Latest News on private equity markets

Babcock International said on Wednesday Archie Bethel would be retiring as the British engineering firm's chief executive officer after being in the role for more than three years.

Vodafone will remove Huawei technology from the core of its European networks following Britain's decision to restrict the Chinese company's role in 5G and new EU guidelines on the firm's equipment, Chief Executive Nick Read said.

Oil prices jumped by more than 3% on Wednesday after reports that scientists have found an effective drug against China's fast-spreading coronavirus, which has hit the world's second-largest economy in recent weeks.

Qatar Airways is interested in increasing its stake in Chile's LATAM Airlines to 20%, its chief executive said on Wednesday.

Tobacco group Imperial Brands said it would not see any profit growth this year after tighter regulation in the United States, the world's biggest vaping market, has sapped demand.

Expectations of more central bank stimulus lifted world stocks to their highest in more than a week on Wednesday, helping investors look past a mounting coronavirus death toll and policymakers' concerns for the disease's economic impact.

Airbus has closed its final assembly plant in Tianjin, China, as a result of the coronavirus emergency, the planemaker said on Wednesday, adding it was monitoring for any signs of impact on deliveries.

Taiwan's Foxconn aims to gradually restart operations at factories in China next week but it could take one to two weeks from then to resume full production due to the coronavirus outbreak, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said.

China's eastern province of Zhejiang, the second worst-hit by the coronavirus epidemic, will push major exporters, listed companies and key manufacturers to be the first to return to work after the extended Lunar New Year holiday.

Donald Trump loves to trumpet the hot U.S. stock market as a key achievement of his presidency, and he was in full self-congratulatory mode on that front during Tuesday night's State of the Union address.

German engineering company Siemens , hit by a global slowdown in power and gas and among industrial customers, said on Wednesday it missed forecasts for first-quarter sales and profit in what its chief executive called a "slow start to the year".

Qatar Airways is in talks to buy a 49% stake in Africa's RwandAir, and is interested in doubling its holding in LATAM Airlines Group to 20%, its chief executive said on Wednesday.

Expectations of more central bank stimulus lifted world stocks to their highest in more than a week on Wednesday, helping investors look past a mounting coronavirus death toll and policymakers' concerns for the disease's economic impact.

HSBC is set to unveil a new round of job cuts targeting senior international managers and reduce its presence in some smaller markets as part of a wider strategy overhaul, people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The coronavirus epidemic will have a only a marginal impact on global travel demand and the airline industry is healthy enough to absorb any economic slowdown in China, the chief executive of British Airways parent IAG said on Wednesday.