1) Delta Airlines is expecting to spend up to $3.3 billion dollars on buyouts and early retirements in an effort to slash their labor cost. So far, 17,000 employees have signed up to leave the company because there is little in sight for the pandemic’s impact to end soon. The company is prohibited from laying off workers through 30 September under the terms of the $25 billion federal aid package met to support employee payroll. Delta has roughly 91,000 employees so this is a 19% reduction in their work force. The separation packages include cash severance, extended health care benefits and free flights. Other airlines are offering similar packages in an effort to reduce their work force.
2) Heritage Brands, an anchor of outlet malls across American, is closing all of its 162 stores starting next year. PVH Corp, which owns such brand names as Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, blames the closure on a combination of changing shopping habits of people and the Covid-19 pandemic. This will result in a 12% reduction in jobs or about 450 employees, saving the company $80 million dollars annually. The company had a 43% drop in revenue because of the impact of the coronavirus.
3) There are growing fears of an environmental disaster erupting in the Red Sea on the coast of Yeman. An abandoned oil tanker with 1.1 million barrels of crude oil, is beached on the coast of Yeman, with the potential to explode or rupture causing major environmental and humanitarian damage in the area. UN officials are trying to gain access to the ship to assess the tanker’s condition, conduct any possible urgent repairs and make recommendations for extraction of the oil, but the area is controlled by Houthi rebels. The danger is from sea water entering the ship’s interior causing rust and loss of structural integrity plus the inert gas that prevents the tanks from gathering inflammable gases has leaked out, so there is the threat of an explosion. To start with, an oil spill could result in 126,000 Yemeni fishermen losing their source of income.
4) Stock market closings for – 15 JUL 20:
Dow 26,870.10 up 227.51
Nasdaq 10,550.49 up 61.92
S&P 500 3,226.56 up 29.04
10 Year Yield: up at 0.63%
Oil: up at $41.04