Financial News

A look at the day ahead in markets from Saikat Chatterjee Markets breathed a sigh of relief after the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken agreed to a meeting with …

BEIJING -China’s state planner on Friday issued rules to promote a faster recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in the services sector, including providing tax incentives to the catering, retail, tourism …

By Leigh Thomas PARIS -France’s unemployment rate fell in the final quarter of last year to the lowest level since 2008, data showed on Friday, boosting Emmanuel Macron’s economic credentials …

By Gayatri Suroyo JAKARTA – Indonesia booked a current account surplus for the first time in a decade in 2021, data showed on Friday, but its balance of payments came …

By Byron Kaye SYDNEY -Australia’s New South Wales state ordered employers of freelance delivery drivers such as Amazon.com Inc to pay a minimum rate, a decision hailed by a union …

OSLO -Norwegian Air reported on Friday a full-year profit for 2021 in a turnaround from losses suffered the previous year, and said booking trends point to busier travel ahead for …

– South African insurer Discovery forecast on Friday a higher half-yearly profit, supported by new clients at its health insurance business and adequate provisions to cushion the impact of coronavirus-related …

TOKYO – Japan’s consumer inflation may exceed 1% but will remain distant from the central bank’s 2% target, a senior Bank of Japan official said on Friday. “Japan’s economy has …

BEIJING -A handful of Chinese cities are starting to relax down-payment rules for home purchases in a bid to re-ignite buyer interest and put a floor under local economies weakened …

SEOUL – Tesla Inc changed an advertisement about the driving range for its Model 3 in South Korea after an antitrust regulator found that the automaker exaggerated the specifications of …

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s Sime Darby Plantation Berhad reported a higher fourth-quarter net profit on Friday, fuelled by rising prices of palm oil, and said it expected production to pick …

JOHANNESBURG -South African retailer Massmart Holdings flagged on Friday a wider annual loss of up to 1.6 billion rand ($106 million), hurt by store damage and lower trading income due …

By Helen Coster – Details about former U.S. President Donald Trump’s new social media app are trickling out as about 500 beta testers have begun using an early version of …

JOHANNESBURG – Africa’s largest mobile operator by subscriber numbers, MTN said on Friday its profits for the year to Dec. 31 would probably rise by up to 35%, without giving …

-Sika posted a 27.1% jump in full-year net profit on Friday and proposed a 16% higher dividend, as the Swiss construction chemicals maker benefited from an upturn in building projects …

By Jane Lanhee Lee SAN FRANCISCO -Intel Corp expects its profit margin to drop this year and then be steady for several years as it invests in new technologies and …

TAIPEI – Taiwan’s export orders likely rose in January for the 23rd straight month, a Reuters poll showed on Friday, supported by sustained global demand for semiconductors and tech products. …

TOKYO – Core consumer prices in Tokyo likely rose in February at a faster rate than in the previous month on surging fuel costs, underlining the prospect of price pressures …

By Vivek Mishra BENGALURU – Thailand’s economy likely returned to growth in the fourth quarter thanks to robust exports and easing of COVID-19 curbs, but the suspension of a quarantine …

SHANGHAI – China’s “dynamic clearance” strategy aimed at minimising COVID-19 infections is boosting the economy, not undermining it, the country’s top anti-corruption body said on Friday in response to concerns …

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON – The next head of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will face challenges overseeing Boeing Co and a series of reforms mandated by Congress in …

By Daniel Leussink TOKYO – Japan’s core consumer prices rose for a fifth straight month in January but at a slower pace than in the previous month, boosting the likelihood …

By Florence Tan SINGAPORE -Spot premiums for crude oil produced in Europe and the Middle East have rocketed to record highs this month, tracking a rally in global prices as …

By Yuka Obayashi and Heekyong Yang TOKYO/SEOUL -Asian refiners, traditionally big buyers of Iranian oil, are keen to resume imports from Iran if there is an agreement to revive a …

By John Kemp LONDON -U.S. distillate fuel oil stocks are on course to fall critically low between now and the middle of the year, creating conditions for a potential spike …