KKR, Global Infrastructure Partners to take CyrusOne private for $11.5 bln

KKR & Co Inc (KKR.N) and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) will take U.S. data center operator CyrusOne Inc (CONE.O) private for $11.49 billion in cash, the latest deal in a sector that has boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dutch face three-week, partial lockdown as COVID-19 cases soar

Bars and restaurants will close early and sporting events will be held without audiences under a three-week, partial lockdown that is expected to be announced in the Netherlands on Friday evening.
COVID-19’s epicentre again: Europe faces fresh reckoning

Europe has become the epicentre of the pandemic again, prompting some governments to consider re-imposing unpopular lockdowns in the run-up to Christmas and stirring debate over whether vaccines alone are enough to tame COVID-19.
Global luxury sales set to outpace pre-COVID levels this year, Bain says

The luxury goods sector is set to move past the coronavirus crisis this year, fuelled by domestic spending in the United States and China, particularly on high end shoes, leather goods and jewellery, consultancy Bain said on Thursday.
Analysis: Valuing Argentina’s peso: It could cost the Peronists an election

Argentina’s embattled currency could cost the ruling Peronist party an election – and its key majority in the Senate.
Marketmind: Melt up?

As confidence grows that the world’s biggest central banks are in no hurry for raising interest rates despite progress on the jobs and post-COVID reopening fronts, stock markets have powered to new record highs. A stronger S&P 500 close on Tuesday would see it notching its longest winning streak since 2004.
Global COVID-19 cases hit 250 million, eastern Europe infections at record levels

Global COVID-19 cases surpassed 250 million on Monday as some countries in eastern Europe experience record outbreaks, even as the Delta variant surge eases and many countries resume trade and tourism.
StanChart flags flat annual income despite strong Q3 profit; shares drop

Standard Chartered (STAN.L) forecast flat income for the full year amid “uneven” economic recovery from the pandemic, even as it turned in a stronger-than-expected quarterly pre-tax profit, sending its shares lower on Tuesday.
Factbox: Asia-Pacific countries begin to open selectively for international travel

Asia-Pacific countries, which have had some of the world’s strictest border controls and quarantine rules during the pandemic, are starting to open selectively to fully vaccinated international travellers as well as their unvaccinated children.
Taiwan to woo backers at APEC for bid to join Pacific trade pact

Taiwan will seek support for its bid to join a trans-Pacific trade pact when it attends a meeting of economic leaders of the Asia-Pacific group APEC next week, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Tuesday.