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 ...
Read More »Google to acquire Looker for $2.6b to boost cloud offerings
Bloomberg Alphabet Inc.’s Google agreed to buy Looker Data Sciences Inc. for $2.6 billion, expanding its offerings to help customers manage data in the cloud. The acquisition gives Google a new tool in its campaign to sell more cloud storage and software. So far, the company has struggled to compete with larger rivals Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. and late ...
Read More »UK factory output falls to 17-year low
Bloomberg UK manufacturing output fell the most in almost 17 years in April as the boost from Brexit stockpiling evaporated and car producers went ahead with planned shutdowns. The 3.9 percent decline, the most since June 2002, saw the economy as a whole shrink for a second straight month, Office for National Statistics figures show. Vehicle production plunged by a ...
Read More »Worst may be yet to come for US jobs as trade war intensifies
Bloomberg The slowdown in US hiring seen in the jobs report could get even worse, as President Donald Trump’s still-escalating trade war threatens further blows to employers. The May payroll figures — which missed all economist estimates and included steep downward revisions — translated into a four-month average jobs gain of 127,000. That’s the slowest since 2012, and compares with ...
Read More »Fiat teams with Silicon Valley’s Aurora on self-driving vehicles
Bloomberg Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV is partnering with Silicon Valley startup Aurora Innovation Inc. to develop and deploy a fleet of self-driving commercial vehicles in a bid to catch up with other automakers that have invested heavily in the technology. The two companies signed an agreement to integrate Aurora’s self-driving platform into Fiat Chrysler’s commercial vehicle lines in the US. ...
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