October, 2018

• 20 October

  Japan’s inflation edges up, fuelled by energy prices

  

  Bloomberg Japan’s most closely watched gauge of inflation edged up again in September with help of costlier energy to tally with Governor Haruhiko Kuroda’s latest view that consumer prices are rising at about half the pace targeted by the central bank. While Kuroda has taken a more bullish view on the current strength in inflation, economists said the latest data ...

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• 20 October

  Indonesia corruption crackdown adds to strains on junk bonds

  

  Bloomberg A bribery probe at major Indonesian developer PT Lippo Karawaci has prompted investors to ask if more companies might get caught in the government’s anti-corruption campaign. That’s adding to broader strains on the nation’s junk bonds, which have already been hit harder than Asian peers in the recent emerging-market sell-off as the rupiah tanks. The timing couldn’t be worse, ...

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• 20 October

  Samsung targets 10% revenue growth in Africa

  

  Bloomberg Samsung Electronics Co. is targeting an annual 10 percent increase in revenue from Africa over the next decade, even as competition from cheaper consumer devices intensifies. The South Korean company will concentrate on key markets including South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal, according to Africa Chief Executive Officer Sung Yoon. The more mature of those markets are expanding ...

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• 20 October

  The $40bn wealth gap that divides India’s richest brothers

  

  Bloomberg Over the past year, the fortunes of the two brothers at the helm of India’s wealthiest dynasty have grown apart — to about $40 billion apart. Elder sibling Mukesh Ambani, 61, toppled China’s Jack Ma as Asia’s richest man, after driving a telecommunications revolution in India that propelled his petrochemicals conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd. into the $100 billion club. ...

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• 20 October

  US charges Russian with midterm vote meddling

  

  Bloomberg The US charged a Russian woman with conspiring to interfere in both the 2016 and 2018 elections, marking the first criminal charges related to next month’s congressional midterm vote. Elena Alekseevna Khusy-aynova of St. Petersburg, allegedly served as the chief accountant for an operation known as “Project Lakhta,” the Justice Department said in a statement. The department identified the ...

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• 20 October

  US, China agree to Asia defense rules to avoid air crashes

  

  Bloomberg Defense chiefs from the US and China agreed in principle to guidelines on encounters between warplanes, in the latest bid by Pacific nations to keep increased military activity from escalating into conflict. US Secretary of Defense James Mattis and seven other regional military chiefs, including China’s General Wei Fenghe, gave broad endorsement to the rules in Singapore on Saturday, ...

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• 20 October

  Afghans vote in defiance of Taliban threats and poll delays

  

  Bloomberg Afghans are voting on Saturday in long-delayed parliamentary elections that have been marred by a spate of high-profile Taliban attacks and intimidation. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani kicked off elections at 7 a.m local time by casting his ballot even as polling in some other booths in the country’s capital, Kabul, was delayed by hours due to malfunctioning biometric devices ...

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• 20 October

  Pro-independence protesters rally in Taiwan

  

  Bloomberg President Tsai Ing-wen is coming under increased pressure from her allies at home to push harder for Taiwan’s formal independence even as China keeps up its unrelenting campaign to bring the island under its control. Thousands of people gathered outside the headquarters of Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party in Taipei on Saturday. Unhappy with the president’s moderate stance on Taiwan’s ...

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• 20 October

  Italian populists struggle to stay united amid pressure

  Bloomberg Italian Deputy Premiers Matteo Salvini and Luigi Di Maio are trying to preserve a five-month-old alliance after their first serious dispute, criticism of their budget from the European Union and a downgrade by Moody’s Investors Service brought tensions to a boiling point. “The government will keep going despite the rating agencies, European commissioners and some internal misunderstandings,” Salvini said ...

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• 20 October

  Porsche CFO sees $81bn value unleashed in potential IPO

  

  Bloomberg Porsche AG’s chief financial officer said a share sale of most profitable unit could unlock value to echo Ferrari NV’s successful public offering and help the sports-car maker raise money if needed. The maker of the 911 model could easily be valued “between 60 billion and 70 billion” euros ($69.4-$81 billion), applying multiples for luxury-goods producers such as Ferrari, ...

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