Bloomberg China’s official factory gauge firmed in February as producer prices rebounded, giving top officials gathering in Beijing a solid economic backdrop as they seek to rein in financial risk. Manufacturing purchasing managers index climbed to 51.6 in February, compared with a median estimate of 51.2 in a Bloomberg survey of economists and 51.3 in January. Non-manufacturing PMI stood ...
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India GDP to slow less than estimated as cash returns to economy
Bloomberg India’s economy is forecast to slow less than estimated as banks work to replace cash sucked out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s shock clampdown in November. Gross domestic product will probably grow 7.1 percent in the year through March after a 7.9 percent expansion the previous year, the Statistics Ministry said in a statement in New Delhi. While ...
Read More »A new play looms for Japan stocks scene
Bloomberg After years of disappointment, a quiet revolution may be underway in the Japanese stock market. Japan’s companies have for years sat on record piles of cash — the equivalent of $2.4 trillion in September, the most in the world. The issue has been deploying those funds for shareholder benefit. A key part of Abenomics has been sharpening the ...
Read More »Sasol $11bn US project on track for 2018 start
Bloomberg Sasol Ltd., the world’s biggest producer of liquid fuels from coal, said the first units at its Lake Charles chemical project will start operating in 2018, as the company reported lower first-half profit because of currency losses and a strike. The Lake Charles project is 64 percent complete and still within its $11 billion budget, co-Chief Executive Officer ...
Read More »Refiners gain as Trump denies change to biofuels rules
Bloomberg Shares of US refiners pared gains after President Donald Trump’s administration denied that it was considering a proposal to change biofuel blending rules. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn and the leading US biofuel trade group struck a deal to revamp a law that mandates oil refiners to either blend petroleum-based fuels with ethanol and biodiesel, or buy blending credits ...
Read More »BP targets $40 break-even oil price to reassure investors
Bloomberg BP Plc said it will need a crude price of about $40 a barrel in 2021 to cover spending and dividends, down from $60 this year, as Chief Executive Officer Bob Dudley seeks to reassure investors on the oil major’s growth outlook and finances. The break-even level will fall as BP keeps capital spending at no more than ...
Read More »Australia’s growth comeback may not be as good as it seems
Bloomberg Australia’s smashing growth may not be quite as good as it seems. It’s clear that China’s renewed resource binge has brought back the good times for its commodity-driven economic satellite, emboldening Aussie households to ease up saving and ramp up spending. And the outlook for the world’s No. 2 economy looks like it will remain good for some ...
Read More »China’s richest win with Trump effect
Bloomberg Not even Donald Trump can put the brakes on China’s wealth-creation machine. The 36 Chinese billionaires on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index have increased their wealth by 13.2 percent since the real estate mogul was elected US president on Nov. 8, a $39.2 billion increase that’s pushed their combined net worth to $336 billion. The gains top those seen ...
Read More »China to order steel, aluminum curbs to fight pollution
Bloomberg China has ordered curbs on steel and aluminum output in as many as 28 northern cities during the winter heating season as it steps up its fight against pollution, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The cuts include halving steel capacity in four major cities, including top producer Tangshan in Hebei province, according to the people, ...
Read More »London attracts super-rich even as Brexit concerns bite
Bloomberg The super-rich will continue to flock to London, despite the political and economic concerns around the UK’s intention to leave the European Union, according to a report published on Wednesday by property broker Knight Frank LLP. The number of ultra-wealthy people living in the UK capital is expected to climb by 30 percent to 6,058 over the next ...
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