Wednesday , 17 December 2025

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Swatch sweeps up share as quartz market reels

Bloomberg Swatch Group AG reported an increase in profit for the first time in four years as Switzerland’s largest watchmaker boosted its share in the intensely competitive low-end timepiece market thanks to growth at Tissot and its namesake plastic brand. Swatch said it has had a “massive gain” in market share in the basic and midrange segments. The company sells …

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Amazon’s next move could disrupt healthcare industry

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc.’s foray into health care won’t be the first time it has disrupted an entire industry by starting with an effort inside the company. Amazon Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos is teaming up with fellow billionaires Warren Buffett and Jamie Dimon to revamp health care for the 2.4 million workers and dependents of the companies they run. The …

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Fear over oil correction impairs crude’s best rally in seven years

Bloomberg Oil’s sinking back down to earth. Euphoria that’s driven the longest monthly rising streak in almost seven years is giving way to concern that US stockpiles will rebound as the rally encourages American drillers. That’s sparked a 3.1 percent drop in New York futures this week, marring crude’s best January since 2013. The sour sentiment is bleeding into equities, …

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IEA: End of OPEC cuts in June would be surprise

Bloomberg OPEC-led production cuts will last for the rest of the year, and an early termination in June would be a surprise to the market, the International Energy Agency’s markets division head said. The oil market will move from surplus into a small deficit after the first quarter but it will be fairly balanced overall this year, the IEA’s Neil …

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Iraq loosens oil shackles for premium prices

Bloomberg OPEC’s second-biggest producer is relinquishing some control over its prized oil in exchange for better prices. In a rare move, Iraq is allowing buyers to load its crude without saying where the cargo will finally end up. They will only have to let the Middle East producer know about the destination two weeks after the shipment’s bill of lading, …

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Ethiopia $4bn refinery spawns Asian interest

Bloomberg Ethiopia’s fast-growing economy has Asian investors lining up to build a new $4 billion oil refinery, even as a Blackstone Group LP-backed fuel pipeline project is shelved. The proposed 120,000 barrels-a-day plant has generated interest from Japanese, South Korean and Indian investors, said Zemedeneh Negatu, chairman of US-based Fairfax Africa Fund. The refinery in Awash, east of the capital …

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Unions oppose Norway power export drive

Bloomberg Norway’s vast resources of Europe’s cheapest and greenest electricity has helped its energy-intensive industry gain an edge and produce everything from aluminum to chemicals and tankers. But now the nation’s powerful unions are objecting to plans by grid managers and utilities to get in on the act by spending more than $6 billion on cables to profit from selling …

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Saudi Aramco mulls expansion to India

Riyadh / Reuters Saudi Aramco, the state oil company of Saudi Arabia, is considering entering India as part of its Asian expansion, Nikkei said, citing Aramco’s CEO who said that plans for an Indian refinery are crystallising. “Saudi Aramco is looking at additional investments in China, and India is also a very important destination which we are giving great consideration, …

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EU softens push to keep clients from exiting failing banks

Bloomberg European Union policy makers are softening plans to stop clients pulling money from banks suffering a financial crisis, according to a draft plan seen by Bloomberg News. Regulators have been debating the length of time that traders and other clients should be suspended from yanking funds when a lender is deemed to be failing. An earlier proposal for two …

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European Union’s biggest rate hawks set to hike again

Bloomberg The Czech central bank will probably raise interest rates for the third occasion in less than a year on Thursday and for the first time since 2013 release a currency outlook that may guide investors on what to expect in further monetary tightening. The Czech National Bank will raise its main interest rate to 0.75 percent from 0.5 percent, …

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