SE Asia—The global growth leader

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has much to crow about as it marks its 50th anniversary: economic and social progress, a manufacturing powerhouse and relative political stability. The 10 Asean members boast of some of the world’s fastest expanding economies like the Philippines and Vietnam, with growth rates of more than 6 percent. With a combined population of over ...

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This shipbuilder’s fortunes turn around

A recovery in demand for new bulk carriers has helped Singapore’s worst-performing stock in 2016 become its best this year. Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Holdings Ltd., which specializes in dry-bulk carriers, has rallied 83 percent in 2017 to lead the benchmark Straits Times Index. The Chinese shipbuilding firm has made a comeback after it won 13 contracts worth $318 million in the ...

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Why are they pouring big money into malls?

If you are one of those people who thinks America’s retail industry is doing just fine, well, there are three possibilities: You’ve been living under a rock; you think Amazon refers to a South American river; or you’re a real estate developer. As everything from once-mighty department stores to niche clothing chains announce plans to shutter hundreds of locations, and ...

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This town was left to die, and suddenly economists care

Suppose a bunch of economists were to show up in the Virginia town of South Boston to preach the benefits of free trade. How would local people react? In an old, red-brick tobacco warehouse near the Dan River, W.W. “Ted” Bennett Jr. ponders the question. The former state delegate looks over his shoulder, squints a bit, then says with southern ...

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Buffett approaches a milestone he dislikes

It’s a milestone Warren Buffett probably wishes he weren’t approaching. Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the conglomerate he’s run for more than five decades, reported that it held just shy of $100 billion in cash at the end of the second quarter. While that figure highlights the staggering money-making ability of the businesses he’s collected over the years, it’s also a burden. ...

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Baby boomers: Housing sector’s new dominant force

Jake Yanoviak is hunting for houses. On a weekday afternoon in North Philadelphia, the 23-year-old painter cruises along on his bike, its black paint obscured under stickers from breweries and rock bands. He turns onto a side street, where he spots a few elderly neighbors, standing on adjoining porches. He parks, leans on one handlebar and makes his pitch. “Anybody ...

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Dollar resumes slide; gold rises

Bloomberg US stocks slipped from records, while the dollar resumed its slide during a lackluster session Tuesday as dovish comments from Federal Reserve officials weighed on the market. Gold advanced. The S&P 500 Index fell in light trading, while European equities slumped. The euro joined most G-10 peers in advancing against the greenback. The 10-year Treasury yield edged higher, and ...

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Savola helps Saudi stocks rise; Air Arabia jumps on earnings

DUBAI / Reuters A surge by major food maker Savola helped Saudi Arabia’s stock market outperform a generally sluggish region on Tuesday, while Air Arabia jumped in Dubai on its second-quarter earnings. The Saudi stock index rose 0.5 percent as Savola, which had been in an uptrend for the last few days, gained 4.0 percent in its heaviest trade for ...

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Second inflation shocker turns focus to Bank of Russia game

Bloomberg Delivering yet another jolt to Russia’s central bank, last month brought a new surprise after an inflationary shock in June. The unexpected reading in the consumer-price index pushed it below the Bank of Russia’s target of 4 percent months ahead of a year-end deadline, as a surge in food costs fizzled out. But when it comes to the direction ...

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Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse fall in wealth manager ranking

Bloomberg Wealth managers’ revenue stagnated last year even as firms boosted assets by almost 4 percent, highlighting how the pressure on fees is increasingly spreading to the lucrative business of managing rich people’s money. Companies responded by cutting expenses to bring the cost-income ratio, a measure of profitability, below 80 percent for the first time since 2012, according to a ...

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