News that BlackRock Inc. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. are in talks for various types of cooperation is the kind of positive development both companies need. BlackRock is looking for ways to make its investment and portfolio-modeling tools available to the Chinese market, Bloomberg News and the Wall Street Journal reported. They may also codevelop a financial software system similar to ...
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Troubles at the ECB aren’t Draghi’s fault
Given the news of grumbling among members of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) Governing Council and the resignation of a board member, it seems Mario Draghi’s last month as president might be marred by internal policy divisions. This would be a sad misunderstanding. Sad because Draghi’s legacy should be centered on his courageous action to save the euro zone, and ...
Read More »The world’s next factory won’t be in South Asia
Vietnam seems to be the consensus pick for winner of the US-China trade war, as Chinese and other manufacturers shift production to the cheaper Southeast Asian nation. If there’s a loser, at least in terms of missed opportunities, it may be the countries of South Asia. To understand why, remember that the trade war has only accelerated an important trend ...
Read More »Investors really love phone gimmicks
Gadget makers from Apple Inc. to Huawei Technologies Co. are turning to gimmicks like multi-lens cameras, folding screens, 5G connectivity and virtual-reality displays to juice sales amid a general upgrade apathy in the smartphone market. I’m among those skeptical that these new specs will do a lot to make devices fly off the shelves. Investors in Asia, however, seem pretty ...
Read More »Central banks don’t need their own digital currencies
Whether central banks should issue their own digital currencies may sound like an arcane debate. But allowing them to do so could have a profound impact on a nation’s economic and financial landscape — and not for the better. Various proposals are works in progress, but share one basic feature: Central banks would issue electronic deposits. These deposits would be ...
Read More »US stocks slide amid trade tensions, Treasuries gain
Bloomberg US equity-index futures extended a retreat alongside European stocks on Tuesday as investor optimism over looming trade talks was knocked by news the White House is moving towards possible restrictions on capital flows into China. Treasuries and gold advanced. Contracts for the three major US gauges had gained earlier, but they reversed after China said it strongly opposed an ...
Read More »Chinese stocks rise as trade resumes
Bloomberg Chinese stocks rose as they traded for the first time in a week, with investors focusing on the upcoming trade talks with the US. The CSI 300 Index closed up 0.6%. Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co and Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co halted trading after they were placed on a US blacklist along with six other Chinese technology firms. Hong ...
Read More »Southwest pilots sue Boeing on ‘rush’ to sell unsafe Max
Bloomberg The union for Southwest Airlines Co pilots sued Boeing Co, saying the manufacturer rushed output of the 737 Max jet to stay competitive, withholding key information about a feature that contributed to two fatal crashes within five months. “Boeing made a calculated decision to rush a re-engined aircraft to market to secure its single-aisle market share and prioritise its ...
Read More »Clicks surges most after defying tough S African market
Bloomberg Clicks Group Ltd surged the most in 11 years in Johannesburg trading after the retailer said its full-year earnings would rise as much as 18%, despite the tough conditions confronting South African consumers. Clicks rose as much as 13%, the most since October 2008 to the highest since the shares started trading in March 1996. Profits have been boosted ...
Read More »EasyJet says profit at top end of forecasts
Bloomberg EasyJet Plc said earnings for the year through September were toward the top end of its forecasts, helped by strikes at British Airways and Ryanair Holdings Plc. The unrest at EasyJet’s biggest rivals spurred demand and sent revenue per seat, a proxy for fares, up 0.8% in the second half despite earlier predictions of a slide, the Luton, England-based ...
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