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Bloomberg News reports that Brookfield and GIC are close to a binding offer for National Storage.
Bloomberg News, citing sources familiar with the situation, reported Sunday that Brookfield Asset Management (BAM) and Singapore's GIC were close to making a binding bid for National Storage REIT. The deal could value the Sydney listed company at around 4 billion Australian Dollars ($2.65 billion). The report stated that the parties were finalizing the details of the deal, which could be announced as early as Monday. Brookfield and GIC had also made good progress in their due diligence process on National Storage. The report states that the price for the binding offer will likely be the same in November as the conditional offer. Could not verify immediately the report. National Storage REIT announced last month that it received an A$4.02 Billion buyout offer by a consortium consisting of Brookfield, Singapore's GIC and other companies. This would have been the largest real estate privatisation in Australia. ($1 = 1,5067 Australian Dollars) (Reporting and editing by Andrea Ricci in Bengaluru)
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Canada's Air Transat suspends flights after pilots union strikes notice
Transat AT, a Canada-listed tour operator, announced on Sunday that Air Transat, Canada, will suspend its flights from December 8 to 9 after receiving a 72-hour notice of strike by ALPA, the union which represents the 700 pilots at the company. Air Transat's pilots may begin their strike as early at 3:00 am. Air Line Pilots Association said that the strike would begin at 3:00 AM ET on December 10. The Canadian leisure carrier deemed the strike announcement "premature", given the progress made at the bargaining tables. It said that it had offered compromises including a salary increase of 59% over five years, and improved working conditions. Bradley Small, Chair of the Air Transat Master Executive Council, said: "There's still time to avoid striking, but unless there are significant improvements at the bargaining tables, we may strike to get a modern contract." Transat AT reported that Air Transat was working with the union in order to avoid a strike, but it will stop all operations on December 9th to ensure passengers and crews are not left stranded. Transat AT Inc. offers Air Transat as a brand. Reporting by Abu Sultan in Bengaluru and Shivani Tana; editing by Andrea Ricci
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American Airlines asks for notices regarding the bankruptcy of Spirit Airlines
According to a court document, American Airlines has filed an appearance notice in the bankruptcy proceedings of Spirit Aviation and requested that all notices and documents be served going forward. Spirit filed for bankruptcy a second-time in August as it struggled to deal with its dwindling reserves of cash and increasing losses. The airline stated that it was looking at all possible options in its restructuring, including a merger and sale of the business. American Airlines filed a request in the Southern District Court of New York on December 5, requesting to receive all notices, including operating reports and plans of reorganization, as well as liquidation statements. Spirit and American didn't immediately respond to a comment request. Spirit Airlines has previously stated that they are considering all options to ensure the future of their airline. Spirit actively explores all possible opportunities. The merger or sale of Spirit could maximize value. Spirit stated in a SEC filing in October that the company was actively involved in discussions with several interested counterparties. The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year rejected a request from American Airlines to overturn a judicial ruling that found the company's scrapped U.S. Northeast Partnership with JetBlue Airways in violation of federal antitrust laws. JetBlue and United Airlines have partnered in a partnership since then. You can also Both airlines' websites allow travelers to book flights. Spirit Airlines urged the U.S. Transportation Department in June to reject the collaboration of United and JetBlue. Spirit Airlines said it was anti-competitive and that other large airlines would pursue similar deals. Reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York, editing by Andrea Ricci
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American Airlines asks for notices regarding the bankruptcy of Spirit Airlines
According to a court document, American Airlines has filed an appearance notice in the bankruptcy proceedings of Spirit Aviation and requested that all notices and documents be served going forward. Spirit filed for bankruptcy a second-time in August as it struggled to deal with its dwindling reserves of cash and increasing losses. The airline stated that it was looking at all possible options, including a merger and sale of the business. American Airlines filed a request in the Southern District Court of New York on December 5, requesting to receive all notices, including operating reports and plans of reorganization, as well as liquidation statements. Spirit and American didn't immediately respond to a comment request. Spirit Airlines has previously stated that they are considering all options to ensure the future of their airline. Spirit actively explores all possible opportunities. The merger or sale of Spirit could maximize value. Spirit stated in a SEC filing in October that it was actively in talks with several interested counterparties. (Reporting from Doyinsola Oladipo in New York, editing by Andrea Ricci.)
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Southwest Airlines fined $11 million by the US for holiday meltdown in 2022
The Trump Administration announced Saturday that it would waive a $11 million fine on Southwest Airlines, as part of the $140 million settlement for the airline's meltdown during a busy travel season in December 2022. Southwest Airlines in December 2023 will pay $35 million in cash and $90 million worth of travel vouchers for passengers who are delayed by at least 3 hours in reaching their final destination due to an airline issue or cancellation. This is because the airline handled the meltdown which stranded over 2 million passengers. In a written order, the U.S. Transportation Department cited Southwest Airlines' decision to invest more than $1 billion into its operations since the 2022 crash to improve performance and reliability as the reason for its decision to waive the remaining $11 millions of the fine due by January 31. Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Chizu nomiyama
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Merz and Macron to discuss fate FCAS fighter jet in the week of December 15, says industry source
A source in the industry said that the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and the French President Emmanuel Macron plan to discuss the fate the troubled Franco German fighter jet project FCAS – or SCAF – during the week of December 15. The Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a 100 billion-euro ($116-billion) project that was floated over eight years ago, is mired in disputes among the companies concerned about workshare and prized technologies. A source with knowledge of the project said earlier this week that the defence ministers from the participating countries, Germany, France, and Spain, will meet on the 11th to discuss it. The German government spokesperson refused to comment on the exact date but only said that the appointments made by the chancellor will be made public at the appropriate time. The French government did not respond to a request for comment. The French government was not immediately available for comment.
