Markets plunge despite coordinated action by central banks

Sharp losses recorded after US interest rate cut, as Bank of England hints at further support to combat turmoil

The FTSE 100 fell below 5,000 points on Monday and trading on Wall Street was suspended for the third time in a week as markets were gripped by mounting concerns over the threat of a global recession, despite a coordinated effort by central banks to protect growth and jobs.

In an escalation of the worst turmoil since the 2008 financial crisis, stock markets suffered further sharp losses on Monday despite dramatic action taken by the US central bank late on Sunday in an attempt to limit the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Airlines make dramatic cuts to services and call for state bailouts

Aviation consultancy warns that international industry could collapse within months


Major airlines including British Airways, Ryanair, easyJet and Virgin Atlantic announced a dramatic scaling-back of their operations on Monday, including plans to cancel the majority of their flights and ground thousands of planes, with experts and industry executives calling for government bailouts to avoid bankruptcies.

The moves came as an aviation consultancy warned that the international airline industry will collapse within months, with the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs, unless states worldwide inject billions of dollars of emergency funding to see it through the coronavirus “catastrophe”.

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British Airways slumps to near bottom in passenger survey

Which? finds BA ranks badly for both long and short haul, but Ryanair still props up table

British Airways has taken a nosedive in UK passengers’ opinions and is now rated just above Ryanair at the bottom end of the airline rankings.

The flag carrier was among the worst rated for food, seat comfort and value for money on both short and long-haul services in the annual Which? poll.

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Boeing Max 737: airlines delay plane’s return until November

Southwest, American and United Airlines all put back return date for troubled jet

The swift return of Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft to the skies was put further in doubt this week with airlines signalling that they do not hope to operate the plane any time soon.

With more than four months already elapsed since the plane was grounded by regulators, Southwest and American, two of the jet’s main US operators, followed United Airlines in saying they would be taking the Max out of their schedules until November.

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UK wage growth hits 11-year high as self-employment total surges – business live

British worker are getting the biggest pay rises in a decade, as jobless rate remains at 44-year low. But the market may be cooling....

New @ONS stats show that:

- the employment level is at a record high
- there are 3.7m more people in work than in 2010
- wages have grown faster than inflation for almost a year
- female unemployment has fallen to a new record low of 3.6% pic.twitter.com/V9C5NMXW9l

Andy Bruce of Reuters has also spotted that rising self-employment is making up for a drop in the number of employed workers.

Cause for concern?

That there was any employment growth at all in 3 months to May is down to a hefty increase in self-employment.

Employee jobs declined at fastest rate since 2011. pic.twitter.com/cg05f02Az2

Along these lines, looks clear that vacancies have peaked already. pic.twitter.com/t06diHVMRn

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Ryanair to cut flights due to Boeing 737 Max crisis

Budget airline says it plans to close some bases and will carry fewer passengers

Ryanair has warned delays to deliveries of Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft will reduce passenger numbers next year and it plans to downsize or close bases at some airports as a result.

Europe’s biggest budget carrier has ordered 135 of the 737 Max models, which remain grounded after two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed a total of 346 people. Boeing has yet to convince regulators that software modifications are sufficient to ensure the plane’s safety.

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Boeing 737 Max ordered by Ryanair undergoes name change

Decision fuels speculation that troubled plane will be rebranded once it is given all clear to fly

A Boeing 737 Max due to be delivered to Ryanair has had the name Max dropped from the livery, further fuelling speculation that the manufacturer and airlines will seek to rebrand the troubled plane once it is given the all clear to fly again.

Photos have emerged of a 737 Max in Ryanair colours outside Boeing’s manufacturing hub, with the designation 737-8200 – instead of 737 Max – on the nose. The 737-8200 is a type name for the aircraft that is used by aviation agencies.

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Ryanair racist tirade: man avoids UK charges as plane was in Spain

Essex police conclude their inquiry into incident that was filmed and put on social media

The man who launched a tirade of racist abuse at a 77-year-old woman on a Ryanair flight last October has avoided charges in the UK after the Crown Prosecution Service said the offence took place under Spanish jurisdiction.

David Mesher, from Yardley Wood, Birmingham, was filmed by fellow passengers calling Delsie Gayle an “ugly black bastard” and told her “don’t speak to me in a foreign language, you stupid ugly cow” on a stationary plane at Barcelona airport on 19 October.

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