International News

  Bloomberg The European Union is in a political bind as it looks into the unprecedented step of slapping sanctions against Spain and Portugal for breaching budget-deficit limits. The European Commission is seeking the go-ahead from finance ministers to propose fines and a suspension of some EU regional-development funding after concluding that Spain and Portugal took inadequate steps to narrow …

  Bloomberg Count tennis champion Serena Williams among those who have lost money in wake of last month’s Brexit vote. Williams beat Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-3 in Saturday’s Wimbledon final, her 22nd major title, tied with Steffi Graf for most in the Open Era. The winner’s prize is worth $2.59 million when converted to U.S. dollars, about $380,000 less than …

  London / AFP Britain’s referendum vote to quit the European Union is starting to bite hard, with the property sector fast losing investor confidence and banks offered a helping hand to boost lending. Data meanwhile has shown the British economy taking a knock already in the run-up to Brexit, with business confidence hitting a 3.5-year low in June, according …

  Bloomberg The U.K.’s vote to leave the European Union will make it harder for British seafood exporters to compete with other countries, according to the United Nations’ Food & Agriculture Organization. Four of the top five importers of British seafood exports are nations in the EU, according to data from industry group Seafish. While it’s uncertain what kind of …

  Bloomberg Global cross-border investment will probably decline by as much as 15 percent this year as trade remains sluggish, China’s commerce minister said after a Group of 20 trade ministers meeting Sunday. The G-20 representatives pledged to increase their efforts to facilitate trade and urged other World Trade Organisation member nations to do likewise to enable global commerce, Gao …

  Bloomberg China’s factory-gate deflation eased for the sixth straight month, adding to evidence that falling prices have turned a corner after more than four years of declines. The producer-price index fell 2.6 percent, compared with a 2.8 percent drop a month earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Sunday. The decline was the smallest since late 2014. The …

  Bloomberg Has China bitten off more than it can chew when it comes to making chips? That’s where Orbotech Ltd comes in: To make sure the billions are well spent. Orbotech makes inspection and repair tools that help factories avoid errors as they pump out increasingly complex chips for smartphones and tablets. Its market capitalization surpassed US$1 billion in …

  Bloomberg As higher energy prices buoy currencies of commodity producers, one is swimming against the tide. Even after losing more than half its value against the dollar in two devaluations last year, Azerbaijan’s manat is struggling to find a bottom. In fact, it just had its worst month since the height of the crisis in oil markets in January. …

    Bloomberg The world’s biggest iron ore shipper cut its outlook for prices next year by 20 percent as the global market remains well supplied, loss-making miners are holding out and steel output in China will shrink further. Iron ore is seen at US$44.80 a metric ton next year, Australia’s Department of Industry, Innovation and Science said in a …

  Bloomberg President Barack Obama said he expects the U.K. will abide by the wishes of British voters and carry out plans to leave the European Union, and urged both sides to conduct the departure with minimal disruption. “We have to assume that a referendum having been passed with a lot of attention” and relatively high participation rate “is going …