Bloomberg Standard Chartered (StanChart) Plc shares surged after it beat estimates in the first quarter and the lender said revenue would climb more this year than the previously predicted. Underlying pretax profit posted a surprise 4% rise to $1.5 billion in the period on a jump from its trading business, the London-based bank said in a statement on Thursday. Revenue …

Bloomberg Shares of Facebook parent company Meta Platforms Inc. surged during pre-market hours on Thursday, a day after reporting its main platform added more users than projected in the first quarter, potentially staving off concerns that the company is losing momentum as a new generation flocks to younger sites like TikTok. The stock gained as much as 19% during pre-market …

  Bloomberg European stocks advanced for a second day, trimming their monthly decline, as investors monitored a busy earnings day to gauge the companies’ ability to overcome inflationary and policy risks. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index was 1.3% higher by 9:39 am in London, with autos and technology sectors outperforming. Banks also rise as Standard Chartered Plc shares surged after …

Bloomberg Germany said it’s discussing the decision by Russia’s Gazprom PJSC to halt gas flows to Poland and Bulgaria with European Union partners, and although it views the move with concern, security of supply is currently guaranteed. “All in all, gas flows are currently at a stable level but we are monitoring the situation very closely,” the economy ministry in …

Bloomberg China’s biggest oil refiner posted increased profits for the first quarter even as the country’s worst pandemic outbreak threatens a pullback in fuel demand. Sinopec reported 23.3 billion yuan ($3.6 billion) in net income, an increase of 24% from the same period last year, according to an exchange filing. The Chinese oil giant, officially known as China Petroleum & …

  Bloomberg Liquefied natural gas importers in Asia are bracing for higher spot prices as Russia’s move to cut some supply to Europe is poised to further tighten the global market. Moscow is cutting off gas to Poland and Bulgaria, making good on a threat to halt flows to countries that refuse President Vladimir Putin’s new demand to pay for …

  Bloomberg Hong Kong’s latest moves to ease travel into the financial hub are getting a lukewarm reception from the business community and airlines. After months of criticism, the government is loosening a policy that suspends passenger flights for bringing in Covid-19 cases. It is also allowing all non-residents to enter the city for the first time in more than …

  Bloomberg Air India Ltd, which was taken over by Tata Sons Pvt in January, has offered to acquire the entire share capital of AirAsia India, according to a filing with the country’s anti-trust regulator. The proposed offer seeks to buy the residual stake held by AirAsia Bhd, the filing on the website of the Competition Commission of India showed. …

Bloomberg Malaysia relaxed virus restrictions including mask mandates and testing at airports as the Southeast Asian nation adjusts to living with Covid. The country is scrapping mandatory virus tests on all incoming vaccinated travellers beginning from May 1, an exemption it had initially bestowed to Singapore alone. Wearing masks outdoors will also be optional and physical distancing is no longer …

Bloomberg Harry’s Inc catapulted to fame by selling sleek, low-priced razors over the internet. A decade on, it’s now generating more than half of its sales from brick-and-mortar stores, its founders said. The closely held company, which made a splash taking on what founders Andy Katz-Mayfield and Jeff Raider saw as big corporations’ overpriced offerings, is seeing the sales payoff …