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Bloomberg Low inflation sweeping across Southeast Asia is here to stay, raising the odds some of the region’s biggest economies may reverse course on interest rates this year. Food prices have been falling across the region, driving down inflation and pushing up real interest rates. Malaysia is already in deflation, while others like Thailand are seeing almost stagnant price growth. ...

Bloomberg Singapore Post Ltd. is likely to wind down or sell its loss-making US e-commerce business after conducting a strategic review of the unit, according to a Bloomberg survey. A potential divestment or shuttering of the business will bode well for SingPost’s long-term profitability, according to four analysts covering the stock. Two brokers including CLSA Ltd. have factored in benefits ...

Bloomberg China pledged greater cooperation with American and European companies on Belt and Road ventures, in its latest bid to counter criticism that President Xi Jinping’s initiative is focused on projecting Beijing’s influence at the expense of host countries. China wants to combine its manufacturing and construction know-how with the advanced technology of Western firms on the global trade-and-infrastructure program, ...

Bloomberg Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should abandon a scheduled increase in the sales tax this year as it risks pushing Japan’s economy into recession and hampering efforts to generate stable inflation, according to former economy minister Heizo Takenaka. “Of course a sales tax hike would increase the possibility of a recession,” said Takenaka, who is now a professor at Toyo ...

Bloomberg Germany’s effort to catch up to the digital age starts this week when the gavel falls on the auction for the airwaves to build ultra-fast 5G wireless networks. The rollout of the technology is critical as Europe’s biggest economy seeks to transition away from its reliance on old-school engineering. The country lags behind the likes of Albania and Moldova ...

Bloomberg Bruce Flatt put Wall Street’s biggest private equity players on notice that the Canadian juggernaut was coming for them three years ago. The head of Brookfield Asset Management Inc. told Bloom-berg Television then that his firm — pushing into private equity — should be mentioned in the same breath as Blackstone Group LP, Carlyle Group LP and KKR & ...

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc. won the last approval it was seeking for an incentive plan that helped lure the largest online retailer to Northern Virginia. The five-member Arlington County Board unanimously approved $23 million in incentives for the company to build a headquarters in the Crystal City neighborhood, just outside Washington, D.C. — after six-and-a-half hours of testimony, protests and discussions ...

Bloomberg Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV recalled almost 863,000 vehicles that violate US emissions standards, another setback for a company that just agreed in a separate case to make amends for building trucks and SUVs that polluted more than legally allowed. The voluntary recall of 2011 through 2016 model year Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler brand vehicles will be implemented in phases ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The UAE is ranked number one for the highest fibre to the home (FTTH) penetration among all its global counterparts for a third year in a row, according to the leading industry body FTTH Council. The council published its annual report that showcases the countries with the highest fibre optic network penetration globally. The report highlighted ...

DUBAI / Emirates Business UAE start-ups secured $31.36 million in investments which account for 88 percent of the whole deal value of the region. Local services, e-commerce & financial services are the top three industries accounting for 44 percent of the entire deal count. In addition, logistics (9.3 percent), software (7.1 percent), media (4.6 percent), education (4.6 percent) and transportation ...