1) British Steel, Britain’s second biggest steel maker, collapsed on Wednesday. This leaves 5,000 jobs directly at risk, while also threatening another 20,000 at suppliers. The company had been seeking a $95 million dollar loan to cover losses suffered because of European orders lost from the uncertainty of Brexit. European steel manufactures have been under pressure from Chinese steel manufactures, with Europe taking antidumping measures against China.
2) The collapse of airline Wow Air is having a detrimental effect on Iceland’s economy. The airline had turn tourism into Iceland’s major economic boom which pulled Iceland out of its financial collapse over a decade ago. In addition, Iceland has suffered a disastrous fishing season. With Wow Air out of business, tourism is expected to drop dramatically.
3) The Dollar General store chain is making its millions of profit via catering to those in the lower economic strata. About 57% of Dollar General’s customers come from households of less than $49,000 yearly income, with 30% less than $25,000. The company has been able to sidestep the recent meltdown of retailing that has ravaged other big retailers, despite having a minimum of e-commerce.
4) 22 MAY 19 Stock market closings:
Dow 25,776.61 down 100.72
Nasdaq 7,750.84 down 34.88
S&P 500 2,856.27 down 8.09
10 Year Yield: down at 2.39%
Oil: down at $61.32