Beijing’s real estate crackdown has sent shudders well beyond the sector. But US President Joe Biden may have China Inc covered. President Xi Jinping’s efforts to rein in property giants has left industrial companies in the lurch. Real estate accounts for a quarter of China’s economy and a big chunk of the global construction business. No one’s going to be ...

The world may be going crazy over digital currencies, but tiny Singapore is swimming against the tide. The central bank has decided against offering a paperless version of the city-state’s legal tender — at least for now. Not because an electronic version of cash may flop, but because it’ll most likely be a hit. That could have consequences for the ...

The nuclear fusion startup Helion, which announced that it has raised $500 million, says it has developed new technologies that may make nuclear fusion viable — practically, economically and environmentally. It is too early to tell if its claims will pan out, but there have been so many breakthroughs lately that they cannot be dismissed. The possibility of carbon-free energy ...

Up to World War II, the history of Alsace region along the Rhine used to be an example of everything that was wrong with Europe. Then it became a case study in everything that could go right in Europe — and potentially the world. Are we forgetting the Alsatian lesson and going back to the bad old world? That Alsatian ...

Bloomberg Vladimir Putin has a message for the US and its allies: Moscow won’t tolerate creeping expansion by their armed forces into Ukraine. That’s what he’s told German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other western officials who’ve called in recent days to warn him about what they say is a new accumulation of tanks and troops near the border with his ...

Bloomberg Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will run against his daughter Sara for the vice presidency in next year’s elections, ABS-CBN reported, citing Communications Secretary Martin Andanar. President Duterte plans to file his candidacy on Monday, the last day to finalise bids for the 2022 polls, Andanar was quoted by ABS-CBN as saying on Saturday. When contacted by Bloomberg, Andanar said ...

Bloomberg US consumer sentiment unexpectedly collapsed in early November as Americans grew increasingly concerned about rising prices and the inflationary impact on their finances. The University of Michigan’s preliminary sentiment index decreased to 66.8 from 71.7 in October, data released showed. The November figure trailed all projections in a Bloomberg survey of economists which called for an increase to 72.5. ...

Bloomberg The British Chambers of Commerce said 80% of UK businesses are feeling the effects of higher prices as well as shortages of goods and workers, a finding that adds to concerns about inflation. The lobby group said its survey of 1,000 companies showed 80% saw an increase in their prices in the past year and almost half said those ...

Bloomberg Apple Inc agreed to pay $29.9 million to employees at its stores who were forced to submit to security bag checks — off the clock — when they left work after or during their shifts. Lawyers for the workers asked a federal judge to approve settlement, which was reached after a protracted eight-year legal battle. Apple Store employees filed ...

Bloomberg Brazil’s largest independent hedge funds have grown wary of local assets after the nation moved to ease its fiscal rules, fuelling fears of a sharp increase in interest rates and a potential recession ahead. Firms including Itau Unibanco now predict Brazil’s economy will contract next year after policy makers raise the benchmark rate to over 11%, the highest since ...