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☆ Davos: A mountain of debt and a wave of elections. World leaders are hamstrung
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

London CNN —World leaders are flocking to Davos this week to pontificate on the planet’s most pressing problems. Even in the absence of a new crisis, soaring debt servicing costs will constrain efforts to tackle climate change and care for aging populations. Mortgage rates and other borrowing costs soared as investors demanded much higher premiums for owning UK debt. Mounting debt and political brinksmanship have already taken their toll on America’s credit rating, which typically affects borrowing costs for the government, businesses and households. And that would increase the government’s borrowing costs.

Persons: worryingly, Michael Saunders, ”, Saunders, that’s, Liz Truss, Dave Ramsden, Fitch, Moody’s, Raghuram Rajan, “ It’s, ” Rajan, Anna Cooban Organizations: London CNN —, Bank, CNN, Oxford Economics, Bank of England, AAA, States ’, Reserve Bank of India, Labour Party, Treasury Department, Federal, University of Chicago Booth School of Business Locations: Davos, Kingdom, Argentina, States, United States, Switzerland

☆ UK postal scandal: How a software glitch and a centuries-old British company ruined peoples lives
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The government — which owns the Post Office — has described the scandal as one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British history. The software regularly showed that money — often many thousands of pounds — had gone missing from Post Office accounts. The Post Office has so far paid more than £138 million ($176 million) in compensation, a company spokesperson told CNN. “The Horizon system was a piece of machinery and software that wasn’t working correctly,” she said. “If the Post Office can do this to you, then God knows what any other brand is capable of,” she said.

Persons: —, Jo Hamilton, Hamilton, ”, Mr Bates, ’, Alan Bates, Rishi Sunak, ‘, Jonathan Wells, Wendy Buffrey’s Horizon, “, I’d, Buffrey, “ I’ve, Neil Hudgell, Martin Griffith, they’ve, Leon Neal, James Hartley, Siema Kamran, Kamran Ashraf, Ashraf, Kamran, ” Siema Kamran Organizations: London CNN, UK Post, Fujitsu, CNN, Post, ITV, Horizon, of Justice, Office, Cheltenham, Metropolitan Police, Getty, Post Office Locations: Britain, England, Hamilton, British, London, Buffrey, Bracknell , England, Freeths, Cheltenham

☆ Tesla to pause German production over Red Sea disruption
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Tesla plans to pause most production at its only European factory due to supply chain problems caused by attacks in the Red Sea. In recent weeks, Houthi militants, based in Yemen, have ramped up attacks on vessels traveling through the Red Sea, saying they are revenge for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. As a result, six of the world’s 10 biggest shipping companies — namely Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM, ZIM and ONE — have been largely or completely avoiding the Red Sea. Volkswagen, Germany’s biggest carmaker, said Friday that its passenger car division did not anticipate “significant” restrictions to production over the situation in the Red Sea, according to Reuters. Economic reverberationsTesla’s decision will amplify fears that a prolonged closure of the Red Sea route — which connects with the vital Suez Canal — will hurt the global economy by snarling supply chains and driving up the prices of goods.

Persons: London CNN — Tesla, Tesla, Joe Biden, Brent, “, ”, Robert Yawger, Matt Egan Organizations: London CNN, CNN, RTL, Maersk, MSC, Lloyd, CMA CGM, Carriers, European Automobile Manufacturers ’ Association, Volvo, Reuters, Volkswagen, Economic, Ikea, Crocs, Container, British, West Texas, Mizuho Securities Locations: Red, Berlin, Europe, Yemen, Gaza, South Africa, Belgium, Suez, British, Drewry, Iran

☆ Baidu’s live streaming plans suffer as it calls off $3.6 billion Joyy deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-01 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Baidu’s bid to expand its live streaming business in China and diversify its revenue has suffered a blow with the collapse of a planned $3.6 billion acquisition. The Chinese tech giant announced Monday that one of its affiliate companies had terminated a 2020 agreement with Nasdaq-listed Joyy (YY), the owner of popular live streaming platform YY Live. Baidu CEO Robin Li said at the time that the acquisition would “catapult Baidu into a leading platform for live streaming and diversify our revenue source.”Like other live streaming platforms in China, YY Live makes money from users who buy virtual gifts for performers. Live streaming revenues fell by nearly 9% to $495.8 million. But as China’s economic outlook deteriorates, Beijing has shown signs of easing the crackdown, frequently talking up tech companies’ role in the economy.

