CEO Mary Barra bets GM can grow beyond cars and trucks

(Reuters) – Pam Fletcher wants to change the way General Motors Co makes money. The veteran GM engineer’s Global Innovation team is looking for new enterprises to expand the automaker’s sources of revenue well beyond vehicle sales and is incubating ventures from commercial delivery services to vehicle insurance, to address future markets worth an estimated […]

Shell expects at best steady fuel sales for first quarter

LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell expects its fuel sales to fall or at best be broadly steady for the first quarter as some coronavirus restrictions ease, the world’s biggest fuel retailer said in a trading update on Wednesday. Shell said it saw refined oil product sales at 3.7-4.7 million barrels per day (bpd) for […]

Swiss watchmakers go digital to show off new products, revive sales

ZURICH (Reuters) – Luxury Swiss watchmakers, usually not big fans of online retailing, are launching a new all-digital Watches & Wonders event on Wednesday to show off their latest products, hoping to revive sales hit by the coronavirus crisis. Makers of high-end watches still largely rely on physical stores for sales, but the success of […]

Deliveroo ticks up as retail investors join trading

LONDON (Reuters) -Deliveroo shares opened slightly higher on Wednesday, the first day when retail investors were allowed to trade stock bought during the food delivery group’s initial public offering (IPO). At 0730 GMT on its first day of unrestricted trading, shares were up 2.7% at 287.7 pence, but still about 25% lower than the IPO […]

Exclusive-HSBC moves more than 1,200 UK staff to permanent home working

LONDON (Reuters) – HSBC is moving more than 1,200 staff in Britain to permanent working from home contracts, in one of the strongest indications yet of how banks are locking in changes to employees’ work patterns as a result of the pandemic to cut costs. Around 70% of the bank’s 1,800 call centre staff based […]

Asian shares ease from three-week highs, dollar retreats

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian shares pulled back from a three-week high on Wednesday, dragged lower by Chinese stocks, though investors were still focused on upcoming company earnings for more signs of a global economic recovery. Eurostoxx 50 futures were off 0.1%, those for Germany’s Dax were barely changed while London’s FTSE futures were up 0.4%. […]

Does good governance matter for post-pandemic economic growth recovery?

Post-COVID economic recovery could be delayed in countries with poor track records on governance. Many researchers have examined the effects of good governance on economic growth using different methodologies and data sets, and the findings have been contradictory. In our research, we added a new dimension by asking the question: does good governance matter for recovery in growth after a mega external shock like the pandemic?

Jordan bans media coverage of royal rift, Saudi reaffirms support

AMMAN (Reuters) -Jordan banned all news outlets and social media users on Tuesday from publishing any content related to King Abdullah’s half-brother Prince Hamza after the latter was accused of plotting to destabilise the country. Prince Hamza pledged allegiance to King Abdullah late on Monday after mediation by the royal family, two days after the […]

Myanmar protesters paint Yangon red, call for boycott of Water Festival

(Reuters) – Myanmar’s pro-democracy protesters sprayed red paint on roads in Yangon on Tuesday in a reminder to the junta that it had blood on its hands as the crisis created by a military coup in the Southeast Asian nation dragged on with no end in sight. Several groups called for a boycott of next […]