Headlines

A group of secured creditors of Altice France SA, unhappy with the deal arranged between the company and a majority of its creditors to cut about €8.6 billion ($9 billion) of debt, have tapped advisers to find ways to improve their terms, Bloomberg News reported. These creditors — which hold debt maturing in 2028 and 2029 — are working with law firm Ashurst LLP and boutique French advisory firm Ceres Partners.
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Country Garden Holdings Co.’s sales slump continued in February, as new home transactions saw only a tepid recovery across China and homebuyers shifted to state builders, Bloomberg News reported. Contracted sales dropped 38% from a year earlier to 2.3 billion yuan ($317 million), following a 59% year-on-year drop in January, Bloomberg calculations based on corporate filings show. Sales were little changed from the previous month. China is trying to put a floor under the real estate meltdown amid weak domestic demand and a worsening job situation.
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U.S. President Donald Trump's new 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada took effect on Tuesday, along with a doubling of duties on Chinese goods to 20%, sparking trade wars that could slam economic growth and lift prices for Americans still smarting from years of high inflation, Reuters reported. The tariff actions, which look set to upend nearly $2.2 trillion in annual U.S. trade with its top three trading partners, went live at 12:01 a.m. (0501 GMT).
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday that his tariffs on Canadian imports were "a very dumb thing to do" and said Ottawa was striking back immediately at its closest ally, Reuters reported. Trudeau, who is stepping down at the end of the week, also accused Trump of wanting to ruin the Canadian economy. Trudeau, speaking hours after Trump launched a trade war against Mexico and Canada, announced immediate 25% tariffs on C$30 billion worth of U.S. imports. If need be, Canada will target another C$125 billion worth in 21 days' time, he said.
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The world economy could face a crash similar to the Great Depression of the 1930s unless the U.S. rows back on its plans to impose steep tariffs on imports, a senior official at the International Chamber of Commerce warned, the Wall Street Journal reported. “Our deep concern is that this could be the start of a downward spiral that puts us in 1930s trade-war territory,” said Andrew Wilson, deputy secretary-general of the ICC, which promotes global business and trade. High tariffs on foreign goods imported into the U.S. in that decade contributed to a damaging global recession.
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The eurozone’s job market continued to show resilience at the start of the year, defying signs of weakness in the economy that are of growing concern for policymakers at the European Central Bank, Bloomberg News reported. The number of unemployed workers in the 20-nation bloc fell by 42,000 in January, leaving the unemployment rate at the record low of 6.2% where it has been since October. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal expected a jobless rate of 6.3%.
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Germany should loosen constitutional borrowing limits to free up as much as €220 billion ($232 billion) of fiscal space through 2030 to boost infrastructure and military spending, according to the Bundesbank, Bloomberg News reported. In a report Tuesday discussing options for the country’s so-called debt brake, it recommends significantly higher ceilings of as much as 1.4% of gross domestic product for structural net borrowing — primarily to fund investment.
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Argentine President Javier Milei has signaled an imminent agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), aiming to secure fresh funding to stabilize the country’s fragile economy, the Rio Times reported. Speaking during his annual address to Congress, Milei framed the deal as essential for addressing Argentina’s chronic economic challenges, including inflation, currency restrictions, and fiscal imbalances. Milei’s government plans to use the IMF funds, estimated at $11 billion, to replenish the Central Bank’s depleted reserves and reduce Treasury debt owed to the Central Bank.
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Indian payments services firm AGS Transact Technologies said on Saturday that a creditor plans to initiate insolvency proceedings against the company for non-payment of dues, Reuters reported. Maxwel Aircon India Private Limited, an operational creditor of the company, has alleged default in repayments and sought an initiation of corporate insolvency in the National Company Law Tribunal, AGS Transact said in an exchange filing. Maxwel Aircon did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
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