Persons: London CNN —, ” Joyy, “, Robin Li, Joyy Organizations: London CNN, Nasdaq, Baidu, Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Big Tech Locations: China, , Beijing

☆ Tesla’s clash with Swedish workers risks spilling over into a regional fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Danish dockworkers and drivers are threatening to stop transporting Teslas to neighboring Sweden if the carmaker does not reach a deal with striking Swedish workers within two weeks. It is the first time a labor union outside of Sweden has threatened industrial action against Tesla in solidarity with the Swedish workers. “IF Metall and the Swedish workers are fighting an incredibly important battle right now. About nine out of 10 workers in Sweden and more than eight in 10 in Denmark are covered by such agreements. At least three attempts to organize by Tesla workers in the United States have failed, mainly as a consequence of aggressive tactics by the company and weak protections for labor in the country.

Persons: ”, Tesla, Jan Villadsen, IF Metall, ” IF Metall, Anu Hietala, Elon Musk, —, “ Organizations: London CNN, Danish, IF Metall, CNN, IF, ” IF, Denmark’s, Nordic, Nordic Transport Workers ’ Federation, New York Times Locations: Sweden, Swedish, dockworkers, Finland, Norway, Stockholm, Denmark, United States

☆ Moody’s warns it may downgrade China
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Laura He | Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The lowering of its outlook does not automatically mean the ratings agency will downgrade China’s creditworthiness, but it increases the chances. Analysts say the property downturn is likely to drag on, hobbling China’s growth prospects for years. Slower growth, weaker demographicsMoody’s expects China’s annual economic growth rate to slow to 4% in both 2024 and 2025, and average 3.8% a year from 2026 to 2030. “The affirmation of the A1 rating reflects China’s financial and institutional resources to manage the transition in an orderly fashion,” the agency said. “Its economy’s vast size and robust, albeit slowing, potential growth rate, support its high shock-absorption capacity.”China’s Finance Ministry said Tuesday it was “disappointed” with Moody’s decision to downgrade the country’s credit outlook.

Persons: Hong Kong / New Delhi CNN — Moody’s, China’s, Moody’s, “, Hong, Seng, Anna Cooban Organizations: Hong Kong / New Delhi CNN, China’s Finance, CSI Locations: China, Hong Kong / New Delhi, China’s, “, Shanghai, Shenzhen

☆ Premarket stocks: Shein and Reddit IPOs don’t herald a Wall Street boom. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

New York CNN —It’s been an exciting few weeks for the IPO market. People try to draw an analogy between the IPO market and a blocked pipe. That is one reason why the IPO market feels less stymied than it did 12 months ago. But if the current IPO market kicks off, it’s because of other macroeconomic factors. They’re going to very rapidly acquire customers and care much less about long term financial sustainability and climate and the environment.

Persons: New York CNN — It’s, Angela Lee, Bell, We’ve, Reddit, ‘ it’s, Shein, It’s, it’s, we’ve, Ben Minicucci, Eva Rothenberg, ”, Peter Ingram, Robin Hayes, Minicucci, “ We’ll, Anna Cooban, Svein Tore Holsether Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Reuters, Microsoft, Wall Street, Columbia Business School, Federal Reserve, Alaska Air, Hawaiian Airlines, Sunday, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Justice Department, District of Columbia, Spirit Airlines, Yara, CNN, International Maritime Organization Locations: New York, Reddit, Minicucci, Delta, Southwest, Norwegian, decarbonization

☆ Gold prices have never been this high
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —Gold prices hit an all-time high Monday, buoyed by growing expectations of interest rate cuts among investors, a weaker dollar and geopolitical tensions. “This has created a more favorable environment for gold as a non-yielding asset.”John Reade, a market strategist at the World Gold Council, an association of gold producers, told CNN that, with investors predicting several rate cuts over the next year, gold prices could “quite possibly” shoot above Monday’s record high. Since gold is priced in US dollars, the fall in the greenback’s value has made it less expensive for investors outside the United States to buy the metal, which should have boosted demand and, in turn, lifted gold prices. Gold prices have risen 10% so far this year. According to the World Gold Council, central banks in emerging markets bought 473 metric tons (521 tons) of gold a year on average between 2010 and 2021.

