German businesses more confident than ever

A closely-watched monthly survey of German business leaders hit its highest-ever level in October, the Ifo economic institute said Wednesday, pointing to continued strong performance for Europe's largest economy.
25 October 2017, 18:00 PM

British economy fractionally picks up speed in Q3

Britain's economy picked up speed ever so slightly in the third quarter, official data showed on Wednesday, strengthening expectations for an interest rate hike next month.
25 October 2017, 18:00 PM

Japan bank CEO quits over claims of $2.2b in bad loans

The head of a government-backed Japanese bank said Wednesday he would quit in response to an internal probe that found wide-ranging misconduct involving some $2.2 billion in shady loans.
25 October 2017, 18:00 PM

Apple acquires New Zealand wireless charging company

Apple, which recently said it was including wireless charging in its latest iPhone X and iPhone 8 smartphones, has acquired New Zealand firm PowerbyProxi that designs wireless power products for consumers and industry.
25 October 2017, 18:00 PM

Visa quarterly profit rises 11pc

Visa Inc, the world's largest payments network operator, reported an 11 percent increase in fourth-quarter profit on Wednesday, driven by its purchase of Visa Europe and as more people made payments using its network.
25 October 2017, 18:00 PM

Ex-HSBC executive found guilty of fraud in $3.5b currency trade

A US jury on Monday found a former HSBC executive guilty of defrauding Cairn Energy in a $3.5 billion currency trade in 2011.
25 October 2017, 18:00 PM

Sovereign wealth funds eye disruptive technologies,more co-investments

Sovereign wealth funds holding hundreds of billions of dollars are increasingly investing in private companies that disrupt businesses and doing more co-investments to generate better returns, Middle Eastern and Asian funds said on Wednesday.
25 October 2017, 18:00 PM

US durable goods orders gain pace in September

US manufacturers saw rising sales of major durable goods for the second straight month in September, boosted by orders for aircraft and
25 October 2017, 18:00 PM

Workers rights get Qatar nod as ILO poised to decide on abuse probe

Qatar has signed 36 worker protection agreements with countries that provide much of its labour force, state media reported on Wednesday, weeks before the International Labour Organisation is to decide whether to investigate it for worker abuse.
25 October 2017, 18:00 PM

Gold slips

Gold slipped on Wednesday as the dollar strengthened amid speculation that the next US Federal Reserve chief may be a policy hawk.
18 October 2017, 18:00 PM

Bidding war heats up for $5b second Amazon HQ

It's the prize of a lifetime -- a $5 billion investment creating 50,000 well-paid jobs that everyone wants, but only one US city will get.
18 October 2017, 18:00 PM

Hiring not part of Alibaba pledge to create US jobs

Alibaba executive vice chairman Joseph Tsai said Tuesday he expects to boost US jobs by expanding the Chinese firm's e-commerce platform -- not by hiring American workers.
18 October 2017, 18:00 PM

Xi says China will continue to open its economy, deepen financial reforms

China will deepen economic and financial reforms and further open its markets to foreign investors as it looks to move from high-speed to high-quality growth, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.
18 October 2017, 18:00 PM

Dollar edges up

The dollar edged higher on Wednesday, as markets awaited further news on the possible appointment of a hawk as Fed chair and progress on US tax reforms.
18 October 2017, 18:00 PM

Catalonia independence push sparks tourism slump

Catalonia's independence push is taking its toll on the region's tourism industry, with revenues and hotel bookings down since a banned October 1 secession referendum that was marred by violence.
18 October 2017, 18:00 PM

India's tightened consumer goods standards could hurt China imports

India is tightening quality controls for consumer and capital goods, officials say, a move that follows calls to curb cheap imports from China amid diplomatic tensions between the world's two most populous nations over their shared border.
18 October 2017, 18:00 PM

Pharma, medtech industries prepare for hard Brexit

Drugmakers and medical devices companies are drawing up plans to protect supply chains in case Britain crashes out of the European Union without a trade deal, and some small service businesses are already relocating to stay inside the bloc.
16 October 2017, 18:00 PM

Fiscal woes, Aramco IPO driving Saudi oil policy: analysts

Faced with dire economic straits due to low oil prices, Saudi Arabia is gearing up for deeper production cuts ahead of its massive Aramco share offering.
16 October 2017, 18:00 PM

Toyota to test self-driving, talking cars by about 2020

Toyota Motor Corp on Monday said it would begin testing self-driving electric cars around 2020, which will use artificial intelligence (AI) to engage with drivers, as the company competes with tech firms to develop new vehicles.
16 October 2017, 18:00 PM

Internet controls could harm companies, isolate China: German ambassador

China's internet restrictions have struck a "new blow" against foreign companies working there, Germany's ambassador said on Monday, warning that such moves could undermine Beijing's political and commercial ties with the world.
16 October 2017, 18:00 PM