International News

Bloomberg The pound stayed close to a more than one-year low against the dollar after data showing accelerating economic growth were offset by concerns about a no-deal Brexit. Sterling was set for its fifth week of declines — its longest losing streak since January 2015 — amid continued fears that the divorce negotiations between the UK and the European Union ...

Bloomberg Microsoft Corp. threatened to suspend web-hosting services it provides to Gab.ai after getting a complaint about anti-Semitic posts on the social-media site, a new twist in the technology industry’s controversial crackdown on hate speech. Microsoft’s Azure cloud-computing division said it would take action in two business days if Gab didn’t remove two posts that prompted the complaint about “malicious ...

Bloomberg From the big screen to the snack aisle, American companies plan to hike prices as their input costs creep higher. It’s a sign that businesses have faith consumers will keep shopping even as products become more expensive. And that belief in pricing power, showcased on earnings calls and presentations during the week of August 6-10, could signal a turning ...

Bloomberg In a milestone that’s been more than a decade in the making, India’s first Ikea store will open on Thursday, bringing inexpensive Nordic-inspired furnishings and food to the world’s fastest-growing middle class. Ikea expects to welcome as many as 6 million visitors a year to its 13-acre complex in Hitec City, on the outskirts of Hyderabad, India’s fourth-biggest city. ...

Bloomberg China’s exports grew faster than expected, while imports surged, showing both domestic and international demand continue to shrug off the uncertainty of the trade conflict with the US. Exports rose 12.2 percent in July in dollar terms from a year earlier, the customs administration said, faster than the forecast 10 percent. Imports climbed 27.3 percent, leaving a trade surplus ...

Bloomberg Samsung, South Korea’s biggest conglomerate, plans to invest $161 billion to ramp up its ability to produce memory chips and other products vital to future growth, lending its support to President Moon Jae-in’s efforts to shore up a slowing economy. The spending will boost research and expenditure in artificial intelligence, fifth-generation wireless networks, bio-pharmaceuticals, displays, semiconductors and other key ...

Bloomberg Typhoon Shanshan continued its slow-moving approach towards the Tokyo region, with the tropical storm’s arrival likely to disrupt commuters from August 8 night through Thursday morning. Authorities are warning that as the typhoon’s approach is unusually slow, its effects may be last longer than usual. The typhoon is set to bear down overnight on the Kanto region, where Tokyo ...

Bloomberg China is increasing its monitoring of indebted state-owned enterprises by creating watch lists and setting alarm levels, underscoring that the government hasn’t abandoned the goal of controlling borrowing. The government will set two debt thresholds for state-owned firms — one level would trigger alarms and the other would require higher regulatory attention. Firms with debt above those levels will ...

Bloomberg As Nafta negotiators from the US and Mexico meet for a third straight week in a push to complete a deal on cars, they’re also preparing for a showdown over a clause sought by the Trump administration that could end the agreement altogether. The nations are nearing an accord on content and salaries for auto manufacturing, and the issue ...

Bloomberg Sun Life Financial Inc., one of Canada’s biggest life insurers, sees the country’s pension risk-transfer market growing to as much as C$5 billion ($3.9 billion) this year as more companies look to divest retirement plans. The Canadian group annuity market will probably reach at least C$4.5 billion this year, up from C$2.7 billion in 2016, Brent Simmons, senior managing ...