China June new loans seen at 5-month high

New bank loans in China are expected to have picked up to a five-month high in June, a Reuters poll showed, as Beijing kept ample liquidity in the financial system to support the slowing economy and offset growing US trade pressure.
8 July 2019, 18:00 PM

The high-tech trade dispute rooted in Japan’s wartime history

JAPAN has tightened curbs on exports of high-tech materials used in smartphone displays and chips to South Korea, upping the ante in a decades-old dispute with Seoul over South Koreans forced to work for Japanese firms during World War Two.
8 July 2019, 18:00 PM

British Airways faces record $230m fine over data theft

BRITISH Airways-owner IAG is facing a record $230 million fine for the theft of data from 500,000 customers from its website last year under tough new data-protection rules policed by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
8 July 2019, 18:00 PM

Summer crop planting down 27pc in India

Indian farmers have planted 23.4 million hectares with summer crops, down 27 percent from this time a year ago, according to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, buffeted by patchy monsoon rains that slowed down sowing in the country.
8 July 2019, 18:00 PM

Fed easing could prompt first China rate cut in four years: analysts

China’s central bank could cut its benchmark policy rate for the first time in four years if the US Federal Reserve delivers a widely expected cut in late July, analysts say, as Chinese policymakers step up support for the slowing economy.
8 July 2019, 18:00 PM

Amazon could be a smart shopper in Southeast Asia

Amazon can afford to indulge in some Southeast Asian shopping. The US e-commerce titan pushed into Singapore in 2017 with two-hour deliveries, but has yet to tackle larger and faster-growing markets in the cutthroat region. Buying Sea’s Shopee arm would be a fast way to establish a presence.
8 July 2019, 18:00 PM

India aims to raise $2.18b by cutting stakes in 18 firms to 75pc

India’s government aims to raise up to 150 billion rupees ($2.18 billion) by reducing its stake in 18 state firms to 75 percent, a finance ministry official involved in the matter said on Monday, as it looks to boost revenues and rein in the fiscal deficit.
8 July 2019, 18:00 PM

Europe needs to find candidate to head IMF: France

European finance ministers need to find a compromise candidate to replace Christine Lagarde as the head of the International Monetary Fund, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Saturday.
6 July 2019, 18:00 PM

Indian gold discounts at three-year peak after import duty increase

Domestic gold prices in India jumped to a record on Friday following an unexpected increase in import duty in the country’s budget, hitting demand and forcing dealers to offer the highest discount in nearly three years.
6 July 2019, 18:00 PM

Joblessness in Canada ticks up to 5.5pc as more seek work:govt

The Canadian economy lost 2,200 jobs in June and the unemployment rate ticked up slightly to 5.5 percent as more people sought work, the government statistical agency reported on Friday.
6 July 2019, 18:00 PM

Falling demand abroad hits German industrial orders in May

German industrial companies sustained a sharp drop in incoming orders in May, largely as a result of falling demand from non-EU countries, data showed on Friday, raising fresh fears about the health of Europe’s biggest economy, analysts said.
6 July 2019, 18:00 PM

US clears SoftBank’s $2.25b investment in GM-backed Cruise

Cruise, a US self-driving vehicle company majority-owned by General Motors Co, told Reuters on Friday that a US national security panel approved a $2.25 billion investment in the firm by Japan’s SoftBank Corp.
6 July 2019, 18:00 PM

Sterling sinks to 2019 low after run of poor data, yield collapse

The British pound hit a six-month low on Friday, having lost more than 1% over the week against the dollar after poor economic data and a rise in expectations that the Bank of England will cut interest rates.
6 July 2019, 18:00 PM

Egypt hikes domestic fuel prices as it rounds off subsidy reform

Egypt introduced its latest round of fuel subsidy cuts on Friday, raising domestic prices by between 16 percent and 30 percent to bring them into line with their real cost, as it nears the end of an IMF-backed economic reform programme.
6 July 2019, 18:00 PM

Fed faces tougher task in deciding whether to cut US rates

US employers are hiring workers, but that is only making the Federal Reserve’s job harder.
6 July 2019, 18:00 PM

India’s cautious budget puts onus on central bank to spur growth

The Indian government’s annual budget statement on Friday included measures aimed at improving the investment climate but lacked any direct steps to stimulate a sagging economy, adding to pressure on the central bank to provide more immediate help.
6 July 2019, 18:00 PM

US-China trade officials aim to talk next week, officials say

US and Chinese officials are working to schedule a top-level trade talks by telephone next week but a face-to-face encounter has not been scheduled yet, US officials said Friday.
6 July 2019, 18:00 PM

UAE approves full foreign ownership of firms

The United Arab Emirates said Tuesday it had decided to lift a decades-old cap on foreign ownership and allow full foreign control of business ventures.
3 July 2019, 18:00 PM

India inspects garment factories after pills expose

Authorities in southern India have started inspecting garment factories and spinning mills after a Thomson Reuters Foundation investigation found workers were being given unlabelled pills for period pains to meet productivity targets.
3 July 2019, 18:00 PM

Vodafone joins EE in offering 5G in Britain

Vodafone on Wednesday launched its 5G service in the UK, but without smartphones from controversial Chinese technology giant Huawei.
3 July 2019, 18:00 PM