International News

Bloomberg Canada’s merchandise trade deficit exceeded $2.5 billion for a second month in July as exports slumped. The shortfall of C$3.04 billion followed a revised C$3.76 billion reading for June, Statistics Canada reported on Wednesday from Ottawa. Economists predicted a C$3.3 billion deficit according to the median in a Bloomberg survey. Exports fell by 4.9 percent in July, and are ...

Bloomberg This summer, Japanese real estate investment trusts benefited from an unexpected group of net buyers for the first time in nearly seven years: mom and pop investors. Encouraged by the relatively lucrative returns, an increasing number of retail investors are putting their money in some of 58 publicly-traded REITs tracked by the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s gauge. Individuals were net ...

Bloomberg Apple Inc.’s refusal so far to approve the Indian government’s anti-spam iPhone app is infuriating regulators, potentially harming the company’s efforts to sell more products in the country. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has been trying unsuccessfully to get its Do Not Disturb software included in the App Store. The programme lets people share spam call and text ...

Bloomberg McDonald’s Japan is adding to its restaurant count for the first time in five years, underscoring a turnaround that prompted its US parent to reverse a decision to sell a stake in the company. McDonald’s Holdings Co. Japan plans to open more restaurants than it will close in the second half, said Chief Executive Officer Sarah Casanova, adding that ...

Bloomberg Russia wants its biggest diamond miner to work more closely with the country’s top gem cutters so the industry can better compete in a market that’s dominated by Indian manufacturers. As part of a plan to boost the competitiveness of Russian diamonds, the government wants Alrosa PJSC to offer more favorable terms to cutters including Kristall Production Corp., Russia’s ...

­­­­­­­­­­­Bloomberg Angry Birds maker Rovio Entertainment Oy plans to sell shares in a Helsinki initial public offering, seeking funds to support its resurgence seven years after releasing its best-selling mobile-game title. Main owner Kaj Hed, 62, and some other holders will sell shares, and Rovio will offer about $36 million of new stock, the company said Tuesday, without providing a ...

Bloomberg Britain’s economy is failing to recharge after slowing sharply in the first half of the year. IHS Markit said its latest round of industry surveys suggest growth of about 0.3 percent this quarter, matching the pace of the previous three months. It published the forecast after its gauge of services, the biggest part of the economy, indicated the slowest ...

Bloomberg After two failed attempts in as many years, Schneider Electric SE is betting a deal to combine its industrial software business with the UK’s Aveva Group Plc will create a market leader in programs to design and operate power plants and factories. Schneider and Aveva unveiled on Tuesday an agreement by which the French company will receive a 60 ...

Bloomberg Apple Inc. is selling bonds again to finance its current round of share buybacks and dividends. The iPhone maker is offering the debt in as many as five parts, according to a filing. The longest portion of the sale, a 30-year security, may yield 1.125 percentage points above Treasuries, down from initial talk of around 1.25 percentage points, according ...

Bloomberg Symantec isn’t done making deals. The 35-year-old cybersecurity company, which completed two multibillion-dollar acquisitions over the past 14 months, is open to another large purchase after a period of paying down debt and proving to Wall Street it can meet growth targets, Chief Executive Officer Greg Clark said. “There are things that could absolutely change everything in the industry ...