Boeing doesn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. A cluster of clues suggests that the B737 of Ukraine Airlines that crashed at the beginning of the week not far from Tehran was shot down by an Iranian missile, even though the country denies it. This would put Boeing off the hook, while the manufacturer is once again burdened by internal documents made public, showing a flagrant lack of control in the development of the B737MAX. These documents contain, in particular, messages between employees, some of which, particularly forceful, are quoted by press agencies, such as the one stating that the aircraft (the B737MAX) 'is designed by buffoons, who, in turn, are supervised by monkeys'. These records were handed over to Congress, which disclosed certain elements.

7 A320 per month. Airbus will increase the monthly production rate of A320 family aircraft at its US plant in Mobile from 6 to 7 by 2021. In Alabama, the European manufacturer is currently only producing single-aisle aircraft. The project will create approximately 275 jobs and build a new $40 million hangar. It will contribute to Airbus' worldwide objective of producing 63 single-aisle aircraft per week as of 2021, on routes in Europe, the United States and China.

Eli Lilly makes a new acquisition.  The pharmaceutical group Eli Lilly has announced the acquisition of Dermira, a specialist in dermatology, for approximately $1.1 billion in cash.

Grubhub denies. The Fresh food delivery start-up Grubhub said it is not considering any plans to divest, following press reports that it was of interest to Walmart and several other retail groups.

Ads on streaming platforms. Amazon.com is looking to sell ads on third-party streaming platforms after developing a service dedicated to Fire TV, the in-house platform.

Refinery to be disposed of. Royal Dutch Shell is reportedly looking for a buyer for its Anacortes refinery in the north-western United States (Washington State). Reuters obtained this information from knowledgeable sources. The refinery, with a capacity of 144,000 barrels/day, could be part of the oil giant's divestment plan, which is expected to cost $5 billion over 2019 and 2020.

In other news. Banca Monte dei Paschi will write down €1.2 billion on the value of its deferred tax assets. US physical distribution is suffering: J. C. Penney, Kohl's and L Brands all announced disappointing figures. SGS sells a US subsidiary. Basilea publishes its accounts. Van Lanschot Kempen takes € 35 M depreciation in its 2019 accounts. Cosmo Pharmaceuticals takes 14.1% of Acacia Pharma as part of an agreement on ByFavo.