Record slump in Chinese auto market continues in September

Bloomberg Chinese auto sales fell in September for the 15th month in 16, extending their unprecedented slump despite government efforts to support the world’s largest car market. Sales of sedans, sport utility vehicles, minivans and multipurpose vehicles dropped 6.6% from a year earlier to 1.81 million units, the China Passenger Car Association (PCA) said. The only increase since mid-2018 came ...

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Tencent streams NBA games as Chinese state TV blackout persists

Bloomberg Tencent Holdings live-streamed two National Basketball Association (NBA) games played outside of China on Monday, even as the nation’s top broadcaster shuns the league because of a controversy around Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. The Chinese social media giant aired a game between the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors and another between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Minnesota Timberwolves, according to ...

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Chinese shoppers, investors losing their appetite for gold

Bloomberg China’s shoppers and investors lost their appetite for gold this year — and there’s little expectation of any major improvement in 2020 as slowing growth and higher prices crimp consumer spending. Jewellery consumption is forecast to drop 4% to about 660 tons this year, according to forecasts from Metals Focus Ltd, while a decline of more than 20% to ...

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Hong Kong cuts banks’ capital buffers

Bloomberg Hong Kong took measures on Monday to help banks put more money in the hands of local businesses in a move to shore up the city’s deteriorating economy after months of unrest. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority, which operates like a de facto central bank, said it would reduce the amount of capital lenders have to maintain. The move ...

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Total buys 37.4% stake in Adani Gas for $600m

Bloomberg French energy giant Total SA is spending $600 million to expand its presence in one of the world’s fastest-growing natural gas markets. Total agreed to purchase a 37.4% stake in India’s Adani Gas Ltd., a distributor of the fuel that’s developing import terminals and a national chain of vehicle-filling outlets. The deal gives the French company a footprint in ...

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Apple’s lower prices, users’ aging handsets drive iPhone demand

Bloomberg Apple Inc is seeing higher iPhone demand than it expected, thanks to two forces consumers find hard to resist: falling prices and the inevitable aging of older models. Since missing holiday sales targets last year, the company has cut some prices and offered more attractive trade-in deals. The iPhone 11 went on sale at $699 — $50 below the ...

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Labour nationalisation plan to cost UK $250bn, says CBI

Bloomberg Jeremy Corbyn’s promise to take UK privatised companies back into public ownership if his Labour Party wins power will cost almost $250 billion, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). In an analysis published on Monday, the business lobby said the 196 billion-pound cost of nationalising the energy, water and rail industries, plus the postal service, will push ...

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Porsche steps up Tesla battle with ‘Taycan’

Bloomberg Porsche is intensifying its battle against Tesla with the unveiling of $116,590 version of the electric Taycan that’s pitched at a similar price point to the top-line version of the US company’s Model S. The entry-level Taycan 4S is available for pre-orders now and will enter showrooms in early January, the Volkswagen AG brand said. The model follows Porsche’s ...

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Lamborghini review marks step in VW’s march to $220b

Bloomberg Volkswagen AG’s plan to review options for its Lamborghini supercar division marks a further step in Chief Executive Officer Herbert Diess’s campaign to transform the world’s biggest automaker and more than double its market value. The German manufacturer is weighing a potential sale or stock listing for the Italian brand, according to people familiar with the matter, as Diess ...

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Rogue pension advisers to face jail in Britain

Bloomberg British financial advisers and pension managers face jail and increased fines under proposed legislation announced during the Queen’s Speech to mark the new parliamentary term. Penalties for the most serious offenses will carry a maximum sentence of seven years and a $1.26 million fine, according to a briefing note that accompanied a speech read by the Queen to UK ...

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