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☆ How a lonely mountain lion led to the creation of the world’s largest wildlife overpass
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Martha Shade | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

A photo of P-22 mountain lion National Park Service“A mountain lion lived in L.A. and people didn’t fear him,” said Pratt, who has memorialized P-22 on her arm with a tattoo. The idea of a wildlife overpass was garnering interest, but funding it was another issue. A rendering of the completed Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Overpass Courtesy National Wildlife FederationEngineers are also taking into account animals’ fear of bright lights. And that’s exactly what needs to happen at the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Overpass, where the freeway bisects the local cougar habitat. He has inspired the building of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing.

Persons: he’s, ”, Beth Pratt, Pratt, Alan Ruck —, Ferris, Leonardo DiCaprio, Rainn Wilson, Barbra Streisand, David Crosby, ” Pratt, “, Watts, Wallis Annenberg, don’t, ” It’s, Martha Shade, koalas, We’ve, ’ Organizations: CNN, National Wildlife Federation, Hollywood, Service, Wallis Annenberg, Wildlife Federation Engineers, National Park Service, Banff National, grizzlies, Federal, Administration Locations: California, Los Angeles, L.A, HBO’s, Watts, South Los Angeles, Beverly, France, Europe, Netherlands, Brignoles, Queensland, Australia, Canada, Banff, Pratt

☆ Alstom cash crunch dents management credibility
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 5 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Alstom (ALSO.PA) CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge faces an uphill struggle to shore up his credibility. The French train maker lost 35% of its market value – amounting to 3 billion euros - on Thursday after announcing that it would book negative free cash flow of 500 to 750 million euros this year. Finally, weaker than expected orders in the first half of the year generated less cash in the form of down payments. Given the potential for the group’s net debt to be 3 billion euros by year-end, 1 billion euros more than expected, Deutsche Bank analysts reckon it may soon need a capital increase. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Henri Poupart, Pierre Briancon, Aimee Donnellan, Streisand Neto Organizations: Alstom, REUTERS, Reuters, London Underground, Deutsche Bank, X, Sandoz, Brookfield, Temasek, Thomson Locations: Saint, Ouen, Paris, France

☆ Sandoz owners are banking on margin cure
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 4 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Sandoz’s (SDZ.S) investors are giving CEO Richard Saynor the benefit of the doubt. Shares in the generics drug maker, which $217 billion pharma giant Novartis (NOVN.S) has finally managed to spin off, started to trade in Zurich on Wednesday. There was a risk that Novartis investors, who have long called for a sale or spinoff, would quickly dump the new Sandoz shares. At current market prices, Sandoz is worth nearly $11 billion, or $14.4 billion once net debt is added in. For now, Novartis investors seem to believe Sandoz’s treatment may be effective.

Persons: Richard Saynor, Sandoz, Aimee Donnellan, Lisa Jucca, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Novartis, Sandoz, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, X, Brookfield pounces, Temasek, Thomson Locations: Zurich, That’s

☆ 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

☆ Peak China may pose peak danger
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

For example, last week it installed a floating barrier by a rocky outcrop in the South China Sea claimed by the Philippines - which Manila promptly removed. A war between the United States and China still seems unlikely - because both sides know that the economic and human costs of a clash could be catastrophic. The United States and its Western allies are also worried that China could browbeat Japan and South Korea, two nations economically important to them. Meanwhile, the United States and other allies are imposing controls on the export of technology such as advanced chips to the People’s Republic. What’s more, the United States is finding it hard to maintain an emollient message.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping “, Biden, Victor Sebestyen, Xi, Michael Beckley, Beckley, Hal Brands, Vladimir Putin, ”, Donald Trump, Goldman Sachs, Tufts ’ Beckley, Una Galani, Streisand Neto Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Reuters, Austro, South China, Beijing, Tufts University, Washington, San, Economic Cooperation, Tufts, Thomson Locations: Beijing, CHINA, Greece, China, Vietnam, U.S, Taiwan, United States, Germany, France, British, Ottoman Empire, Hungarian Empire, Ukraine, South China, South, Philippines, Manila, China’s, India, People’s Republic, Japan, South Korea, America, Pacific, Washington, Hanoi, San Francisco, Asia, Taiwan Strait

