International News

Bloomberg The southwest monsoon that waters about half of India’s farmland arrived in the country slightly ahead of its normal schedule, giving a boost to farmers planting rice to soybeans crops in coming weeks. Monsoon rain has reached the southern state of Kerala, K. J. Ramesh, chief of India Meteorological Department, said by phone. The June-September rainy period typically starts ...

Bloomberg Akzo Nobel NV’s court victory against activist shareholder Elliott Management Corp. has strengthened the Dutch paintmaker’s hand in resisting a takeover approach from suitor PPG Industries Inc. and put pressure on the US rival to take its offer directly to investors. The Commercial Court of the Netherlands ruled late on Monday that Akzo Nobel is under no obligation to ...

Bloomberg Denmark’s center-right government raised its forecast for economic growth this year and predicted it will borrow less via bond markets as the public deficit shrinks. The minority coalition of Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen expects gross domestic product to expand 1.7 percent this year, faster than the 1.5 percent it forecast just last month, according to Economy Ministry documents ...

Bloomberg Sweden’s economy slowed at the start of the year as exports struggled to maintain momentum, dulling a housing-fueled investment and consumption boom in the largest Nordic economy. Gross domestic product grew 0.4 percent in the first quarter and expanded an annual 2.2 percent, Statistics Sweden said on Tuesday. Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg estimated growth of 0.9 percent and 2.9 ...

Bloomberg Turkey may sell as much as $8 billion in debt, according to a US regulatory filing, a sign the government may be preparing to ramp up borrowing as it seeks to plug a widening budget deficit. Turkey may offer the securities from “time to time in one or more offerings” and will use the proceeds for general financing purposes, ...

Bloomberg Shares and bonds of billionaire Anil Ambani’s Reliance Communications Ltd. tumbled, extending their declines from last week, amid mounting concerns about the Indian phone carrier’s debts. The stock plunged as much as 24 percent, hitting an intra-day record low of 19.70 rupees, in Mumbai trading on Monday and was the day’s worst performer on S&P BSE500 index. Shares of ...

Bloomberg Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said he is confident economic growth this year will meet a government goal of 6.7 percent without adding to inflation, despite weak expansion last quarter. Vietnam is taking steps to bolster the economy as the nation seeks to retain its status as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, the premier said in an ...

Bloomberg Chinese developers extended Asia’s biggest rally this year, with China Evergrande Group surging to a record in Hong Kong. Evergrande soared 23 percent at the close, while Country Garden Holdings Co. and Sunac China Holdings Ltd. gained more than 9 percent. Lianhua Supermarket Holdings Co. rallied 24 percent after Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. agreed to buy a stake in ...

Bloomberg If the Swiss economic growth is still left in the shade by Germany this week, its central bank knows exactly why. Two-and-a-half years after suffering an exchange-rate shock that made its exports even more expensive, Switzerland has yet to rediscover its knack of outperforming neighboring Germany. While the two economies boast significant similarities, prompting the Swiss to dub their ...

Bloomberg A rise in US tariffs on Canadian softwood will help drive an increase in lumber exports to China and other Asian markets, Canada’s top trade official said. “There’s an enormous opportunity,” said Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne in an interview in Singapore. “Diversification is the key, that’s why Canada has an ambitious trade agenda.” With other Canadian industries also bracing ...