Bloomberg Taiwan held its benchmark interest rate for a second straight quarter as economic indicators show fourth-quarter strength and improving growth prospects for 2017. Policy makers held the discount rate to banks at a six-year low of 1.375 percent, the central bank said in a statement on Thursday after a meeting in Taipei. All 28 economists in a Bloomberg ...
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China’s Huochebang fetches $1bn valuation
Bloomberg Truck Alliance Inc., a Uber-type service for trucks known in China as Huochebang, raised about $115 million in a financing round that valued the startup at $1 billion. The two-year-old company backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Hillhouse Capital secured the capital in a round led by new investors International Finance Corp. and All-Stars Investment Ltd. Tencent, Genesis ...
Read More »China LNG imports hit record as memories of freeze linger
Bloomberg China’s liquefied natural gas imports surged to a record last month as the world’s third-biggest buyer boosted shipments to offset winter demand and avert shortages that struck cities including Beijing last year. Inbound LNG shipments jumped 46.6 percent to 2.66 million tons in November from a year earlier, according to General Administration of Customs data released. Natural gas ...
Read More »Nokia sues Apple to escalate mobile-patent licensing battle
Bloomberg Nokia Oyj sued Apple Inc. saying the iPhone maker infringed several mobile patents, turning simmering tension between the companies into a bitter public legal battle on multiple fronts. The Finland-based company said Apple agreed to license patented inventions in 2011 but has refused to extend those agreements that are now expiring. Nokia filed complaints with the German Regional ...
Read More »Tesla raises UK prices after Brexit vote
Bloomberg One of the world’s most devoted gearhead clubs is about to get a little pricier in the UK as a result of the country’s vote to leave the European Union. Tesla Motors will increase prices in the UK by 5% in 2017, a move attributed to the falling pound and described as “due to curre- ncy fluctuations,†a ...
Read More »Fox’s Sky purchase to face EU review in March soonest
Bloomberg European competition authorities may be formally notified of 21st Century Fox Inc.’s bid for the rest of Sky Plc in March at the earliest, setting off reviews of the $14.5 billion deal, according to a person familiar with the matter. The companies’ filing to the EU allows regulators to check whether the deal might harm competition. It would ...
Read More »Germany gets free power for Christmas as wind power set to surge
Bloomberg The price of power for delivery on Christmas Day in Germany turned negative as a surge in wind generation is forecast to boost supply. Prices may be below zero for hours or even whole days during the holiday season as German wind output is predicted to climb to near-record levels and temperatures are set to increase more than ...
Read More »US economic growth revised up to 3.5% in third quarter
Bloomberg The US economy expanded more than previously reported last quarter on bigger contributions from a range of factors including services spending, intellectual property and construction by state and local governments. Gross domestic product rose at a 3.5 percent annualized rate in the three months ended in September, compared with a prior estimate of 3.2 percent, Commerce Department figures ...
Read More »Sharjah Chamber, China council to build long-term partnership
SHARJAH / WAM The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, to establish a long term partnership, involving economic collaboration in various sectors. The MoU, which aim to enhance Sharjah’s ties with international trade partners, will pave the way for a unique and mutually ...
Read More »ADFD explores ways to support Maldives development goals
ABU DHABI / WAM The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) explored new ways of collaboration and cooperation with Maldives at a meeting between Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director-General of ADFD and the non-resident Ambassador of Maldives to the UAE, Abdullah Hamid. The meeting, attended by ADFD’s senior management, highlighted joint endeavours, opportunities and partnerships within the islands, to ...
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