☆ Cellnex’s Nordic towers sale is a good omen
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Sept 29 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Marco Patuano is starting with a small but firm step. After years of M&A-fuelled expansion, the new CEO wants to return Cellnex to investment grade and focus on organic growth and efficiency. Cellnex shares shot up 4% Friday, adding 1 billion euros to the group’s market capitalisation. If Patuano can keep finding buyers for his assets, he may soon return his company to investment grade. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Marco Patuano, Patuano, Pierre Briancon, Lisa Jucca, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, X, Thomson Locations: Italian

☆ Jittery markets may tie Dutch insurers' hands
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Sept 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Dutch insurers NN (NN.AS) and ASR (ASRNL.AS) have lost 3 billion euros of combined market value after court rulings in the Netherlands raised the prospect of large compensation claims. The respective 22% and 16% stock price collapse will put pressure on the two groups to reach a speedy resolution. But customers argue that the insurers marketing these policies failed to disclose how much of their premiums went to actual investments, and how much covered the sellers’ costs. Take Hague-based NN: it has 315,000 active woekerpolissen policies and 581,000 inactive ones, ING reckons. Its 2.1 billion euro market value loss is equivalent to a claim of 2,300 euros per policy.

Persons: Pamela Barbaglia, ’, quagmire, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, ING reckons, JPMorgan reckons, Dutch, X, Thomson Locations: Netherlands, Ukraine

☆ Italy’s fiscal weakness toughens its green plight
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni looks on, on the day of the state funeral of the former Italian President and senator, Giorgio Napolitano in Rome, Italy, September 26, 2023. Rome also cut its GDP forecasts to 0.8% and 1.2% over the next two years, from 1% and 1.5% before. The ballooning deficit is chiefly a result of ill-fated renovation incentives introduced by previous governments and amounting to some 140 billion euros, or 7% of Italy’s GDP. Record-high euro zone interest rates are also increasing the cost of servicing Italy’s mammoth debt, seen at 140% of GDP by year-end. The risk is that Rome's green transition becomes a victim of its fiscal challenges.

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, Giorgio Napolitano, Yara, Europe’s, Lisa Jucca, ’, quagmire, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto Organizations: Italian, REUTERS, Reuters, X, Thomson Locations: Italian, Rome, Italy, Ukraine

☆ Cable makers are green investing’s dark horses
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

An electrical power pylon with high-voltage power lines is seen next to wind turbines near Weselitz, Germany November 18, 2022. Moving away from fossil fuels will require laying thousands of new and stronger power lines carrying electricity from source to end users. Putting the additional earnings on Prysmian’s expected EBITDA multiple for 2026 of 8 times would generate an additional enterprise value of 2 billion euros, nearly 20% above today’s 11.6 billion euros. One potential snag is that cable makers’ annual capacity for high-voltage cables is currently only 6 billion euros per year. The volume of high-voltage cable orders has risen to more than 10 billion euros last year from around 3 billion euros in 2019, according to industry and analyst estimates.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Prysmian, George Hay, Streisand Neto Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, International Energy Agency, JPMorgan, Reuters Breakingviews, Thomson Locations: Weselitz, Germany, Europe, North America, Britain, Denmark, China

☆ Permira will have to work to exit classified hole
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Karen Kwok | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Sept 22 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Permira is trying to salvage its bet on classified ads. But buying more may be the best way for Permira to make a healthy return, provided the business can be turbocharged. On Thursday, Adevinta said it had received a non-binding offer from Blackstone and Permira. Norwegian media group Schibsted, a 28% Adevinta shareholder, and eBay, which owns a 33% stake, expressed their support for the proposal and will retain part of their current stake, Adevinta said. In 2021 eBay sold 10% of its stake in Adevinta to Permira for $2.25 billion.

Persons: Adevinta, Permira, Blackstone, Aimee Donnellan, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Blackstone, eBay, Reuters Graphics Reuters, EBay, Permira, Thomson Locations: Norwegian, Adevinta, Oslo, Permira

LONDON, Sept 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Barely a day goes by without an eye-catching story involving Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. A third of the fund consists of significant stakes in domestic companies like the $51 billion Saudi Telecom Company (7010.SE) and $53 billion Saudi National Bank (1180.SE). Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsThe PIF’s investment strategy is also racier than its more conservative peers. But the episode reinforces the impression that the PIF is a mix of venture capital, hedge fund and startup money. The most spectacular was probably handing $45 billion to SoftBank Group (9984.T) boss Masayoshi Son for his $100 billion first Vision Fund.

