Walmart, Google partner to compete against Amazon

Strong eurozone data drags pound to fresh eight-year low against the euro; ad giant WPP weighs on FTSE 100

Pound's eight-year low against euro in focus; eurozone PMI figures come in stronger than expected but ECB president Mario Draghi gives nothing away at a speech in Germany FTSE 100 stuck in flat territory with advertising giant WPP falling furthest after cutting its sales growth guidance Donald Trump's threat to end the North American Free Trade Agreement puts the brakes on rising risk appetite 3:40PM Mixed set of US data shows house market slowing but sharp rise in business activity Overall private sector activity grew at its fastest rate since May 2015 The US private sector experienced a sharp increase in business activity in August despite a slowdown in the manufacturing industry, IHS Markit's composite PMI survey showed this afternoon. A sharp uptick in the services figure helped buoy the overall figure to 56.9 in August from 54.7 the previous month, the fastest growth of overall activity since May 2015. IHS Markit's director Rob Dobson said this on the latest figures: "The US economic growth story remained a tale of two sectors in August. The overall rate of expansion accelerated to a 27-month record, driven higher by strong and improved growth of business activity in the vast services economy. "In contrast, the performance of manufacturing remained sluggish in comparison, with production volumes rising to the weakest extent in over a year. “Nonetheless, the acceleration signalled for the economy as a whole suggests that GDP growth is still gaining momentum during the third quarter." Meanwhile in the other major economics release, new house sales in the US stuttered in July, dipping far below expectations. While economists expected sales to drop to 610,000, the figures showed a sharper slowdown at 571,000 sales, a 9.4pc retreat from June's number. The data hasn't done much for the pound's performance against the dollar ...Read the rest of this story

Lufthansa eyes Air Berlin’s Niki as bidders jostle for position

Lufthansa eyes Air Berlin's Niki as bidders jostle for position

FRANKFURT/BERLIN (Reuters) - Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) has submitted a letter of interest in Air Berlin's Niki unit and other parts of the insolvent carrier, a source familiar with the talks said on Wednesday. Air Berlin, which is being kept in the air thanks to a 150 million euro ($177 million) government loan, has been in talks with interested parties since last week, when it filed for insolvency after major shareholder, Gulf carrier Etihad, said it would no longer provide funding. Part of Air Berlin's appeal to bidders lies in its access to take-off and landing slots at airports such as Duesseldorf, in Germany's most populous region.


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