Persons: ebbs, Daria Efanova, ” John Reade, Jamie Dimon, ” Reade, “, Reade, ” Organizations: London CNN —, US Federal Reserve, Treasury, Sucden, World Gold Council, CNN, Interactive Investor Locations: United States, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, China, South China, Taiwan, Russian

☆ The world may be close to getting its first cargo ship that emits almost no carbon dioxide
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

According to the International Maritime Organization, shipping accounts for close to 3% of global annual emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Yara International, one of the world’s biggest fertilizer makers, has joined forces with its subsidiary Yara Clean Ammonia and Norway’s North Sea Container Line to work on the ship, which will transport goods between Norway and Germany. However, Yara Clean Ammonia plans to provide a mix of “blue” and “green” ammonia for the Yara Eyde. In “blue” ammonia production, CO2 emissions are captured at the source and stored underground, while “green” ammonia is made using renewable electricity. In August last year, the company said it would launch the first carbon-neutral vessel by the first quarter of 2024.

Persons: Svein Tore Holsether, ”, Norway Victoria, It’s, Faïg Abbasov Organizations: London CNN, Yara, CNN, International Maritime Organization, International Energy Agency, Norway Victoria Klesty, Transport & Environment, Maersk Locations: Norwegian, decarbonization, Norway, Germany, Porsgunn, Brussels

☆ Analysis: The 2023 stock rally is back on track
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —The US stock market has rebounded from its months-long rut. Stocks finished out their best month of the year on Thursday, breaking a three-month streak of declines for all the major indexes. “The only way I see a rally continuing is if the bond market behaves itself,” said Richard Steinberg, chief market strategist at The Colony Group. While those stocks have remained at the top of Wall Street’s scoreboard, the recent rally has encompassed a wider range of stocks. Long-neglected pockets of the stock market, from beaten-down financials to small-caps to cyclical stocks, have climbed higher in recent weeks.

Persons: Stocks, ”, Richard Steinberg, “, Santa Claus, Ned Davis, Anna Cooban, Elisabeth Buchwald, Nelson Peltz, Nelson Peltz’s, Bob Iger, ” Trian, Trian, Trian’s, Morgan Stanley, James Gorman, Sky Jeremy Darroch, ” Read Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Federal Reserve, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Treasury, The Colony, Wall Street, Ned Davis Research, Organization of, Petroleum, Saudi Press Agency, Ministry of Energy, Saudi, United Emirates, Reuters, Disney, Management, Peltz, Sky Locations: New York, Santa, OPEC, Saudi Arabia, Vienna, Russia, Iraq, United, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Oman, Brazil, Brazil’s

☆ Saudi Arabia extends 1 million barrel-a-day cut to oil output
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ US dollar is heading for its worst month in a year. It’s not all bad news
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —The US dollar is barreling toward a 3.7% loss this month against a basket of six major currencies in what would be it worst monthly performance in a year. For countries that depend on commodity imports, a weaker dollar means they have to pay less for essentials like wheat and crude oil. A number of up-and-coming economies have debts denominated in dollars, and a weaker dollar can make servicing those debts less expensive. A fall in the greenback’s value also signals better investment opportunities outside the United States, McCormick told CNN. “A weaker dollar is a rising tide that lifts all boats,” he said.

Persons: decelerate, ” Ulrich Leuchtmann, Cameron Willard, —, ” Willard, ”, Mark McCormick, Leuchtmann, McCormick, stokes, Willard Organizations: London CNN, Reserve, CNN, TD Securities Locations: United States, Japan, Korea, India, Handelsbanken

☆ EU stops advertising on X over hate speech. Fines could follow next year
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“We have seen an alarming increase in disinformation and hate speech on several social media platforms in recent weeks,” Johannes Bahrke, a European Commission spokesperson, said Friday. That means, should the European Commission find that X has broken DSA rules, the company could be fined as much as $180 million. So far, only two states, Italy and Hungary, have done so, a commission spokesperson told CNN. The European Commission, which recently sounded the alarm on a sharp rise in antisemitism in Europe, has so far stopped short of criticizing Musk directly. A commission spokesperson declined to comment to CNN on Musk’s X post from last Wednesday.