Persons: Kylian Mbappé, It’s, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Yasir Al, Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala, Rumayyan, Salman bin Abdulaziz, Masayoshi Son, SWFs, Taiwan’s Foxconn, Peter Thal Larsen, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Standard Chartered, Spanish telco Telefonica, Fund, Abu, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Global, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Saudi, Saudi Telecom Company, Saudi National Bank, Saudi Aramco, giga, Qatar Investment Authority, Singapore’s Temasek, Al, MbS, SoftBank Group, Vision, Credit Suisse, UBS, Saudi giga, Aramco, Investment, Thomson Locations: Spanish, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Saudi

☆ UK disinflationary shock sharpens Bailey’s dilemma
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Governor of the Bank of England Andrew Bailey speaks as he attends a press conference for the Monetary Policy Report August 2023, at the Bank of England in London, Britain, August 3, 2023. Alastair Grant/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 20 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey finally got some good news on Wednesday. UK annual inflation fell to 6.7% in August, from 6.8% in July, confounding market expectations of a rise to 7%. Domestic disinflationary forces offset a nearly 30% rise in oil prices to bring headline inflation to the lowest level since February 2022. Higher petrol prices did add around 0.3 percentage points to the consumer price index, according to Capital Economics.

Persons: Bank of England Andrew Bailey, Alastair Grant, Andrew Bailey, disinflation, Francesco Guerrera, Bernie Sanders’s, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto Organizations: Bank of England, Monetary, REUTERS Acquire, Reuters, Capital Economics, CPI, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ India entry into geopolitical storm will be costly
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Una Galani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MUMBAI, Sept 19 (Reuters Breakingviews) - India may pay a price from getting caught in the eye of a geopolitical storm, but it may be a small one. New Delhi has dismissed as “absurd” Canada’s allegation of its involvement in the June murder in British Columbia of a Sikh separatist leader that India had branded a “terrorist”. A trade deal with India, now stalled, may have helped Ottawa pivot away from the People’s Republic a little bit faster. But India accounted for barely $6.5 billion, or less than 1% of Canada’s trade with the world in 2020. Canada also expelled India's top intelligence agent following the row, while India expelled a senior Canadian diplomat.

Persons: Sajjan Jindal’s, Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Jamal Khashoggi, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, –, Tesla, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Justin Trudeau, Nijjar, “, Trudeau, Lisa Jucca, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Resources, Crown, Canada, Apple, U.S . National Security Council, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, India, New Delhi, British Columbia, China, Ottawa, People’s Republic, American, Vancouver, Australia, Canada, United States, Delhi, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Istanbul . U.S, Canadian

☆ Lonza’s CEO churn adds to company’s ailments
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Denis Balibouse Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Lonza’s (LONN.S) new broom will face even more challenges than its old one. Since he was appointed CEO in 2020, the Swiss group has increased capital expenditure as a percentage of revenue from 20% to 30% last year. Even before Monday’s fall, the stock was trading at 32 times its forward earnings, around the same level as before its pandemic surge. The disruption of another CEO exit, without a clear explanation, means that the hoped-for growth will take even longer to arrive. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Pierre, Alain Ruffieux, Albert Baehny, Aimee Donnellan, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Swiss, X, Thomson Locations: Lonza, Visp, Switzerland, Swiss

☆ Prosus CEO exit leaves Tencent elephant in room
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Karen Kwok | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Bob van Dijk is passing an unsolved problem to his successor. The Tencent stake that it owns made up about 75% of the group’s $130 billion portfolio value as of Sept. 15. His workaround was to instead sell little chunks of Tencent shares, and use the proceeds to buy back Prosus stock. Still, the gap reflects shareholders’ ongoing struggles to value Prosus. Neither Prosus nor the 50-year-old van Dijk gave a reason for his exit, but the persistence of the discount won’t have helped.

