Shortage of Suzuki car mirrors reflects Sri Lanka’s growing economic crisis
Car spare parts dealers in Sri Lanka’s main city of Colombo are receiving a steady stream of customers looking for what is fast becoming a prized commodity in the island nation – side mirrors for Suzuki’s compact Wagon R.
NatWest earnings soar but rising prices bite
British bank NatWest (NWG.L) swung to a hefty profit on the back of the country’s economic recovery but said rising prices will make it harder to cut overheads, prompting it to lower its cost-cutting target.
Morning Bid: A break in the storm clouds
Markets breathed a sigh of relief after the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken agreed to a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, raising hopes of a diplomatic solution to the standoff over Ukraine.
Australian state sets minimum pay for Amazon contractors in landmark step
Australia’s New South Wales state ordered employers of freelance delivery drivers such as Amazon.com Inc to pay a minimum rate, a decision hailed by a union as making it the world’s first jurisdiction to compel the retailer to follow laws on such payments.
Orange sees return to core profit growth in 2022
Orange (ORAN.PA), France’s biggest telecoms operator, expects a return to core profit growth in 2022 after lower returns from co-financing deals and high competition in the Spanish market hit earnings last year.
StanChart bets on rate hikes to hit lofty goals as profit disappoints
Standard Chartered (STAN.L) has raised its core profitability goals and promised shareholders extra payouts, despite full year profit undershooting expectations, as it banks on inflation-battling rate hikes worldwide to boost lending.
Air France-KLM to seek up to 4 bln euros to repay state aid, shares sink
Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA) plans to raise up to 4 billion euros ($4.6 billion) as it seeks to repay state pandemic handouts, the airline said on Thursday, overshadowing robust earnings on a recovery in air travel and sending its shares down more than 4%.
IBM spinoff Kyndryl signs ‘beachhead’ networking deal with Nokia
Kyndryl (KD.N), the former infrastructure services business of IBM (IBM.N), signed a deal with Nokia (NOKIA.HE) to help automate factories by bringing in cloud computing and artificial intelligence over wireless networks.
Analysis: UAE corporate tax may dilute competitive edge, as Saudi Arabia steps up
The United Arab Emirates’ plans for a corporate tax risk eroding one of its main attractions as the Gulf’s premier destination for foreign firms, at a time when Saudi Arabia is opening up and pressuring multinationals to shift regional headquarters there.
LIC’s looming IPO weighs on India insurer shares, investors say
Next month’s mammoth stock market debut for India’s Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has battered shares in other insurers as investors trim their holdings to make room for the state-owned giant, fund managers and analysts said.
