- Rivals rip Trump but promise support if he is the nominee (Reuters)
- Employment gains seen accelerating in February (Reuters)
- Brazil’s Lula Targeted in Police Raid Into Corruption Scandal (BBG)
- Economist: For The ECB, It’s No Longer About Oil (BBG)
- China’s premier says economy faces greater difficulties in 2016 (Reuters)
- Copper Stockpiles in China Surge to Record as Metal Flows East (BBG)
- Turkish court jails two Syrians over drowning of toddler Aylan (Reuters)
- Inside China’s Plan for a Military That Can Counter U.S. Muscle (BBG)
- China Begins to Tackle Its ‘Zombie’ Factory Problem (WSJ)
- Facing record oversupply, U.S. oil looks for a home in Europe (Reuters)
- Bank of America revs up auto loans business despite warning signs (Reuters)
- Why Wall Street’s Iconic Steakhouses Are Empty (BBG)
- Edmond de Rothschild in Geneva Targeted by French Criminal Probe (BBG)
- Drone Buzzes Passenger Plane On Paris Approach (WSJ)
- China Tries Its Hand at Pre-Crime (BBG)
Overnight Media Digest
WSJ
– AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc agreed to buy Carmike Cinemas Inc in a cash deal that would make a Chinese-owned company the largest movie-theater operator in the U.S.(http://on.wsj.com/1QvRIaO)
– Mutual funds that helped fuel the technology boom are cutting the value of their startup investments at an accelerating pace and making fewer new investments.(http://on.wsj.com/1oT2qB5)
– Even if the Justice Department loses its legal showdown with Apple Inc over access to a killer’s iPhone, the government might still be able to extract the data locked away inside it, computer-security experts say. But it would be risky, expensive and time-consuming. (http://on.wsj.com/21Lf17E)
– The White House is reviewing potential Supreme Court nominees who not only have received past Republican support, but also have ties with top GOP lawmakers. (http://on.wsj.com/1QWUcVm)
FT
Former Barclays Plc chief executive Bob Diamond had preliminary talks with global investors to back a takeover bid for the bank’s African assets.
The French subsidiary of UBS is under investigation for alleged witness tampering, the bank said on Thursday.
French furniture and interior decoration company Maisons du Monde hired banks with an idea of listing
NYT
– Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft and a parade of other technology companies filed a barrage of court briefs on Thursday, aiming to puncture the United States government’s legal arguments against Apple in a case that will test the limits of the authorities’ access to personal data.(http://nyti.ms/1RsxdeZ)
– Boeing has been invited to talks with Iranian officials about modernizing Iran’s aged commercial aircraft fleet, the country’s transport minister said Thursday, in what could be a precursor to the biggest business arrangement with an American company after more than three decades of estrangement.(http://nyti.ms/1UDv9pW)
– With Brazil’s economy tumbling and her campaign strategist jailed, President Dilma Rousseff now confronts a report that a senator from her party will accuse her in a plea deal. (http://nyti.ms/1SmRp6W)
– In a significant consolidation of movie theater holdings, AMC Entertainment will acquire Carmike Cinemas for about $737 million in cash, forming the country’s largest chain with more than 600 theaters, the companies said on Thursday.(http://nyti.ms/1Qv04D2)
Canada
THE GLOBE AND MAIL
** Lobbying Commissioner Karen Shepherd is looking into former Quebec premier Jean Charest’s activities in favour of the Energy East pipeline, including an offer to the Prime Minister’s Office to organize a meeting with officials from TransCanada Corp (http://bit.ly/1nkPnXT)
** Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won agreement from the premiers on a broad strategy to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and build Canada’s clean economy, but could not gather enough support for a national minimum carbon price. (http://bit.ly/1nkPxyB)
NATIONAL POST
** Despite signs of life in oil prices, companies in Calgary continue to retrench, cutting jobs, shutting in production and scaling back spending plans. Repsol Oil and Gas Canada Inc, the company formally known as Talisman Energy, said it would lay off 10 percent to 15 percent of its staff over the course of the week, but would not give a specific number. (http://bit.ly/1nkOQ8j)
** Crowley Holdings Inc, an Alaskan company engaged in distributing liquefied natural gas, has applied for an export permit to the National Energy Board, adding to the growing list of companies seeking to ship surplus Canadian natural gas to energy-hungry markets. (http://bit.ly/1nkP6nZ)
Britain
The Times
The average price of a home in Britain rose 4.8 percent in February compared with the same period last year, rising to £196,930, according to the mortgage lender Nationwide. (http://thetim.es/1VTVdeV)
Britain’s financial regulator has launched an investigation into six life insurers after concluding a review into the treatment of long-standing customers. (http://thetim.es/1ppAy88)
The Guardian
The UK is set for another year of record low interest rates, economists have predicted, following news that the dominant services sector suffered a sharp slowdown last month. (http://bit.ly/1LCc719)
Britain’s National Grid has warned the government that attempts to take over its role in preventing blackouts would bring further uncertainty and be of little benefit to consumers. (http://bit.ly/1QvLEiu)
The Telegraph
BHS has appealed to creditors for permission to enter a form of insolvency that could lead to the closure of dozens of stores and the loss of hundreds of jobs, as the High Street stalwart fights for survival. (http://bit.ly/1OURY15)
Some banks are recklessly offering large loans without paying sufficient attention to the borrower’s ability to make repayments if interest rates go up and house prices wobble, according to the boss of Shawbrook Bank. (http://bit.ly/1RJK5jF)
Sky News
Sacked steelworkers have been awarded a share of 6.25 million stg, following the collapse of the SSI plant on Teesside last year. (http://bit.ly/1QWu9gV)
Britain’s biggest employers’ group, CBI, has warned the Treasury that pension tax reforms being considered by Finance Minister George Osborne would simply create a huge future burden on the public finances. (http://bit.ly/1L6zxf3)
The Independent
Wolfgang Schaeuble, the German finance minister, has said he would cry if Britain votes to leave the EU in the referendum on June 23. (http://ind.pn/1oS41a8)
via Zero Hedge http://ift.tt/1Tv6OUh Tyler Durden