Bloomberg China’s car sales are likely to slump the most on record in the first two months of 2020 as the coronavirus keeps buyers away from showrooms, intensifying headwinds for automakers in the world’s biggest market. Sales are set to fall by 25% to 30% in the January-February period, according to a preliminary forecast by Cui Dongshu, secretary general of ...

Bloomberg Hyundai Motor Co is halting production in South Korea this week because of a component shortage caused by the coronavirus, the first global automaker to suspend output outside China because of the outbreak. The carmaker has been hit by a shortage of a wiring component made at a South Korean supplier’s plant in China, which has been halted after ...

Bloomberg India’s gold imports tumbled by half in January as record domestic prices and a slowdown in economic growth curbed demand in the world’s second-biggest buyer. Imports fell to 21.7 tons last month from 45.9 tons a year earlier, according to a person familiar with the data, who asked not to be identified as the information isn’t public. Finance Ministry ...

Bloomberg Sony Corp raised its profit forecast for the second time this fiscal year, boosted by strong demand for the image sensors that power smartphone cameras. Operating income will probably reach 880 billion yen ($8.1 billion) in the year ending on March 31, compared with the 840 billion yen Sony forecast in October and the 877 billion yen average of ...

Bloomberg India is looking to overseas funds to rescue its battered bond market, but relief may be slow to come. A move to allow global funds to buy more government and corporate debt is unlikely to reverse sentiment hurt by record bond sales and shrinking returns, investors say. “High bond supply means potential pressure on bond prices, so easier access ...

Bloomberg Kim Jong-un has spent much of his time as North Korea’s leader developing bigger and more advanced nuclear weapons. This year, he may try to make them harder to find by putting them under the sea. Recent North Korean reports touting a new submarine and its test of a ballistic missile designed to be launched from one have fuelled ...

Bloomberg The US said it’s preparing for a possible pandemic and Hong Kong closed more checkpoints with mainland China, as the death toll from the coronavirus rose to at least 425. As Beijing tries to contain the damage from the worsening crisis, officials are evaluating whether the target for economic growth this year should be softened. China is hoping the ...

Bloomberg Bulgaria’s president deepened his rift with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s government, saying it had lost his trust and that the country was spiraling into a “sharp crisis” under its rule. The comment from Rumen Radev escalates a confrontation with Borissov’s cabinet, which the president says has failed to fight graft. Bulgaria has been under scrutiny from the European Union ...

Bloomberg Libya’s warring rivals have shown a “genuine willingness” to transform the current truce into a more lasting one, a United Nations envoy said as a new round of talks got underway, in a distinct shift of tone from just five days ago. “The two sides expressed their approval of the need to transform the truce into a permanent cease-fire ...

Bloomberg The biggest mystery left in Donald Trump’s inevitable impeachment acquittal is whether any Democrats will join Senate Republicans to give him a bipartisan vote to clear him of the House’s charges. Democratic senators who represent Trump-leaning states have to decide whether they will buck their party on what could be the most important vote before the November elections and ...