January, 2017

• 17 January

  Xi pushes back against Trump’s ‘free trade’ criticism

  

    Bloomberg Chinese President Xi Jinping cautioned against protectionism as he pushed back against criticism of globalization by Donald Trump and other Western populists. “Protectionism is like locking yourself in a dark room, which would seem to escape wind and rain, but also block out the sunshine,” Xi told the World Economic Forum on Tuesday, the first Chinese head of ...

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• 17 January

  Smog-hit China may fast-track green bonds

  

    Bloomberg China’s top underwriter of green bonds said the government may accelerate approvals in 2017 as the nation battles a toxic wave of smog. Guotai Junan Securities Co. said the government should boost incentives for notes with proceeds earmarked for environmental projects, after a People’s Bank of China researcher said it may recommend tax breaks for investors. Chinese firms ...

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• 17 January

  China raises concerns about Foxconn Group’s US expansion intentions

  

    Bloomberg China’s government has conveyed its concern over Foxconn Technology Group billionaire Terry Gou’s plan to expand the Apple Inc. assem-bler’s operations in the US after President-elect Donald Trump takes office, people familiar with the matter said. A high-ranking Chinese official recently expressed Beijing’s concerns directly to Gou, the people said, asking not to be identified because the conversation ...

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• 17 January

  Europe takes steps towards ‘universal basic income’

  

    PARIS / AP I am, therefore I’m paid. The radical notion that governments should hand out free money to everyone — rich and poor, those who work and those who don’t — is slowly but surely gaining ground in Europe. Yes, you read that right: a guaranteed monthly living allowance, no strings attached. In France, two of the seven ...

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• 17 January

  European auto sales jump to 9-year high as Renault gains

  

    Bloomberg European car sales rose 6.5 percent to a nine-year high in 2016, propelled by pent-up demand amid a recovering economy, as French manufacturer Renault SA took advantage of market leader Volkswagen AG’s diesel-emissions scandal to leap from third place to second. Registrations increased to 15.1 million vehicles last year from 14.2 million in 2015, the Brussels-based European Automobile ...

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• 17 January

  GM set to announce $1 billion US investment plan

  

    Bloomberg General Motors Co. is set to announce a $1 billion US investment plan, joining Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. among the latest automakers to outline their spending amid pressure from President-elect Donald Trump to create jobs. The largest US automaker plans to say on Tuesday it will invest in US plants over several years, and expects ...

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• 17 January

  Automated traders move towards bitcoin

  

    Bloomberg Zhou Shuoji is not a bitcoin believer. He says the cryptocurrency will never replace its traditional forebears, and he calls most of its proponents fanatics. But for Zhou, a 35-year-old high-speed trader in Beijing, bitcoin is also too good to resist. His computers trade it 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Using lightning quick orders, they ...

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• 17 January

  LG, Dolby unveil advanced Blu-ray player

  

    Dubai / Emirates Business LG Electronics (LG) and Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: DLB) announced the LG UP970 Ultra HD Blu-ray player, LG’s first 4K Blu-ray player which will support Dolby Vision high-dynamic -range (HDR) imaging. LG’s UP970 Ultra HD Blu-ray player delivers a more immersive and vivid viewing experience than ever before. Leveraging the HDR technology that powers Dolby’s ...

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• 17 January

  Microsoft veteran to help run Chinese search giant Baidu

  

    Bloomberg Baidu Inc. has appointed former Microsoft Corp. executive Qi Lu its group president and chief oper- ating officer, granting the software industry veteran oversight over all aspects of the Chinese search giant’s business from sales to technology development. Lu, an architect of Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella’s strategy for artificial intelligence and bots at Microsoft, will take up ...

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• 16 January

  Saudi to launch $30-50bn renewable energy programme

    ABU DHABI / Reuters Saudi Arabia will launch a renewable energy programme in coming weeks that is expected to involve investment of between $30 billion and $50 billion by 2023, Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said on Monday. Falih, speaking at an energy industry event in Abu Dhabi, said Riyadh would start the first round of bidding within weeks for ...

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