September 17, 2021 MADRID (Reuters) – The European Central Bank is not foreseeing an interest hike in the euro zone in 2023, ECB policymaker Pablo Hernandez de Cos said on Friday. The comments from De Cos came after ECB chief economist Philip Lane revealed in a private meeting with German economists that the ECB expected […]
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Hong Kong proposes allowing SPAC listings restricted to professional investors
September 17, 2021 HONG KONG (Reuters) -The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, on Friday, proposed changing its rules to allow Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) to list, a bid to tap the frenzy for such investment vehicles in the United States earlier this year. The proposal is open for public consultation, with the deadline for […]
Unfreeze Afghan assets abroad, neighbour Uzbekistan says
September 17, 2021 MOSCOW (Reuters) – Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev urged other nations on Friday to unfreeze Afghanistan’s assets kept in foreign banks to facilitate dialogue with the Taliban government in Kabul. Following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has said any central bank assets the Afghan government has in the […]
Infineon opens Austrian power-chip plant ahead of schedule
September 17, 2021 VILLACH, Austria (Reuters) – Infineon Technologies opened a 1.6 billion euro ($1.9 billion) plant in Austria on Friday, boosting the German semiconductor company’s ability to supply power chips for cars, datacenters and renewable power generation. The plant in Villach, ready three months early, will make chips on 300 mm wafers thinner than […]
Facebook rolls out new messaging, business tools for brands
September 17, 2021 By Sheila Dang (Reuters) – Facebook Inc is rolling out new ways for businesses to find and chat with potential customers on its apps, the social media company said Thursday, as it seeks to become an online shopping destination. The new features will help Facebook, already a leader in digital advertising, offer […]
Infineon CEO: We expect chip prices to rise significantly
September 17, 2021 VILLACH, Austria (Reuters) – Infineon CEO Reinhard Ploss said on Friday that he expected silicon chip prices to rise significantly, adding that semiconductor makers needed to cover the cost of investments to meet booming demand. “We expect significant price increases,” Ploss told a news conference at an opening ceremony for Infineon’s new […]
Tencent says will allow WeChat users to access rivals’ links
September 17, 2021 SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Tencent Holdings said its popular WeChat messaging app will start allowing users to access external links from Friday, days after regulators told the company and its rivals to end a long-standing practice of blocking each other’s links. The company said it had revised WeChat’s content management rules in a […]
UAE could invest further $1.4 billion in Britain this year, UK trade official says
September 17, 2021 DUBAI (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates could invest at least a further 1 billion pounds ($1.4 billion) in the United Kingdom this year after pledging 10 billion pounds this week to its investment partnership with the British government. The UK’s Trade Commissioner to the Middle East, Simon Penney, told Reuters on […]
Safaricom confirms $300 million Kenya Power smart meter proposal
September 17, 2021 NAIROBI (Reuters) – Kenyan telecoms operator Safaricom,, said on Friday it had submitted a proposal to Kenya Power for the installation of a $300 million smart meter system at the utility, confirming documents seen by Reuters. The telecoms firm said in a statement it was now waiting for feedback from the state […]
U.S. Speaker Pelosi: Capitalism has not served our economy as well as it could
September 17, 2021 LONDON (Reuters) – Capitalism has not served the U.S. economy as well as it could have, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday, saying that the system needed to be improved. “In America, capitalism is our system, it is our economic system, but it has not served our economy […]
Candidates for Japan PM want to fight income disparities
September 17, 2021 By Kiyoshi Takenaka and Elaine Lies TOKYO (Reuters) -Candidates vying to become Japan’s next prime minister launched their campaigns on Friday, promising to restore popular trust in the ruling party by tackling issues such as income disparity, the coronavirus pandemic and climate change. A scheduled leadership race for the ruling Liberal Democratic […]
China applies to join Pacific trade pact to boost economic clout
September 17, 2021 BEIJING (Reuters) -Japan said it would have to determine if China meets the “extremely high standards” of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) after the world’s second-biggest economy formally applied to join. Commerce Minister Wang Wentao submitted China’s application to join the free trade agreement in a letter to […]
Next to operate Gap brand in Britain
September 17, 2021 LONDON (Reuters) – British clothing retailer Next has struck a deal with Gap Inc, to run the Gap brand’s business in the UK and Ireland as a franchise partner. The deal will allow the U.S. firm to retain a presence in the UK and Ireland having closed its shops in those markets […]
U.S. House Speaker Pelosi cautions Britain over Northern Irish peace deal
September 17, 2021 LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi cautioned Britain on Friday that if the Northern Irish peace deal was destroyed then there would be no post-Brexit trade deal with the United States. The United States has expressed grave concern that a row between London and Brussels over the implementation […]
Biden convenes world leaders to discuss climate change ahead of Glasgow summit
September 17, 2021 By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden convenes world leaders on Friday for a discussion about intensifying efforts to tackle climate change, seeking to build momentum ahead of an international summit on global warming later this year. Biden will hold a virtual meeting of the Major Economies Forum (MEF) from […]
Column: Pound hesitates in face of early BoE hike
September 17, 2021 By Mike Dolan LONDON (Reuters) – Although markets have become increasingly aggressive in pricing a UK interest rate rise as soon as next May – several months at least before the United States or euro zone – sterling seems reluctant to follow. Bank of England policymakers meet next week and, according to […]
UK public inflation expectations tick higher in August: BoE survey
September 17, 2021 LONDON (Reuters) – The British public’s expectations for consumer prices over the coming year rose last month but remained at levels similar to early this year and late last year, a Bank of England survey showed on Friday. Inflation expectations for the year ahead rose to 2.7% in August from 2.4% in […]
JPMorgan to launch digital bank Chase in Britain next week
September 17, 2021 LONDON (Reuters) -JPMorgan is set to launch its big assault on British high street banks and online lenders from next week, with the launch of its long-planned digital retail bank Chase. The venture – JPMorgan’s first overseas retail bank – is set to launch its smartphone app initially offering current accounts on […]
Australia at centre of Indo-Pacific alliances to counter China
September 17, 2021 By Kirsty Needham SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia finds itself as the common link in a new mesh of global alliances centred on the Indo-Pacific that are all but in name aimed at countering China’s rising military power and economic clout. Canberra’s 70-year-old defence alliance with Washington already commits Australia to act in […]
Unfreeze Afghan assets abroad, neighbour Uzbekistan says
September 17, 2021 MOSCOW (Reuters) – Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev urged other nations on Friday to unfreeze Afghanistan’s assets kept in foreign banks to facilitate dialogue with the Taliban government in Kabul. Following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has said any central bank assets the Afghan government has in the […]