Persons: ” Johannes Bahrke, Bahrke, X, TikTok, ”, Musk, hasn’t, Andrew Bates, “, Ferda, Ataman, Musk ”, Sandra Wachter, ” Wachter Organizations: London CNN, Elon Musk’s, Twitter, European Commission, Commission, Hamas, Facebook, Social, Digital Services, DSA, CNN, Disney, Paramount, Musk’s, White, European, Discrimination Agency, “, Oxford Internet Institute Locations: Israel, Italy, Hungary, Gaza, Pittsburgh, Europe, Germany, Spain, Austria, “, Federal

☆ Gas prices could fall further as oil drops 4% on OPEC meeting delay
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Oil prices tumbled more than 4% Wednesday after a group of the biggest oil producing nations said they would delay a meeting, originally scheduled for Sunday, that was expected to discuss making further cuts to global supply. Brent crude, the global benchmark, and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude, the US benchmark, both fell over 4% late morning ET. Likewise, earlier on Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that Saudi officials were unhappy with some OPEC members’ levels of output. Both Brent and WTI prices have fallen for four consecutive weeks, pressured by record crude oil production in the United States and worries about waning global demand, particularly in China, the world’s biggest oil importer. Rystad still expects OPEC+ to reach an agreement at the meeting on November 30, but the process will likely be “challenging,” he added.

Persons: Brent, ” Craig Erlam, WTI, Jorge León, León Organizations: London CNN, Brent, West Texas, AAA, of, Petroleum, Bloomberg, Saudi, OANDA, OPEC, Rystad Energy Locations: OPEC, United States, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Nigeria

Ustrell is one of scores of European winemakers struggling to grow enough grapes as extreme and unseasonable weather becomes more commonplace. Falling prices, rising costsAcross the border, French winemakers are grappling with the opposite problem: Too much wine. Many French winemakers have suffered as retail prices have fallen this year. Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty ImagesFrench winemakers struggling to sell their own produce have taken out their anger on imports from Spain. The supply of French wine has exceeded waning demand in France and abroad this year.

Persons: New York CNN — Jordi Ustrell, “, Celler, Ustrell, Giogio Delgrosso, Delgrosso, Greg Jones, ”, hasn’t, pip Italy, ’, Charly Triballeau, Rouanet, Michael Baynes, they’ve, Baynes, Arnaud Finistre, John Mitra, Penelope, It’s, Penelope Mitra, Faure Haut Normand, John Mitra More, Mitra Organizations: New York CNN, CNN, International Organisation for Vine, European Union, Getty, European Commission, Vineyards, Estate, “, Burgundy Wine Company Locations: Paris, New York, Spanish, Gratallops, Italy, Spain, Australia, South Africa, Chile, United States, an Oregon, Oregon, Barcelona, Sauvignon, France’s Bordeaux, France, French, Toulouse, AFP, Aude, Bordeaux, Argentina, Burgundy

☆ Volvo’s shares crash to all-time low as China’s Geely cuts stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Shares in Volvo Cars tumbled as much as 13% Friday to hit a record low after its biggest shareholder Geely sold part of its stake at a discount to the market value. The transaction reduced Geely’s stake in Volvo Cars by just over 4%. Once the sale is completed on November 21, that stake is expected to amount to 78.7%, Geely said in the statement. The attempt to boost the value of Volvo Cars’ stock — which has fallen almost 23% year-to-date — seems to have backfired, at least in the immediate term. The firm’s shares traded down 11% on the day by 10.21 a.m.

Persons: Geely, carmaker, Jim Rowan, Daniel Donghui Li, ” Organizations: London CNN —, Volvo, Volvo Cars Locations: Swedish

☆ Germany puts up $8 billion to rescue huge green energy company
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —The German government is putting €7.5 billion ($8 billion) of taxpayer cash on the table to secure the rescue of troubled wind turbine-maker Siemens Energy, a company of vital importance to the country’s energy transition. The deal to “secure the company” has been in the works for several weeks, the ministry said, noting that the federal government had been “in intensive contact” with Siemens Energy, Siemens and private lenders. The firm, which had revenue of about €29 billion ($32 billion) in its last fiscal year, also makes gas-powered turbines and electrolyzers for hydrogen energy production, among a raft of other products. It needs the financial guarantees to deliver on its €110 billion ($119 billion) pipeline of orders, according to the ministry. “We are pleased with the German government’s clear support for Siemens Energy and the commitment to the rapid implementation of projects to make the energy transition a success,” a spokesperson for Siemens Energy told CNN.

