Bloomberg US health officials want to force pharmaceutical companies to disclose the prices of their products in television advertisements, setting up a clash with drugmakers who see the move as impinging free speech. Under the proposed rule released, the Department of Health and Human Services would require drug companies to share in ads the full list prices of any medication ...
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Canadian companies ramp up investment
Bloomberg Canadian business sentiment remains at elevated levels, with companies expecting to ramp up investment to build new capacity and accommodate demand, according to a survey by the central bank. The Ottawa-based central bank’s third-quarter survey of executives — which took place in August and September before Canada reached a deal with the US to replace the North American Free ...
Read More »UK wages rise at fastest pace in almost a decade
Bloomberg UK wages are growing at their fastest pace in almost a decade, suggesting the economy is continuing to operate with little slack. Average earnings excluding bonuses rose 3.1 percent in the three months through August, the most since January 2009, the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday. Unemployment held at a 43-year low of 4 percent. While wage ...
Read More »Australia is wrestling with saving Great Barrier Reef
Bloomberg Ask four Australians why the Great Barrier Reef is bleaching, and you’ll hear four different answers. A travel agent in Brisbane says it’s because of the cyclone that hit last year. Another one just down the street blames “some sort of starfish.†A tour guide in Cairns says bleaching is a natural part of the coral life cycle; another, ...
Read More »Italian branded suits latest victim of trade war in China
Bloomberg The ongoing trade war with the US is hitting Chinese consumers psychologically, causing a slowdown for luxury goods in the second half of the year, said Italian menswear maker Ermenegildo Zegna Group. “In the past few months, I would say there has been a slowing down of consumption, and probably the consumer is becoming more careful in what he ...
Read More »Softbank slide deepens to $22bn amid tech rout
Bloomberg SoftBank Group Corp. has been battered over the past two weeks as technology stocks plummet globally. SoftBank shares fell 7.3 percent to 9,251 yen at the close in Tokyo on Monday, pushing the decline in market value to $22 billion since its peak this year. The stock had gained 29 percent this year through September 28 as investors began ...
Read More »Visa, Mastercard to miss India deadline over ‘data’
Bloomberg Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. are among international payment companies set to miss a deadline for certifying their compliance with data localisation requirements set by India’s central bank, people familiar with the matter said. The two credit card giants have requested an extension of the deadline and a relaxation of the rules, citing operational difficulties and security concerns, the ...
Read More »Trump threatens more China tariffs, doesn’t seek ‘depression’
Bloomberg President Donald Trump threatened to impose another round of tariffs on China and warned that Chinese meddling in US politics is a “bigger problem†than Russian involvement in the 2016 election. Asked in an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes†whether he wants to push China’s economy into a depression, Trump said “no†before comparing the country’s stock-market losses since ...
Read More »US claim of currency manipulation tested in Treasury report
Bloomberg The US Treasury is poised to render a verdict on President Donald Trump’s claim that China is manipulating its currency as a trade war between the two nations intensifies and rattles markets. While the US hasn’t designated China as a currency manipulator since 1994, Wall Street is bracing for the prospect that the Treasury Department will do so this ...
Read More »Netflix earnings will test waters for tech giants
Bloomberg Beleaguered technology investors are looking to Netflix Inc. to stop the bleeding. The company’s earnings are poised to be even more closely watched than usual after last week’s market rout. Netflix is one of the first major US companies to report third-quarter results — and 2018’s best-performing FAANG stock — making it especially influential in the wake of a ...
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