International News

Bloomberg Exports from Hong Kong fell more than expected in December as the impact of US-China trade tensions deepened in the port city, the first time sales abroad have contracted in consecutive months since 2016. December exports tumbled 5.8 percent from a year ago to HK$339.9 billion ($43.3 billion), while imports slid 7 percent to HK$391.2 billion in the same ...

Bloomberg Takeda Pharmaceutical Co is planning what would be the biggest single-tranche Japanese corporate yen bond sale in an effort to extend its debt obligations following its $62 billion purchase of Shire Plc, according to people with knowledge of the discussions. The drug maker is planning to sell as much as 500 billion yen ($4.6 billion) of hybrid notes in ...

Bloomberg A last-ditch bid by Siemens AG and Alstom SA to win approval from the European Union’s top antitrust regulator for their planned rail merger isn’t good enough to allay concerns about competition, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The fresh concessions, first reported by Bloomberg January 25, come too late and fall short of the bold ...

Bloomberg The French government is preparing to toughen access for equipment makers to its future 5G telecommunications networks. The government is readying an amendment to the appropriate law with a view to make the vetting process for gear more stringent and increase the oversight of suppliers and locations by the concerned authorities, according to the Finance Ministry. The new rules ...

Bloomberg Germany’s industrial slump worsened at the start of 2019, dragging the euro-area economy into its worst performance in more than five years. IHS Markit’s monthly index showed manufacturing in Germany shrank for the first time in four years. In euro area it barely grew, and a broader measure of activity dropped to weakest since 2013. The euro fell after ...

Bloomberg The US Treasury Department is set to maintain elevated sales of long-term debt to finance the government’s widening budget deficit, with new issuance projected to top $1 trillion for a second-straight year. Many strategists at primary-dealer firms predict that this Wednesday’s quarterly refunding announcement will see the Treasury maintain note and bond sales at the record high levels they ...

SHARJAH / WAM Seventy six companies operating in the Hamriyah Free Zone (HFZ) have won various categories of the Superbrands UAE 2018 Award, which is awarded by the Superbrands Worldwide organisation, an independent authority that specializes in assessing and highlighting branding excellence around the world. The number of companies operating in the Hamriyah Free Zone that won the award increased ...

Bloomberg Philippine economic growth which weakened to a three-year low in 2018 will rebound this year, boosted by spending for the May mid-term elections and helped by moderating prices, the nation’s chief economist said. “With the declining inflation, domestic demand will strengthen,” Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said in an interview in his office. Hitting the low-end of the 7 ...

Bloomberg This year is looking a little brighter for Asia’s emerging-market assets amid prospects of a less aggressive Federal Reserve. But US-China trade war saga and its impact on growth will keep traders on their toes. That’s according to 14 strategists, traders and investors surveyed by Bloomberg. Malaysia’s ringgit was their favourite of eight regional currencies as the nation’s central ...

Bloomberg Indonesia is seeking new avenues to deploy a part of its $8 billion Hajj funds. But there’s a catch — potential suitors need to be Shariah compliant. The government agency managing the Hajj fund in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country has accumulated 111 trillion rupiah ($7.9 billion) as the waiting list to make the holy pilgrimage for applicants stretches ...