Rennes, France /Â AFP A surge in milk production since the EU lifted milk quotas has skimmed profits for dairy farmers, leaving them sour as authorities struggle to get to grips with the crisis. Last year the European Union finally got rid of its three-decade old milk production quotas that it had imposed to eliminate the milk lakes and butter ...
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Japan Inc. gets Brexit bargain on $23bn outstanding deals
Tokyo / Bloomberg Japanese companies, which have embarked on a $210 billion global acquisition spree over the past three years, are getting a surprise bargain out of Brexit. The yen soared to the highest in more than two years, boosting local firms’ purchasing power for deals abroad and potentially saving them hundreds of millions of dollars on purchases they’ve ...
Read More »China tightens internet rules
Beijing / Bloomberg Chinese authorities will require Baidu Inc. and other search engines to report banned content and verify advertisers’ qualifications in its latest attempt at Internet regulation. Under rules to take effect Aug. 1, search engines operating in the country will be prohibited from providing banned information in various formats including links, summaries, cached pages, associative words, related ...
Read More »Thailand exports slump 4.4% in May
Bangkok / Tribune News Servicve Thai exports slipped for a second straight month in May, with the low value attributed to a slowdown in the global economy and low prices for farm products and oil. The Commerce Ministry said that exports fell 4.4% year-on-year in May to US$17.6 billion, with imports edging up 0.5% last month to $16 billion. ...
Read More »Climate protesters kayak to Oz PM’s harbourside home
Sydney / AFP A group of kayakers paddled to a tiny beach outside the Australian prime minister’s Sydney harbourside home on Saturday to call for action on climate change ahead of next weekend’s election. Protester Joseph Sikulu said he felt that the issue had dropped off the agenda ahead of the July 2 polls in which conservative Prime Minister ...
Read More »PBOC to study Alibaba’s shadow banking activities
Shanghai / Bloomberg China’s central bank will study shadow banking activities at Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. as it tries to ensure a fair environment exists for competition in the industry, Governor Zhou Xiaochuan said. Alibaba engages in activities that fall under the Financial Stability Board’s definition of shadow banking and are subject to different capital requirements than traditional banks, ...
Read More »Business cautions costly divorce for UK PLC
Bloomberg As executives digest the news of the U.K.’s vote to leave the European Union, they’re cautioning that business will suffer — affecting everything from beach vacations to wristwatch ads to initial public offerings of stocks. Companies exposed to the U.K. economy warned that the decision could slow growth and prompt them to cut their investments in the country, and ...
Read More »Pound traders regroup after EU vote almost no one envisioned
BLOOMBERG The pound just had its worst day ever, and few analysts expect the U.K. currency to recover all of the losses that sent it to its lowest level since 1985 — at least, not in the foreseeable future. BNP Paribas SA, one of the biggest sterling bulls before Britain voted to leave the European Union, cut its third-quarter ...
Read More »Spanish bonds set for volatility with repeat election looming
Bloomberg Spanish government bonds may see more volatility next week after voters go to the polls on Sunday to try to break a six-month political deadlock over who will govern the euro region’s fourth-largest economy. The nation’s securities plunged on Friday, with the 10-year yield jumping the most this year, after Britain voted to quit the EU. Riskier assets ...
Read More »EU farmers brace for trade fallout in wake of Brexit
Bloomberg The U.K.’s decision to walk away from the EU may throw billions of pounds worth of agriculture trade into question as politicians prepare for a lengthy wrangle over future policy. The EU is the biggest customer for U.K. food and drink exports, with last year’s sales, excluding alcohol, valued at £8.9 billion ($12.2 billion), according to the Food ...
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