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Bloomberg US equities drifted lower as investors digested earnings reports and shifted focus to the Federal Reserve’s imminent rate decision. The dollar recovered from earlier losses to surge for a third straight session, while Treasuries were little changed. The S&P 500 Index declined in Wednesday trading, with healthcare and financial stocks among the laggards. Tech shares moved higher on the ...

Bloomberg There’s been lots of competition for the title of Asia’s best-performing stock market this year. Among the major equity indexes in the region, eight have climbed to records in the first four months alone. On Wednesday, Singapore’s Straits Times Index nudged higher, boosting this year’s gain to 6.2 percent in local currency terms, and took the top spot from ...

Bloomberg The Trump administration sought to temper expectations for a swift breakthrough on trade issues with China as a delegation of senior US officials prepares to visit Beijing this week. “It’s a big, big challenge. There’s a very different system over there and it’s a system that in all honesty has probably worked pretty well for the Chinese,” Trade Representative ...

Bloomberg Fortis Healthcare Ltd. shares extended their best monthly gain in more than three years after IHH Healthcare Bhd. and two Indian tycoons revised their offers in the race for the country’s second-largest hospital chain. The stock climbed 4.3 percent to 158.90 rupees, its highest close since March 15. Fortis shares gained 24 percent last month, the best performance since ...

Bloomberg Philippine inflation will ease from a five-year high once lawmakers approve a measure that will allow more rice imports, giving authorities scope to delay an interest rate increase, according to a senior economic planner. Inflation that climbed to 4.3 percent in March will cool by at least 1 percentage point once a law limiting overseas purchases of the nation’s ...

Bloomberg An Indian court halted Vedanta Ltd.’s takeover process for Electrosteel Steels Ltd. after a challenge by Renaissance Steel Ltd., a rival bidder. The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal has agreed to hear Renaissance Steel’s appeal against Vedanta’s revival plan for indebted Electrosteel on May 17, posing a legal hurdle for the first large steel defaulter to complete the bankruptcy ...

Bloomberg Apple Inc. turned in a strong quarter with revenue, profit and forecasts all coming in ahead of analysts’ estimates. But that isn’t necessarily good for the hundreds of iPhone suppliers around the world, contrary to the market’s knee-jerk reaction. Apple’s better-than-expected results stemmed in part from the sale of ancillary goodies from games to cloud storage. None of those ...

Bloomberg Australian authorities are formulating plans that would force public companies to reveal the proportion of women at various levels of their organisations, as well as steps they’re taking to increase female representation. ASX Ltd., which operates the country’s main stock exchange, wants businesses to formulate and disclose diversity policies, and also set representation targets for their boards, senior executives ...

Bloomberg Apple Inc.’s results confirmed that, while the days of double-digit smartphone industry growth are over, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has a plan to withstand the slowdown. The shares gained after the company reported iPhone sales in line with analysts’ expectations, gave a bullish revenue forecast and highlighted a surging services business. The numbers show that Cook’s strategy of ...

Bloomberg Euro-area economic growth slowed in the first quarter, posing a challenge for the European Central Bank as it contemplates paring back monetary stimulus measures. The 0.4 percent expansion was the weakest in six quarters and followed a reading of 0.7 percent at the end of 2017. While temporary factors such as bad weather played a part, another report showed ...