International News

Bloomberg President Joe Biden announced measures to increase the number of federal contracts awarded to small, disadvantaged businesses. He also said he had directed his administration to more aggressively prevent discrimination in home appraisals, a detriment for wealth accumulation for Black families. Last week, Biden reiterated calls for Congress to overhaul US policing as he met with the family of ...

Bloomberg The French government will use algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) to identify small firms at risk of collapse in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and provide as much as $3.7 billion to protect them. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire presented the new measures as part of a plan that also includes an extension of crisis lending facilities to the ...

Bloomberg European Union (EU) officials struck a deal to crack down on international companies’ efforts to dodge taxes by requiring greater disclosure, as a coordinated push by governments to take a bigger slice of corporate revenue gathers pace. Negotiators representing the European Parliament and EU governments agreed to a package forcing companies with a total revenue exceeding $917 million in ...

Bloomberg The Swiss economy is recovering quickly after restrictions to curb spread of Covid-19 hit the service sector and consumption at the start of the year. Gross domestic product contracted 0.5% in the first quarter, a deeper slump than economists anticipated. But manufacturing and service sector data for May showed an upsurge in activity — the latest in a string ...

Bloomberg Euro-area factories are struggling to keep up with the economic recovery as orders rise faster than production, setting the bloc up for a summer spike in inflation. Delivery delays for raw materials and components are constraining output growth, leaving companies unable to meet rising demand, according to a survey by IHS Markit. While purchasing activity rose at the fastest ...

Bloomberg Thailand’s government approved a set of economic stimulus measures worth 140 billion baht ($4.5 billion) to counter the impact from the nation’s biggest coronavirus outbreak yet. The measures — which include cash handouts to welfare-card holders and special groups, co-payments and cash rebates — are expected to be implemented from July, Anucha Burapachaisri, a government spokesman, said on Tuesday. ...

Bloomberg Foxconn Technology struck a multibillion-dollar electric-vehicle partnership in Thailand, its latest move to expand in the fast-growing industry at a time more tech companies including Apple are looking to bulk up their automotive muscle. The Taiwanese electronics giant and Thailand’s state-owned conglomerate PTT Pcl will collaborate on hardware and software for producing EVs, according to a statement from the ...

Bloomberg Indian farmers are expected to expand planting of major crops such as rice, corn and soybeans after the national weather forecaster predicted bountiful rains during the June-September monsoon season. The India Meteorological Department maintained on Tuesday its earlier forecast of a normal monsoon, which waters more than half of the country’s farmland. Cumulative rains are likely to be 101% ...

Bloomberg Asia’s manufacturing activity continued to advance in May, though at a slightly slower pace, despite flare-ups of Covid-19 around the region that could force some plants to close and weigh on sentiment. Taiwan’s IHS Markit May manufacturing purchasing managers’ index declined to 62 from April’s 62.4, remaining well above the 50 level that signals expansion. New orders rose. South ...

Bloomberg Malaysian stocks dropped and the ringgit weakened after the government imposed a two-week nationwide lockdown to curb a relentless surge in Covid-19 infections. The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index fell as much as 1.6%, before paring losses to 0.7% at the close in Kuala Lumpur. The ringgit slid as much as 0.4% to 4.1480 per dollar, while 10-year bond ...