amperex Technology, European Central Bank, GlobalData, Lombard, Companies, Bureau of Labor Statistics, ECB, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, Netherlands, United States, China, Beijing, Washington, U.S, Taiwan, Mexico, Vietnam, People’s Republic, Latin America, Chile, Brazil, Ukraine, Geneva

☆ Globalisation woes create new winners and losers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

☆ How the Federal Reserve got inflation wrong: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 10 (Reuters Breakingviews) - US policymakers underplayed the spike in consumer prices in 2021. In this Exchange podcast, Don Kohn, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former Fed vice chair, argues that a rule change a year earlier was a key reason why the central bank failed to lift rates faster. Listen to the podcastFollow @guerreraf72 on XSubscribe to Breakingviews’ podcasts, Viewsroom and The Exchange. Editing by Oliver TaslicOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Don Kohn, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Brookings Institution, Fed, Thomson

☆ Next EU chief will need cash more than trade wars
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Rebecca Christie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

What she sidestepped was how to find more cash and convince member states to pay up. Von der Leyen, or her successor, will have to figure out how to pay for enlargement. Von der Leyen tapped into trade frustrations with her pledge to investigate and possibly punish Chinese subsidies for car and battery makers. During her first term, von der Leyen succeeded in connecting the EU with bond investors via the 800 billion euro NextGenerationEU borrowing programme. A second term will require even more finesse to convince EU member states to raise money not just from markets, but from themselves.

Persons: Ursula von der, European Union won’t, der, von der Leyen’s, Greens –, der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Thierry Breton, Norway’s Jens Stoltenberg, Von der, Carlo Bastasin, Von der Leyen, von der Leyen, sceptics, Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel’s, Jens Stoltenberg’s, Francesco Guerrera, Streisand Neto, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, European Union, Bank, EU, European Commission, Socialists, Greens, NATO, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Brookings, handouts, Organisation for Economic Co, Transport, Environment, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Ukraine, Moldova, Western, Brussels, Germany, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Turkey, Georgia, Spain, Poland, United States, China, Ireland, Netherlands, EU, EU’s, Hungary

☆ Japan’s inertia leaves yen at the mercy of the Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A man looks at an electric monitor displaying the Japanese yen exchange rate against the U.S. dollar and Nikkei share average outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan October 4, 2023. The debate, though, ignores the bigger issue: Surging U.S. bond yields and Japan’s ultra-low interest rates, though, will keep the yen under pressure. Until it tightens monetary policy, Japan will have to live with an exchange rate driven by Washington. Until Tokyo regains control of its monetary levers, it will have to live with a foreign exchange rate driven by U.S. whims. The greenback then fell back to as low as 147.30, sparking speculation that Japanese monetary officials had intervened to prop up the currency.

Persons: Issei Kato, Kazuo Ueda, Ueda, Antony Currie, Oliver Taslic Organizations: U.S ., Nikkei, REUTERS, Reuters, Bank of Japan, Reuters Graphics, Federal Reserve, Bank of, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Washington

☆ Grocer profit will be sacrificed on UK food altar
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 3 (Reuters Breakingviews) - British shoppers enjoyed a novel experience last month: lower food prices. Admittedly, the fall in the average food basket between August and September was just 0.1%, according to the British Retail Consortium. But it was the first monthly fall in food prices since July 2021 and brought down overall retail inflation to 6.2%, the lowest in a year. That’s good for consumers, especially those who like dairy products, margarine, fish and vegetables – the items that caused the overall fall. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Helen Dickinson, Francesco Guerrera, Aimee Donnellan, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, British Retail Consortium, Bank of, Grocers, X, Temasek, Thomson Locations: Bank of England

☆ Germany risks letting a good crisis go to waste
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Germany, the European Union’s largest economy and its traditional growth engine, is headed towards a contraction this year. Exports account for more than half of Germany’s GDP, compared to just a third in France and 37% in Italy, according to the World Bank. Germany’s growth potential is estimated at an annual 0.7% over the medium term by the Scope rating agency, about half the euro zone average. Exempting net public investment from the debt brake rule would help to reverse years of underspending. Unless they do, Europe’s leading economy risks letting a good crisis go to waste.

Persons: –, Hubertus Bardt, Germany’s, Carsten Brzeski, Oliver Rakau, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner’s, Sebastian Dullien, Scholz, Destatis, Francesco Guerrera, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, World Bank, EU, International Monetary Fund, Reuters Graphics Reuters, German Economic Institute, ING, Oxford Economics, BASF, Finance, Christian Democrats, Thomson Locations: Germany, Berlin, France, Italy, China –, Spain, Weimar Republic, China, Ukraine

☆ To fix Britain, Labour will need new debt rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Having fiscal rules – and sticking to them – is crucial for governments. The Bank of England expects anaemic GDP growth of 0.5% next year and 0.25% in 2025, and long-term growth of just 1%. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsThe Labour leadership is concerned that rewriting debt rules would unsettle bond investors still scarred by Truss’s fiscal follies. What Britain’s next government shouldn’t do is obsess about restrictive fiscal rules at the expense of investments that could get the country out of its current hole. The reports said that Sunak was looking at scrapping the portion of the project linking the northern cities of Manchester and Birmingham because costs have been soaring from the original 55.7 billion pounds to an estimated 106 billion pounds.

Persons: Grant Shapps, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, Hunt, Keir Starmer, Worth ”, Ian Ball, Willem Buiter, John Crompton, Dag Detter, Jacob Soll, Crompton, Breakingviews, PSNW, –, Rachel Reeves, Labour’s, “, Reeves, Britain’s, Sunak, George Hay, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Sunday, Sky News, Labour, Conservative, Bank of England, Sunak’s, Worth, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Britain’s, Thomson Locations: Britain, New Zealand, Zealand, Manchester, Birmingham

Search resuls for: "Francesco Guerrera"

25 mentions found