Bloomberg Indonesia’s budget deficit has ballooned to more than $20 billion and is set to widen further as Southeast Asia’s largest economy struggles amid a global slowdown. With the government on pace to miss revenue targets, the 2019 budget deficit is now expected to reach as much as 2.2% of gross domestic product, from an initial target of 1.84%. Figures ...
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Hong Kong labour market weakens amid recession
Bloomberg After months of political protests and the onset of a recession, Hong Kong’s resilient labour market is starting to crack. Retailers, restaurants and hotels are cutting wages and hours or letting staff go just to survive. The city’s once record-low unemployment level is likely to accelerate its current rise if no solution to the five months of turmoil can ...
Read More »Thai IPO fundraising to hit 4-year high
Bloomberg Thai companies are likely to raise the most money from initial public offerings in four years in 2019 as the formation of the nation’s first democratic government since the 2014 military coup has encouraged domestic firms to tap equity markets. Companies have raised 80 billion baht ($2.6 billion) this year on the Stock Exchange of Thailand and the Market ...
Read More »Ford unveils all-electric SUV to take on Tesla dominance
Bloomberg Ford Motor Co is reinventing one of its marquee models — the Mustang muscle car — as a battery-powered crossover to become a player in the electric-vehicle market that is expected to take off in the coming decade. In a splashy ceremony ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show, the carmaker unveiled the Mustang Mach-E, a swoopy hatchback with ...
Read More »Trump to visit Apple’s Austin plant tomorrow
Bloomberg President Donald Trump is scheduled to tour an Apple Inc manufacturing plant in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, the White House said. The president plans to visit the plant along with Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, according to a tweet by spokesman Judd Deere. The Austin American-Statesman newspaper reported that Trump will travel with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and ...
Read More »HP rejects unsolicited takeover bid by Xerox
Bloomberg HP Inc’s board unanimously rejected Xerox Holdings Corp’s unsolicited takeover proposal, saying the $22-a-share offer is too low and citing concerns about the smaller rival’s prospects in the printing industry. HP is “open to exploring†a merger but there are “fundamental questions that need to be addressed,†Chief Executive Officer Enrique Lores and Chairman Chip Bergh wrote in a ...
Read More »Winds raise fire threat in California
Bloomberg Almost 32,000 customers could lose power as dry, gusty winds whip up critical wildfire conditions across almost 6,000 square miles in Southern California, with another 250,000 affected in the northern part of the state. The winds gusting as high as 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour could affect mountain and coastal areas, including Ventura, Los Angeles and San Diego ...
Read More »London office landlords can’t believe how good things are
Bloomberg London’s office landlords keep being surprised that things aren’t a lot worse. Demand for office space in the UK capital is holding up even as political uncertainty persists in a nation gripped by its decision to leave the European Union. Businesses have continued to lease space despite the prospect of a general election that’s pitted the Brexit-backing Conservative party ...
Read More »US stocks slip with Europe after trade doubts resurface
Bloomberg US stocks slipped along with European shares as doubts about a China trade deal weighed on sentiment, highlighting the fragile nature of recent gains as negotiations drag on. The S&P 500 Index retreated from previous record close amid reports that Beijing is pessimistic about the chances of reaching an accord with the US. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index dipped, ...
Read More »Philippine stocks may pick up into year-end on profits, economy
Bloomberg Knocked off course by a host of negatives, the Philippine stock rally may be set to regain momentum into year-end on improvement in the domestic economy and corporate profits. The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) has breached the 8,000 mark 13 times this year only to fall back through, hurt by factors including the US-China trade war and the ...
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