The daily business briefing: August 4, 2016
Bank of England cuts key interest rate to ease Brexit fallout, Tesla reports another quarterly loss, and more
1. BOE cuts interest rate for first time in seven years
The Bank of England announced Thursday that it would cut its key interest rate by a quarter point to a record low 0.25 percent — the first reduction in more than seven years — as it tries to counter fallout from the U.K.'s June vote to exit the European Union. The bank's governor, Mark Carney, said the U.K. "can handle change" and use monetary policy to ease any Brexit-induced slowdown. BOE officials also said they had room to cut rates closer to zero if necessary. The BOE also slashed its growth forecast, and said its stimulus plan would also include lending up to 100 billion pounds ($132 billion) to banks.
2. Tesla reports larger-than-expected quarterly loss
Tesla Motors on Wednesday reported a quarterly loss that was bigger than expected, but said it remained on track to deliver about 50,000 Model S and Model X vehicles in the second half of the year. Tesla's losses stemmed largely from increased spending on its vehicle and battery factories. Tesla shares held steady after the report, which came days after the electric car maker announced it was buying solar-panel maker SolarCity in a bid to create one-stop shopping for clean energy consumers.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
3. Fed fines Goldman Sachs $36 million over leak
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday fined Goldman Sachs $36 million over a 2014 leak of confidential government information. A junior Goldman banker, since fired, received information from a New York Fed employee. Both of the men pleaded guilty to stealing government property, and Goldman already has paid a $50 million penalty to New York state regulators over its failure to properly supervise the employee. Goldman uncovered the leak.
4. Time Warner agrees to buy 10 percent Hulu stake
Time Warner said Wednesday that it would buy a 10 percent stake in Hulu for $583 million, accelerating its push into on-demand video. The cable giant will be the fourth major company to invest in the streaming video company, an early online service aiming to deliver TV shows and movies to customers with shifting viewing habits. Current investors Walt Disney Co., Comcast's NBCUniversal, and 21st Century Fox each will hold onto a 30 percent stake.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
5. Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City to close next month
The owners of the Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City said Wednesday that they planned to close the resort after Labor Day because of a strike. The news came a day before the 34-day walkout by Local 54 of the Unite-HERE union was to become the longest strike of the seaside New Jersey town's 38-year-old casino era. Billionaire real estate mogul and now Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump opened the casino in 1990, but it now belongs to investor Carl Icahn.
Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
-
Political cartoons for October 27Cartoons Monday's political cartoons include improving national monuments, the NBA gambling scandal, and the AI energy vampire
-
Donald Trump’s week in Asia: can he shift power away from China?Today's Big Question US president’s whirlwind week of diplomacy aims to bolster economic ties and de-escalate trade war with China
-
The Icelandic women’s strike 50 years onIn The Spotlight The nation is ‘still no paradise’ for women, say campaigners
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
