Remember Aibo, the computerised dog Sony Corp. started selling in 1999 as the first personal robot? Hiro Mizuno, the chief investment officer of Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF), does. So he asked Sony’s computer science lab unit to build him a cyberhound using artificial intelligence to help oversee the external fund managers who manage GPIF’s $1.6 trillion in assets. ...

When even LVMH misses estimates, it’s not a good look for the luxury sector. While the owner of the Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior brands still delivered 8% growth in organic sales in the final quarter of the year, this was slightly below the consensus of analysts’ estimates of 8.7%. Organic sales from the fashion and leather goods division rose ...

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates three times last year and pledged not to increase them absent meaningful increases in wages and inflation — welcome news for the labour market and economic expansion. But in a twist, the shift wasn’t welcomed by one group of people: would-be homebuyers. Although lower mortgage rates mean more households can afford a higher purchase ...