Ofo eyes global expansion after raising over $700mn

Bloomberg Chinese bike-rental startup Ofo Inc. raised more than $700 million in its latest funding round to expand its business globally amid rising domestic competition with Beijing Mobike Technology Co. and more than a dozen rivals. The series E round is led by billionaire Jack Ma’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Hony Capital and Citic Private Equity, according to an emailed ...

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Japan’s economic growth gains momentum

Bloomberg Japan’s economy is running the hottest relative to capacity since the global financial crisis. More than four years after the Bank of Japan launched its radical monetary easing, key conditions are aligning in its long battle to truly escape from deflation. The latest reading of the nation’s output gap is another milestone on the journey to that escape, economists ...

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‘Singapore luxury home prices set to recover’

Bloomberg Singapore’s luxury home prices, which have been the worst hit by the government’s property curbs in recent years, are finally showing signs of a recovery, according to developer Guocoland Ltd. High-end home sales in the city-state had been on an upswing even before the government in March eased some of its cooling measures in place since 2009, according to ...

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G-20 forges compromise on trade as US tariff threat looms

Bloomberg World leaders reached a compromise on trade at the Group of 20 summit as officials agreed to fight protectionism while tacitly recognizing US President Donald Trump’s concerns about excess steel capacity and what he says are unfair trade practices. Hours after the agreement was struck early on Saturday, the final statement nonetheless left the U.S. isolated on climate change, ...

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Allianz, Columbia form $1.3bn US real estate venture

Bloomberg Allianz SE, Europe’s biggest insurer, is partnering with Columbia Property Trust Inc. to create a $1.26 billion joint venture for US real estate. The Munich-based insurer contributed an office tower at 114 Fifth Ave. in Manhattan that’s valued at $220 million to the partnership, Allianz’s real estate unit said in a statement. Columbia added University Circle, a $540 million ...

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Mexico no longer top US corn-buyer after trade tensions

Bloomberg Mexico is no longer the biggest buyer of corn from the US, a sign that trade tensions are pushing American grain toward other markets while its southern neighbor lines up new suppliers. Sales to Mexico through May were $1.04 billion, down 6.7 percent from a year earlier, the US Department of Agriculture said in a monthly update. That contrasts ...

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Fines for fuel economy shortfalls under review by US

Bloomberg The Trump administration is considering easing steeper fines proposed by Obama-era regulators for automakers that don’t meet tougher fuel economy standards, a move that would give a break largely to luxury brands like Jaguar, BMW and Porsche that have paid the highest penalties in the past. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a regulatory filing it will ...

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Manhattan home sales surge as price discounts draw in buyers

Bloomberg Manhattan homebuyers found deals they couldn’t refuse in the second quarter, driving up sales of previously owned properties by the most in more than two years. Purchases of resale homes jumped 16 percent from a year earlier to 2,597, according to a report by appraiser Miller Samuel Inc. and brokerage Douglas Elliman Real Estate. Buyer interest was fueled by ...

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Be grateful for brave Americans in Syria

For this Independence Day, at a moment when the tone of our political life would probably shame our Founders, here are snapshots of some brave American soldiers and civilians I met inside Syria last week who should make us all proud. Let’s start with a bearded sergeant major from Oklahoma. He’s driving an armored SUV down a dusty road toward ...

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Don’t blame China’s politics for this Korean car crash

Executives at South Korea’s carmakers recently blamed strained Chinese relations for a massive sales shortfall in the world’s largest auto market. Foreign affairs only partly explains the story. Just as Bejing’s boycott over Seoul’s plan to host a US missile defense system hurt Korean makeup and toy brands, it also hit the auto industry: in the first half of the ...

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