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China insurance watchdog vows to punish speculators

  Bloomberg The chairman of China’s top insurance regulator vowed to impose “stringent” rules and “severely” punish short-term speculation by insurers, the latest sign of tightening controls on the nation’s industry. The watchdog will also curb “aggressive” pricing and the “unreasonably” high returns of some insurance products, Xiang Junbo, Chairman of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission, told reporters in Beijing. ...

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Hong Kong property market stock rally gathers pace

  Bloomberg A rally by Hong Kong property developers showed little sign of faltering amid optimism rising home sales will boost earnings. Hong Kong real estate companies were among the biggest gainers on the benchmark Hang Seng Index, which slid 0.4 percent at the close, down from a 1 1/2 year high. New World Development Co. topped the gauge with ...

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‘Worst not over for Singapore’s property market’

  Bloomberg The worst isn’t over for Singapore’s property market, after government curbs helped push home prices lower for a third year in 2016, said Kwek Leng Beng, the billionaire chairman of City Developments Ltd. “I do not believe the worst is over although I think the worst has slowed down,” Kwek said in a Bloomberg Television interview with Haslinda ...

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Bristol-Myers looms as Pharma’s next megadeal as activists join

  Bloomberg Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. was once one of the drug industry’s highest-flying companies. Now the pharmaceutical giant has gone from predator to prey, as its sagging stock price has invited in activist investors who are already forcing changes. It announced an agreement with Jana Partners LLC to add three board members, and later in the day activist investor Carl ...

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Britain gets trade boost as consumer outlook dims

  Bloomberg The UK ended 2016 on a high, recording an unexpected acceleration in growth thanks to the biggest boost from net trade in almost six years. The question is whether this new economic mix can persist, with the weaker pound helping to deliver a continued export pickup, offsetting a smaller contribution from shoppers who are about to be squeezed ...

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PSA Group chief lays out vision for ‘European Champion’ with Opel deal

  Bloomberg PSA Group laid out its vision for integrating General Motors Co.’s struggling European operations, including slashing costs, combining development efforts and exploiting the appeal of German engineering. Chief Executive Officer Carlos Tavares vowed to revive GM’s Opel unit by carrying out a similar restructuring that brought the maker of Peugeot and Citroen cars back from the brink over ...

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Euro bears return as France vote comes into focus again

  Bloomberg The euro is slipping again, after Wednesday’s modest bounce proved too weak to last. Concerns about European political risks that were recently focused on the second round of France elections are now broadening to include the first round and even next month’s Dutch vote. Investors lightened short-euro positions in the spot market Wednesday as the Bloomberg Euro Index ...

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Qantas profit declines less than expected amid competition

  Bloomberg Qantas Airways Ltd.’s first-half earnings dropped less than the company’s forecast amid a recovery in the domestic market, while competition on international routes weighed on air fares. Shares jumped the most in almost eight months. Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce, who is in the final six months of a three-year turnaround plan, said confidence is returning in the ...

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Trump-Iran tensions halt Indian carrier’s Tehran flight plans

  Bloomberg Air India Express, the low-cost unit of the South Asian nation’s flag carrier, has put on hold a plan to fly to Tehran amid renewed tensions between the U.S. and Iran after President Donald Trump imposed fresh sanctions on the Gulf country. Since some of Air India Ltd.’s plane purchases were funded by the Export-Import Bank of the ...

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