Business

European stocks carve steady path amid Trump presidency, Brexit

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Global stock markets edged higher Thursday, buoyed by firmer prices on Wall Street, but investors remained cautious overall amid lingering uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s policy agenda and the outlook for Britain’s Brexit negotiations with the European Union, traders said. “Stocks are still in a bit of a holding pattern with traders lacking a bit of conviction,” said Jasper Lawler at London Capital Group. “A positive open in the United […]

Asia markets slip but oil jump helps energy firms

by Danny McCord Agence France-Presse Asian markets turned negative Thursday following two days of gains, but energy firms were lifted by an oil rally while the pound held up after Britain formally triggered talks to leave the European Union. Trading floors turned red at the start of the week as Donald Trump’s failure to push through his healthcare reform fuelled worries about the prospects for his economy-boosting agenda. Regional traders had regained some confidence since […]

Tokyo shares down; Toshiba jumps on chip sale approval

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Tokyo shares slipped Thursday, though Toshiba jumped after shareholders agreed to the sale of its memory chip unit to cover huge losses stemming from the company’s troubled nuclear business. Investors had few strong leads with Britain’s formal move to exit the EU on Wednesday already priced into the market, analysts said. Investors are also taking a cautious approach to US President Donald Trump’s economic policies after a humiliating setback on his […]

Samsung eyes rebound with Galaxy S8 phones, virtual assistant

by Thomas URBAIN Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States – Samsung on Wednesday unveiled its new Galaxy S8 smartphones, incorporating the virtual assistant Bixby, as the market leader seeks to rebound from a chaotic handset recall and a corruption scandal. The South Korean giant’s mobile chief DJ Koh told a New York event the Galaxy S8 and S8+ handsets marked “a new era of smartphone design.” Fitted with screens of 5.8 and 6.2 inches, the […]

Asian markets down on fears about future of Trump agenda

  HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Asian markets fell Monday and the dollar struggled on fears the collapse of Donald Trump’s repeal of Obamacare could mean he will struggle to push through his promised tax-cut and infrastructure spending policies. In a severe early blow to the new administration, the healthcare reform was pulled Friday as it failed to garner enough support among Trump’s Republican party, who have a majority in both houses of Congress. While […]

EU commits 6.1-m euros in trade assistance to Philippines

The European Union (EU) has committed some 6.1 million euros to the Philippines under phase four of the trade-related and technical assistance project. EU Ambassador to the Philippines Franz Jessen on Tuesday, March 28, confirmed this during the closing ceremony of the TRTA-3 in Pasig City. The EU envoy said that the support under TRTA-4 will be for the next four years. The EU and the Philippines started the TRTA in 2005. The TRTA-3, which ran from […]

London Stansted airport runway closed due to protest

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The runway at London’s Stansted airport was temporarily closed on Tuesday after a protest organizers said was aimed at stopping deportations to Nigeria. Eight inbound flights were diverted after the runway was closed at around 10:00 p.m. (2100 GMT) “while police dealt with a number of individuals who had entered a remote area of the airfield,” an airport spokesperson said. “The situation was quickly contained but the police carried out […]

Samsung to sell recalled Note 7 phones as “rental” devices

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Samsung announced Monday it would sell some Note 7 smartphones that were recalled for safety reasons as refurbished devices, in an effort to manage its stockpile in an “environmentally friendly” manner. The South Korean giant, the world’s largest smartphone maker, said it would sell Note 7s as “refurbished phones or rental phones,” after consultations with regulators in various markets. Samsung recalled an estimated four million of the flagship smartphones over concerns […]

Britain’s new coin goes into circulation

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain’s new £1 coin with the symbols of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland goes into circulation from Tuesday on the eve of the launch of a Brexit process that has put national unity in doubt. The 12-sided coin is the first change to the shape of the £1 coin since its introduction in 1983. Britain’s finance ministry said the new coin would be “the most secure of its kind […]

Toshiba’s US atomic unit could file for bankruptcy soon: report

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Shares in Toshiba plunged Monday on a report that said its loss-hit United States nuclear unit could be placed into bankruptcy protection as early as this week. Westinghouse Electric could file for Chapter 11 on Tuesday, while the troubled unit is eyeing Korea Electric Power to help with a subsequent restructuring, Japan’s Nikkei business daily said, without citing sources. The two firms have an existing technology partnership. Toshiba’s Tokyo-listed stock opened […]

Brexit job fears stalk Britain’s financial centers

by Roland JACKSON / Jean-Baptiste OUBRIER Agence France Presse MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) — Worries are whirring in Britain’s smaller financial centers — which together employ far more people than the glamorous City of London — that the looming EU departure will lead to heavy job losses. In Manchester’s buzzing finance district of Spinningfields, a worker at an insurance company said he thought it would have “a huge impact”. “Business are going to pull out, […]

New Zealand in free-trade push ahead of China Premier Li visit

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (Reuters) — New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English on Friday (March 24) announced a renewed push to promote free trade in his first major trade policy announcement since taking over as leader last December. New Zealand’s $180 billion economy depends on exports, and the country lobbied hard in favour of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. It wants to push for an expansion of a free-trade agreement with China at a meeting with […]