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Bloomberg News reports that Indian and US investigators will meet next week to discuss the Air India crash.
Bloomberg News reported that India would send investigators next week to the United States to review data collected on the fatal Air India crash in June, with the National Transportation Safety Board. The report cited people with knowledge of the situation as saying that Indian investigators planned to share their findings, which included any information they gleaned from cockpit voice and flight recorders. Could not verify immediately the report. The report stated that the meeting would take place at the NTSB headquarters in Washington D.C. Other parties, including Boeing representatives, will also be present. Boeing referred all comments to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. NTSB, India’s civil aviation ministry, and the AAIB didn't immediately respond to requests for comments. Shortly after takeoff, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner departing from Ahmedabad in India and heading to London began to lose thrust. The 242 passengers and 19 people on the ground were all killed, except for one. (Reporting and editing by Aidan Lewis, Aurora Ellis and Yazhini MV from Bengaluru)
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IAEA: Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant temporarily lost electricity overnight
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported on Saturday that Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant temporarily lost all of its off-site electricity overnight. It cited Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. Since March 2022 when Russian forces seized much of the southeast Ukraine, this nuclear plant - Europe's biggest - has been under Russian authority. The plant is currently not producing electricity, but it relies on external power in order to keep the material cool and prevent a meltdown. IAEA reported that the plant had been reconnected after a 30-minute outage to a power line of 330 kilovolts (kV). The Russian-installed plant management said that the 750 kV power line, which was also previously disconnected, was now back in operation. Stable power supply was restored, they added. The management stated that radiation levels were normal. IAEA said that widespread military activities over night affected Ukraine's power grid, and caused operating nuclear power plants to reduce their output. Reporting by Gnaneshwarrajan and Yazhini MV in Bengaluru, Editing by Aidan Lewis & Bernadettebaum
Tariff turmoil subsides, allowing industrial giants to regain their footing
This year, industrial companies have experienced a rollercoaster ride as they have tried to adjust their trade policies to those of U.S. president Donald Trump. But this quarter, executives have suggested that confusion is receding, as the corporations have now had more time to adjust higher tariffs on U.S. imported foreign goods.
In contrast to the first half, heavy machinery, engine manufacturers and construction firms, which reflect the "real" economy, have been able to navigate the current environment by reducing costs and increasing prices in order offset the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Executives say that while there are many concerns for the coming quarters, they no longer feel as unpredictable.
Michael Larsen said, "Certainly from a cost perspective and perhaps from a supply standpoint, tariffs are not the kind of main event here" on an analyst call following the results last week.
According to an analysis of companies that reported between October 16th and October 31st, the estimated total hit to the global company's bottom line is about $7 billion. However, the markets are only halfway through the earnings season. This figure was between $16.2 billion and $17.9billion in the second quarter.
SOLID REVENUES GROWTH
LSEG data shows that U.S. Industrial companies are currently reporting the best revenue growth year-over-year since the first quarter 2023, at 6.3%.
Caterpillar, a manufacturer of heavy equipment, estimated that tariffs could cost it between $1.5 and $1.8 billion by 2025. After reporting a good quarter and a 12% rise in its shares, Caterpillar's results on October 29 narrowed this range to $1.6 to $1.75 Billion.
Joshua Schachter is the chief investment officer of Easterly Asset Management. He said that industrial companies, in general, are managing the uncertainty and changes to the tariff landscape pretty well.
UPS and FedEx, two of the world's largest logistics companies, have cut costs in order to compensate for the loss of duty-free status on low-value ecommerce shipments. UPS, however, has also drastically cut its payroll, dumping 48,000 jobs due to the continued pressures on its business in this year.
Analysts are concerned that the poor outlook for lower- and mid-income earners, which has affected consumer companies such as Newell, will spread to other sectors of the economy. The Trump administration also reached agreements with many nations to set import taxes between 15% and 20 % for some, after an earlier pause that left them at 10 %. This effect is not yet fully felt.
Angela Santos is a partner at ArentFox Schiff and the leader of the customs practice group. "We are only in October, and the reciprocal tariff increases started in August. So it hasn't taken that long."
EUROPEAN COMPANIES STILL FEELING THE HEAT
The high tariffs have made it harder for some European companies who rely on U.S. exports. Importers in the U.S. are less likely than ever to purchase their products.
SKF, a Swedish manufacturer of bearings considered a barometer for global manufacturing, anticipates a weak demand in the short term as customers are still hesitant because of tariffs and uncertainties. "If we get a little more calm and stable, I think that we will see the demand return," SKF's CEO Rickard Gstafson said on Wednesday.
HIAB, a Swedish manufacturer of construction equipment, said that since mid-February orders had been slowing due to trade tensions.
VDMA (German Engineering Federation), which represents 3,600 companies in the machinery and plant engineering sector, warned that new tariffs could affect more than half of German exports and European machinery if Washington adds more products to its list of steel and aluminum levies. Volkswagen and other European car manufacturers have been particularly hard hit, with Volkswagen reporting a $5.8 Billion tariff in its latest results.
Yale's Budget Lab has been tracking U.S. trade policy and says that the effective tariff rate was 18% at mid-October. This is the highest it has ever been in over 90 years.
On November 1, the Trump Administration will begin imposing new tariffs of 25% on imports of medium and heavy duty trucks, including 18-wheelers and dump trucks. A 10% tariff is also being imposed on buses imported from abroad.
Don Marleau said that the full impact of tariffs will not be felt until industrial companies go through their inventory.
In many cases, we haven't yet seen higher tariff costs. "We have higher estimates of tariff costs."
(source: Reuters)