Persons: ” Organizations: London CNN, Siemens Energy, Siemens, CNN, Reuters Locations: Berlin, ” Germany, Europe’s, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ UK economy flatlines as real estate activity drops
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Britain’s economy stagnated in the third quarter — its weakest performance in a year — as activity in the real estate sector fell, weighed down by high interest rates. The real estate sector — which accounts for 13% of UK economic output and is particularly sensitive to higher borrowing costs — has taken a knock this year. The data — which measures how efficiently the economy is making use of labor and capital — showed that UK productivity had barely improved since 2007. “Britain is a stagnation nation that has struggled to secure sustained economic growth since the financial crisis,” James Smith, research director at the Resolution Foundation, a think tank, wrote in a note Friday. UK finance minister Jeremy Hunt is due to outline the government’s plans to boost economic growth later this month.

Persons: —, Paul Dales, ”, ” James Smith, Jeremy Hunt Organizations: London CNN, National Statistics, Bank of England, Capital Economics Locations: Halifax, Britain

☆ Airbnb: Italy threatens to seize more than $800 million over unpaid taxes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Rome CNN —Italian tax authorities are poised to seize some €779 million ($836 million) from Airbnb as a result of its alleged failure to pay taxes owed by landlords using the platform. Prosecutor Marcello Viola told Italian reporters Monday that three people who were administrators for Airbnb in Italy also face unpaid tax charges. A spokesperson for Airbnb told CNN Tuesday: “Airbnb Ireland has been in active discussions with the Italian tax agency since June 2023 to resolve this matter. In 2017, Google, owned by Alphabet (GOOGL), agreed to pay Italy €306 million ($327 million) to cover taxes for the years 2009 to 2015. And in 2015, the country worked out a similar unpaid tax deal with Apple (AAPL) worth €318 million ($340 million).

Persons: Rome, Airbnb, Marcello Viola, “, won’t, Giorgia Meloni, Airbnb —, Antonio Tajani, — Anna Cooban Organizations: Rome CNN, Union, Airbnb, CNN, ”, Google, Italy €, Apple Locations: Airbnb, Europe, United States, Milan, Ireland, €, Italy, Italian, New York City, Italy’s

☆ ‘Grok,’ Elon Musk’s AI chatbot with a ‘rebellious’ streak
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk has announced the introduction of “Grok,” an artificially intelligent chatbot, for some users of X, which the billionaire suggests has a sarcastic sense of humor similar to his own. Musk’s AI startup, xAI, which developed the bot, said in a blogpost that it took inspiration from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a comedy sci-fi novel by British author Douglas Adams. Grok “loves sarcasm,” Musk posted on X. Grok is intended to rival ChatGPT, an AI chatbot released to the public by its maker OpenAI last November to much fanfare. Musk has previously expressed concerns about the speed of development of AI, and the technology’s potential to fundamentally change human society for the worse.

Persons: London CNN — Brace, Elon Musk, “, Douglas Adams, Grok, ” Musk, ”, xAI, ChatGPT, Musk, Tommy Robinson Organizations: London CNN, Twitter, Galaxy Locations: British, United States

☆ Layoffs at Maersk hit 10,000 as pandemic shipping boom turns to bust
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

London CNN —Shipping giant Maersk is laying off thousands more workers as weak demand and lower freight prices pummel its revenues — a sign the pandemic-driven boom in shipping is turning to bust. “Our industry is facing a new normal with subdued demand, prices back in line with historical levels and inflationary pressures on our cost base,” Maersk Chief Executive Vincent Clerc said in a statement. The composite cost of shipping a 40-foot container on eight major global routes stood at $1,406 this week, according to London-based Drewry Shipping. Maersk also said it expected its full-year profit to come in at the lower end of its previously stated range of $9.5 billion to $11 billion. The company’s shares sank as much as 12.5% in early trade Friday, extending those losses later to trade down 17.2% by 7.41 a.m.

