Bloomberg Thailand’s economy grew at the slowest pace in almost five years in the second quarter as exports and tourism were buffeted by US-China trade tensions and a strong local currency. Gross domestic product (GDP) rose 2.3% from a year ago, down from 2.8% in the first quarter, the National Economic and Social Development Council said on Monday. That’s the ...

Bloomberg SoftBank Group Corp. is planning to lend as much as $20 billion to its employees to buy stakes in its second venture capital fund following the success of an earlier $100 billion fund to invest in tech start-ups, the Wall Street Journal reported. The second Vision Fund aims to raise $108 billion, SoftBank said earlier. In addition to its ...

Bloomberg Hong Kong’s jobless rate rose for the first time since 2017 in July, led by weakness in the retail and restaurant industries as the government warned of further pressure on the city’s slumping economy in the months ahead. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 2.9%, including a “relatively notable increase” in the food and beverage service sector, the ...