Persons: Bob van Dijk, Siphiwe, Ervin Tu, Africa’s, Van, van Dijk, It’s, Goldman Sachs, Prosus, Naspers, van Dijk’s, George Hay, Streisand Neto, Oliver Taslic Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Prosus, HK, Interim, Vision, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, Amsterdam, India, Brazil, Tencent

☆ S4 misery offers reality check on tech exuberance
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Sept 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Is the technology sector bouncing back? The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) is up 31% this year, and chip designer Arm enjoyed a 25% first-day pop on its listing. S4 on Monday downgraded its 2023 like-for-like net revenue growth forecast to “down on last year”. The news still sent S4 shares down 25% on Monday morning. Any recovery will require Sorrell to show he can keep winning business in an era of tech uncertainty.

Persons: Martin Sorrell, That’s, Publicis, Sorrell, Oliver Taslic, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Nasdaq, S4, Nvidia, Meta, X, Thomson

☆ H&M looks out of sync with shoppers’ reality
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The H&M clothing store is seen in Times Square in Manhattan, New York, U.S., November 15, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Segar Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Sept 15 (Reuters Breakingviews) - H&M (HMb.ST) CEO Helena Helmersson is feeling the heat. H&M has probably been operating under the illusion that it could maintain pricing power while consumers are being hit by inflation. Its $120 billion rival Inditex (ITX.MC), whose Zara brand is considered more upmarket than H&M, has started to pause price increases. Right now, H&M trades on the same 20 times forward earnings multiple than Inditex.

Persons: Mike Segar, Helena Helmersson, “, That’s, Shein, Inditex's, Lisa Jucca, George Hay, Streisand Neto Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, RBC, X, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York, U.S, Swedish

☆ AstraZeneca succession sickness demands urgent fix
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Sept 15 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Can a CEO be worth $9 billion? That’s the question posed by the 4% fall in AstraZeneca’s (AZN.L) shares following an article stating boss Pascal Soriot may soon resign. The company has played down the report, and its stock has recovered, but the episode highlights its uncertain position were 64-year-old Soriot to leave. Without a clear succession plan, investors should prepare for further swings. Small wonder investors and analysts wonder whether AstraZeneca will be able to find a successor capable of replicating his success.

Persons: Pascal Soriot, AstraZeneca’s, Ivan Menezes, Debra Crew, Soriot, Susan Galbraith, David Fredrickson, Luke Miels, Soriot’s, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Pfizer, pharma, Novartis, Sanofi, GSK, AstraZeneca, Diageo, Thomson Locations: AstraZeneca’s, Swedish

☆ Deliveroo lacks tasty recipe for takeover call
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Sept 14 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Deliveroo’s (ROO.L) valuation makes it a plausible takeover target, but Chief Executive Will Shu has a weak hand in negotiating any deal. Activist investor Sachem Head Capital Management has built a stake in the London-listed food delivery company, Bloomberg reported late on Wednesday. Share prices of Deliveroo rose nearly 5% on Thursday morning. That’s below the 1.5 times average of rivals Delivery Hero (DHER.DE), Just Eat Takeaway.com (TKWY.AS), HelloFresh (HFGG.DE) and DoorDash (DASH.N). Lastly, Delivery Hero and Amazon’s 5% and 12.5% stakes could complicate any deal.

Persons: Will Shu, LSEG, Uber, Karen Kwok, BoE, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Head Capital Management, Bloomberg, X, Treasury, Thomson Locations: London

☆ Inditex can afford to start sharing its cash pile
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An employee arranges clothes at one of the largest Zara stores in the world, in Madrid, Spain, April 7, 2022. REUTERS/Juan Medina/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 13 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Marta Ortega is facing a test on Inditex’s (ITX.MC) bulging cash pile. In the same period, Inditex delivered 2.5 billion euros of net profit, up 40% year-on-year. Still, growing profits mean its cash pile will only get larger. Net cash is expected to balloon to 12 billion euros by year-end, LSEG data show.

Persons: Juan Medina, Marta Ortega, Massimo Dutti, Inditex, Ortega, Inditex’s, Aimee Donnellan, BoE, Lisa Jucca, Streisand Neto Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Reuters Graphics Reuters, X, Treasury, UBS, Warner Bros Discovery, Thomson Locations: Zara, Madrid, Spain, Asia

☆ Pinault’s Hollywood foray is untimely distraction
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Charles Platiau Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 8 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The story of European business trying to mingle with Hollywood has often led to unhappy endings. The Pinault family, which controls $61 billion luxury group Kering (PRTP.PA), thinks it can buck the trend. Pinault may have overpaid for CAA, especially in the middle of a major strike of Hollywood writers and actors. The transaction, through holding company Artemis, adds Hollywood's premiere talent agency to Pinault’s family empire which spans fashion, wine and contemporary art. CAA was valued at $1.1 billion when TPG acquired a majority stake in 2014, four years after having originally invested in the talent agency.

