Bloomberg Japan’s economy is set to contract in the current quarter following growth that was better than first estimated in the first three months of the year, according to one of the country’s top economic forecasters. Gross domestic product is likely to shrink by 0.5 percent in the second quarter, Yoshiki Shinke, chief economist at Dai-Ichi Life Research, said in ...
Read More »Nissan hits out at Renault, leaving alliance on shaky ground
Bloomberg The decades-old alliance of Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co descended into open enmity as the two sides sparred over governance changes at the Japanese automaker, an apparent tit-for-tat following Nissan’s refusal to endorse a deal with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV. Nissan Chief Executive Officer Hiroto Saikawa said it was “most regrettable†that Renault planned to stymie board reforms, ...
Read More »Kazakhs elect former ruler’s ally as president amid protests
Bloomberg Kazakhs elected former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev’s favoured successor as president, signalling political continuity in central Asia’s biggest energy producer even as street protests flared and international observers attacked the conduct of the vote. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev won the ballot with 71 percent, defeating six other candidates, according to a central election commission statement broadcast by state TV, which put turnout ...
Read More »EU, Russia back same side between dueling Moldova government
Bloomberg The European Union and Russia have both come out in support of a coalition government in Moldova, long on the fault line between East and West, in a dispute that has left the country of 3.5 million with two presidents and two governments. The pro-Russian Socialist Party of President Igor Dodon made a surprise announcement it was forming a ...
Read More »Hong Kong vows to pursue extradition bill despite protest
Bloomberg Hong Kong’s leader pledged to press ahead with Beijing-backed legislation easing extraditions to China despite one of Hong Kong’s largest protests since the former British colony’s return more than two decades ago. Chief Executive Carrie Lam told reporters that the government “could see people are still concerned about the bill,†which would allow Hong Kong to enter into one-time ...
Read More »Conte warns populists on talks with Brussels
Bloomberg Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has a message for the quarrelsome populists who’ve run Italy’s coalition government over the last year: keep quiet, and let me do the talking. The government will be done if Italy can’t make a budget compromise with the European Union, Conte told Corriere della Sera. Without a deal, “we all risk to go home. For ...
Read More »UK issues warning of ‘attacks’ in Ghana
Bloomberg Islamist extremists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Ghana as their influence is spreading in West Africa, according to the UK Foreign Office. Groups associated with the regional offshoots of al-Qaeda and IS present a threat and have “demonstrated capability and intent by mounting attacks against security forces and civilians in several countries,†most recently in ...
Read More »Stocks advance, bonds slide following Mexico trade relief
Bloomberg US equity futures advanced on Monday together with stocks in Europe and Asia after President Donald Trump suspended plans for punitive tariffs on Mexican imports. Sovereign bonds fell across the board, along with gold and the yen, as demand for havens ebbed. Stock markets rose in much of Europe, though several exchanges including Germany’s closed for a holiday. Shares ...
Read More »Software firms pace India stocks rally as rupee’s fall continues
Bloomberg Indian equities advanced, driven by shares of software exporters as the rupee headed for a fall for the third straight day. Banks and financial stocks indexes, which initially advanced after the central bank eased bad-debt rules, retreated. The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex climbed 0.4 percent to 39,784.52 at the close in Mumbai, paring a gain of as much as ...
Read More »Russia stock market hits highest level since 2014
Bloomberg It has taken five years but Russian stocks have sprung back to levels they traded in 2014 before a meltdown sparked by US sanctions, oil-price collapse and a rocky float of the ruble had erased half of their value. The RTS Index, a dollar-denominated equivalent of the benchmark MOEX Russia Index, rose 0.5 percent on Monday after closing at ...
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