Wednesday , 17 December 2025

S African Airways to start direct flights to Guangzhou

Bloomberg South African Airways will begin a direct service from Johannesburg to Guangzhou in September, looking to expand its business with China. The new route will have three flights a week and the schedule was expected to be published on Monday, the airline said. The carrier is aiming to attract business passengers, including corporate clients and traders, it said. “Adding …

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Adidas soars to record as China, e-commerce bring relief

Bloomberg Adidas AG shares soared to a record as the German sportswear giant tapped the marketing power of soccer star Lionel Messi and celebrities like Kanye West to boost sales in China, extending its half-decade hot streak. The German sports apparel maker benefited from double-digit growth in the Asian nation in the first quarter, compensating for weakness in Europe and …

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Tariffs on $200bn of Chinese goods to rise to 25%: Trump

Bloomberg Tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports will increase to 25 percent from 10 percent on Friday, and another $325 billion in goods will “shortly” be subject to tariffs, President Donald Trump said on Sunday, in a warning to China as what could be a closing round of talks for a trade deal are set to start in Washington …

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One word grips bond market before update on inflation

Bloomberg Bond traders will have one word on their minds as they gear up for the latest readings on inflation: “ transitory.” That’s how Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell characterised the factors behind muted price pressures after the policy meeting, where officials kept interest rates unchanged. Markets whipsawed on his comments, with benchmark 10-year Treasury yields bouncing off their lowest …

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Philippine peso risks losing best Asia currency tag

Bloomberg A sense of caution is gripping peso bulls as markets approach the Philippine central bank’s interest-rate decision. Increased speculation that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas will ease monetary policy is threatening to break the peso’s Asia-beating rally this quarter. A reduction in the benchmark rate could give foreign investors — who already don’t seem too keen on buying Philippine …

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Central banks first-quarter gold buying at highest since ’13

Bloomberg First-quarter gold purchases by central banks, led by Russia and China, were the highest in six years as countries diversify their assets away from the US dollar. Global gold reserves rose 145.5 tonnes in the first quarter, a 68 percent increase from a year earlier, the World Gold Council said in a report. Russia remains the largest buyer as …

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HSBC’s CEO zeroes in on cost cuts after Q1 profit increases

Bloomberg HSBC Holdings Plc Chief Executive Officer John Flint is pressing ahead with a plan to rein in costs after the Asia-focussed lender reported its best quarter in more than three years. The better-than-expected first quarter results were driven by revenue growth that increased at triple the pace of adjusted operating expenses, reversing a pattern that bedeviled Flint in 2018. …

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BNP Paribas bucks debt trading slump as revenue rises

Bloomberg BNP Paribas SA reported the biggest fixed-income trading jump of all US and European banks in the first quarter, marking a rebound after recent losses and downgraded targets. Debt trading revenue unexpectedly rose 29 percent from the previous year, helped by growth in rates and foreign-exchange transactions, the French bank said. That helped BNP’s global markets unit — its …

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Hong Kong borrowing costs set to stay high

Bloomberg Hong Kong borrowing costs are expected to remain stubbornly high over the rest of the quarter, supporting the local currency. That’s according to Carie Li, an economist at OCBC Wing Hang Bank Ltd., who says the city’s shrinking cash pool is making banks more reluctant to lend. The one-month interbank rate, known as Hibor, has climbed to 2.07 percent, …

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Goldman’s Marcus launch delayed in Germany over Brexit

Bloomberg Goldman Sachs has put off the German launch of its consumer bank — Marcus until next year because of the delay in Brexit proceedings as well as cost constraints, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing two people familiar with the situation. Had Brexit taken place on March 29 as it was planned earlier, Goldman Sachs would have “wanted …

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