Saudi Arabia’s outlook cut to negative by Moody’s

Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s outlook was cut to negative from stable by Moody’s Investors Service after the crash in oil prices exposed the vulnerability of the kingdom’s finances amid the global pandemic and its reserves plunged to the lowest level in almost a decade. The rating company kept the sovereign at A1, its fifth-highest grade, according […]

COVID-19: India set to cap stimulus package at $60b

NEW DELHI: The Indian government is likely to cap its overall spending on coronavirus-related relief at around Rs4.5 trillion ($60 billion, Dh220 billion), due to concerns that excess spending could trigger a sovereign rating downgrade, two senior government officials said. “We have to be cautious as downgrades have started happening for some countries and rating […]

COVID-19: US factory output shrinks at record pace

Washington: A measure of US factory output shrank in April at the fastest pace in records back to 1948, prompting a sharp reduction in manufacturing employment as the coronavirus tightened its grip on the economy. Data from the Institute for Supply Management on Friday showed its measure of factory production plummeted more than 20 points […]

Coronavirus: Amazon sees heavy earnings hit from COVID-19

San Francisco: Amazon said Thursday profits took a hit in the past quarter due to the global pandemic and that its earnings in the current period would be entirely wiped out by COVID-related expenses. The technology and e-commerce giant said its revenues surged 26 per cent in the first three months of 2020 to more […]

UAE banks face write-downs of 25%-50% on NMC debt

Abu Dhabi: Banks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with exposure to troubled hospital operator NMC Health risk having to make provisions for between 25 per cent to 50 per cent on more than $2 billion of outstanding debt to the company, three banking sources said. NMC, the largest private healthcare provider in the UAE, […]

COVID-19 pandemic’s long-term pain is just becoming clear to markets

New York: The best month for global equities in almost a decade may be enough to convince investors the light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel isn’t a train, but the debate on what comes next is only just beginning as they adjust their focus to a financial landscape utterly changed by the pandemic. […]