Persons: Francois, Henri Pinault, Kering, Charles Platiau, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, François, Ari Emanuel’s, Artemis ’, Gucci, Alessandro Michele, Pinault, Jean, Kering’s, Valentino, Brad Pitt, Salma Hayek, Lisa Jucca, Streisand Neto Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Hollywood, Universal Studios, Creative Artists Agency, CAA, Gucci, TPG, Endeavor, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, bask

☆ New boss will be EIB’s chance to stay relevant
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Rebecca Christie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Flags are seen behind the logo of the European Investment Bank in the city of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, March 25, 2017. Reuters/Eric Vidal Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Sept 7 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The European Investment Bank has a chance to remake itself when it gains a new leader next year. The EIB has been making infrastructure loans since 1958, and now channels some 65 billion euros in annual financing to the economy. To do that, the next EIB chief will need to let the bank shoulder more risk, as suggested by Vestager on Thursday. By comparison, the World Bank has $240 billion loans outstanding.

Persons: Eric Vidal, Werner Hoyer, Nadia Calviño, Denmark’s Margrethe Vestager, Daniele Franco, Teresa Czerwińska, Thomas Östros, Vestager, Margrethe Vestager, Spain’s Nadia Calviño, Poland’s Teresa Czerwińska, Italy’s Daniele Franco, Sweden’s Thomas Östros, Denmark’s Vestager, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto Organizations: European Investment Bank, Reuters, Rights, Spanish, World Bank, AAA, European Union, Financial Times, European Investment, Union, Thomson Locations: Luxembourg, Rights BRUSSELS, Italian, Europe, Ukraine, France, Spain

☆ Direct Line stays in ditch but now faces right way
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Vehicles are seen on the M1 motorway in Milton Keynes following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Milton Keynes, Britain May 11, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Boyers Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 7 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Direct Line (DLGD.L) is still in the ditch. The good news is that the company is at least now facing the right way. Direct Line’s scope to actually exit its ditch hinges on customers swallowing the price rises it’s belatedly pushing through. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Milton Keynes, Andrew Boyers, Adam Winslow, George Hay, Hong Kong, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, RSA, X, Hong, Thomson Locations: Milton Keynes, Britain

☆ Saudi’s sweetened oil lollipop betrays its nerves
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Sept 6 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman thinks he needs to sweeten his oil lollipop. The Saudi energy minister has announced that the world’s top oil exporter will extend its 1 million barrels a day production cuts for another three months until the end of this year. On the surface, global trends are helpful for oil, reducing the need for extended OPEC+ cuts. Besides uncertainties over the effectiveness of China’s latest property measures, one surprise has been the strength of Iranian supplies, which are set to rise by 1 million barrels this year to 3.5 million barrels per day by late September. Moreover, Washington may not sit idly by if higher oil prices sabotage the Federal Reserve’s inflation target and damage the economy.

Persons: Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Brent, Yawen Chen, Hong Kong, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Organization of, Petroleum, X, Hong, Thomson Locations: Saudi, Russia, U.S, China, Washington

☆ Europe faces dirtier inflation fight than US
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The euro zone’s export-led economy is weak, consumers and businesses are borrowing less, and higher borrowing costs mean there’s further pain to come. The contrasting fortunes of Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, and Jerome Powell, chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, can be summed up in two numbers. The equivalent figures for the euro zone were 5.3% and 0.6%, respectively. Euro zone inflation has halved from the 10.6% peak it reached in October 2022. Europe faces a longer and dirtier fight to tame rising prices.

Persons: Kai Pfaffenbach, Christine Lagarde, Jerome Powell, That’s, Lagarde, Peter Thal Larsen, Streisand Neto, Thomas Shum Organizations: European Central Bank, REUTERS, Reuters, U.S . Federal, P, International Monetary Fund, ECB, Economics, Labour, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Europe, United States, U.S, China

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