Consider, if you will, a scenario where Foxconn Technology Group enjoys margins three times fatter than Apple Inc. That may be hard to imagine because the developer of iPhones is one of the largest companies in the world, earning close to $100 billion annually, while the one that makes those devices brings in 5% of that. But this was once ...
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Rajapaksa heartland is even broken in Sri Lanka
The road to Hambantota may be paved with Chinese money, but its value is up for debate — now more than ever. Set among the soft, green rice paddies and coconut palms of Sri Lanka’s deep south, Hambantota is best known as the stronghold of the nation’s Rajapaksa clan, who have spent years using borrowed money to build monuments to ...
Read More »Central bankers find it tough to tackle inflation
The Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England all preside over inflation rates that have surged to quadruple their 2% targets. One of their brethren is highly skeptical of their chances of success in calming price increases. It may turn out that they’ve been lucky rather than good in achieving price stability in recent ...
Read More »India eyes low green hydrogen costs to spur clean energy use
Bloomberg India plans to slash the production costs of green hydrogen to $1 a kilogram from $5-$6 currently to encourage industries to use cleaner energy and wants access to cheaper loans to help fund that transition, a senior government official said. The world’s third-largest carbon emitter put out a roadmap in February to become a hub for the production ...
Read More »Lifting tariffs on goods may make sense: Gina Raimondo
Bloomberg President Joe Biden’s commerce chief said it “may make sense†to lift tariffs on some goods as a way to tame the hottest inflation in almost four decades. “Steel and aluminum — we’ve decided to keep some of those tariffs because we need to protect American workers and we need to protect our steel industry; it’s a matter ...
Read More »Apple supplier BYD aims to make tablets in Vietnam this month
Bloomberg Apple Inc supplier BYD plans to begin commercial production of iPads this month in northern Vietnam after a trial run started in May, according to a provincial government official. The production of the tablets is a boost for a country expected to benefit as electronics manufacturers seek alternatives to China. “The factory has been running a trial phase since ...
Read More »Carro buys stake in Indonesia’s MPM Rent
Bloomberg Carro, one of Southeast Asia’s biggest online marketplaces for used cars, has agreed to buy a 50% stake in Indonesian automotive financing and rental company MPM Rent for S$75 million ($54.5 million) to expand in the world’s fourth most populous country. The deal will lead to a strategic partnership between Carro and PT Mitra Pinasthika Mustika Tbk, which ...
Read More »Good monsoon outlook in India tempers ‘export curb’ fears
Bloomberg Ample rice reserves in India, the world’s biggest exporter of the food staple, and expectations for bountiful monsoon rains should allay concerns about the possibility of any “drastic†measures to curb exports, according to National Commodities Management Services Ltd. Global markets are fretting that rice may be next on the agenda after India restricted wheat and sugar exports. ...
Read More »Rajapaksa vows to finish term, not to stand for re-election
Bloomberg President Gotabaya Rajapaksa vowed to finish the remaining two years in his term despite monthslong street protests calling for his ouster, but won’t stand for re-election as he focuses on fixing a financial mess that tipped Sri Lanka into its worst-ever economic crisis. “I can’t go as a failed president,†Rajapaksa said in a wide-ranging interview at his ...
Read More »Johnson faces UK Tory leadership vote as party anger boils over
Bloomberg Boris Johnson will face a leadership vote in his ruling Conservative Party, after a series of missteps and scandals became too much for scores of Tory Members of Parliament. Senior Conservative MP Graham Brady said the threshold of at least 54 MPs — 15% of the Conservative total — has been met to trigger a confidence vote in Johnson, ...
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