Persons: ”, Vincent Clerc, Maersk Organizations: London CNN — Shipping, ” Maersk, Drewry Shipping Locations: Danish, London

☆ UK officials close antitrust probes into Amazon’s and Meta’s retail platforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —The United Kingdom’s competition watchdog has wrapped up its antitrust investigations into Amazon’s and Meta’s retail platforms, saying it has secured commitments from the US tech giants that will ultimately benefit consumers. In theory, the more businesses are able to fairly compete for consumers’ cash, the more choice consumers ultimately have. Meta’s competitors will have the option to “opt out” of the tech firm using some of their data to improve Facebook Marketplace, the CMA said. That commitment, along with others, means Meta “cannot exploit advertising customers’ data to give itself an unfair advantage — and as such distort competition,” Pope said. A spokesperson for Meta told CNN it welcomed the CMA’s decision to close its investigation into Facebook Marketplace.

Persons: Ann Pope, ” Pope, Meta Organizations: London CNN, Markets Authority, CMA, Amazon, Facebook, CNN, Meta, Global, Big Tech, US Federal Trade Commission, European Union

☆ Europe’s gas prices are a worry ahead of winter despite brimming stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But while gas shortages are unlikely in Europe this winter, the price of the fuel remains a worry. According to S&P Global, about one-fifth of global LNG supply travels through the channel on Iran’s south coast. In a less jittery market, neither incident may have had the effect it did, helping boost European gas prices by more than 40% over the course of a single week. High gas prices have presented a persistent economic headwind for Europe's biggest economy due to its reliance on energy-intensive industries. Together, these milestones should push European gas prices down to €30 ($32) per megawatt hour by the end of next year, Weatherburn added.

Persons: Asia —, Soeren, ”, Jack Sharples, Heikki Saukkomaa, Simone Tagliapietra, Bill Weatherburn, Stefan Sauer, Weatherburn, “ Organizations: London CNN, European Union, International Energy Agency, EU, Getty, “, Oxford Institute of Energy Studies, CNN, Hamas, P, Chevron, Egyptian, Steam, ”, Capital Economics, Qatar, Energy Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Europe, North America, Asia, Norway, Hungary, Austria, Azerbaijan, Algeria, Germany, Israel, Gaza, Hormuz, Jordan, Egypt, Cairo, Estonia, Australia, AFP, “, ” Europe, France, Italy, Lubmin, Pomerania, United States, Qatar

☆ Oil prices are falling even as Israel steps up its war on Hamas. A spike could still happen
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Olesya Dmitracova | Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, fell 1.1% to $89 a barrel, and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude, the US benchmark, dropped 1.3% to trade at $84 a barrel by 7.51 a.m. The World Bank said Monday that a ratcheting up in the fighting in Gaza could push global commodity markets, including oil markets, into “uncharted waters,” and laid out three scenarios under which oil prices could surge. In that instance, the level of disruption would be comparable to that caused by the Arab oil embargo in 1973. The World Bank said a smaller disruption, equivalent to that resulting from the Libyan civil war in 2011, could send oil prices to $103 a barrel. Prices for Brent have risen 5.7% since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians.

Persons: Brent, Susannah Streeter, Hargreaves Lansdown, ”, Germany —, ” Indermit Gill, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Israel, Daniel Hagari, Jake Sullivan, Ebrahim Raisi, — Rob North Organizations: London CNN, West Texas, Hargreaves, Bank, Hamas, Sunday, CBS Locations: Gaza, Germany, Ukraine, Iraq, Israel, Israeli, Iran, Lebanese, Tehran

☆ Deutsche Bank shares surge as it promises more cash for investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Shares in Deutsche Bank surged nearly 7% Wednesday after it said strong earnings meant it could pay out more cash to shareholders over the next two years than previously anticipated. The bank said it expected to buy back more of its shares — a move which typically juices a company’s stock price — next year. It marks a striking turnaround for the bank following years of scandal, mass layoffs and regulatory fines that have weighed on its reputation, and its stock price. Shares have nearly doubled since hitting a record low in March 2020 but have still cratered 67% over the past decade. The Fed found that Deutsche Bank had made insufficient progress since 2018 to tighten its anti-money laundering controls, among other failures.

Persons: “ Organizations: London CNN —, Deutsche Bank, DB, ”, US Federal Reserve Locations: €

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