SYDNEY Asian shares inched to 19-month highs on Tuesday as the potential for economic stimulus in the United States underpinned the dollar, bond yields and Wall Street stocks. Yet caution bled into markets ahead of testimony by the head of the Federal Reserve, which could highlight the likelihood of two or more U.S. interest rate hikes this year. Japanese shares also ran into trouble after Toshiba Corp […]
Tuesday 04:40 GMT. Overview Equities in Asia were struggling ahead of comments by Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen and as oil prices climbed back from a drop spurred by a report indicating output from the US was set to pick up. Hot topic Stock markets in the region deteriorated in afternoon trading, with Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 flat after giving up an early gain of 0.4 per cent, […]
Last year, Google Chrome was the speediest Windows 10 web browser by a mile. This year, it’s a different story. Picking out the best Windows 10 web browser isn’t easy at all. The worse, however, by a country mile, is Internet Explorer 11. sjvn To put today’s browsers to the test I ran them on the latest shipping edition of Windows 10 Home: Version 10240.17236. I ran […]
Some people get together to casually Netflix and chill. Then there are the couples that are more serious and have been together for a few seasons. But when it comes to Netflix cheating, even the most in love couples are at risk. There is so much temptation these days thanks to automatic plays of the next episode. But couples should beware, because even though you promise to […]
By Svetlana Reiter and Pavel Miledin | MOSCOW MOSCOW Moscow city authorities have given the green light for construction of an exclusive health clinic which, according to technical plans seen by Reuters and medical sources, is designed to treat President Vladimir Putin and senior officials. A Reuters special report published last month described how the planned unit was to be fitted with communications systems that under Russian […]
By Angus McDowall | ALEPPO, Syria ALEPPO, Syria In the rubble-strewn square outside Aleppo’s ancient citadel and under the scorched vaults of its covered souk, workmen are starting to mend the destruction of a war that has shattered the Syrian city’s priceless historical heritage. About 20 volunteers sorted through the debris in Khan al-Gumruk, one of the souk’s great medieval inns, piling up the stones from a […]
|By Matein Khalid| The US Dollar Index has now fallen 3.5% since it peaked on January 3. Donald Trump and his White House aides broke the 20 year taboo against speaking out against the “strong dollar” policy platitudes. The Federal Reserve did not raise interest rates and signaled no rate hike is imminent at the March FOMC. It is significant that the US dollar has fallen against […]
Almost 20 US banks have been specifically targeted by Lazarus hackers. Image: iStock An aggressive campaign of malware attacks against dozens of banks across the globe has been linked to the notorious cybercriminal group known as Lazarus. The hacking gang, active since 2009, has been involved in a number of aggressive cyberattacks against financial institutions, including the theft of $81m from the Bangladesh Bank’s US Federal Reserve. […]
DUBAI// Schools are likely to face higher operating costs, lower profit margins and a scramble for the best teachers, according to education experts. An extra 175,000 school places are expected to be created in the UAE by 2020, 90 per cent of which will be in the private sector. The findings from the PwC Middle East published Understanding the GCC Education Sector, Country Profile: UAE report, states […]
Jeb Hensarling did not hold back last week, when asked on CNBC about the flaws of Dodd-Frank. “It clogs the arteries of capitalism in our system. It hurts working people. It hurts consumers. It needs to go,” said the chair of the House Financial Services Committee, about the signature piece of financial regulation of the Obama era. “You can’t get a healthy economy as long as you […]
KABUL The number of Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan, already at the highest level in years, may increase this year if Pakistan maintains its forceful policies, Human Rights Watch said on Monday. Last year, hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees left Pakistan, a 12-year-high that the rights group called the “world’s largest unlawful mass forced return of refugees in recent times”. Aid workers and Afghan officials worry […]
It’s old news by now that way more than half of digital traffic comes through the side doors of social media and search rather than a reader selecting from a home page menu. That’s OK, the theory goes, because at least readers are exposed to the content and will take note of the source. But that brand-building effect may be much weaker than supposed, a new Pew […]
By Tetsushi Kajimoto and Stanley White | TOKYO TOKYO Japan’s economy grew for a fourth straight quarter in the final three months of last year as a weaker yen supported exports, but tepid private consumption and the risks of rising U.S. protectionism cast doubts over a sustainable recovery. Data on Monday showed the world’s third-largest economy grew an annualized 1.0 percent in October-December, roughly in line with […]
Top White House aide and policy adviser, Stephen Miller, sidestepped repeated chances during Sunday news shows to publicly defend embattled National Security Adviser Michael Flynn following reports that he engaged in conversations with Russian diplomat(s) about U.S. sanctions before Trump’s inauguration. The uncertainty came as Trump was dealing with North Korea’s apparent first missile launch of the year and his presidency, along with visits this week from […]
Japan’s economy grew at an annualised pace of 1 per cent in the final quarter of 2016 as yen weakness spurred a pick-up in exports and business investment. The figure, which was broadly in line with analysts’ expectations for a 1.1 per cent rise, confirms Japan’s economy is back on track after a wobble last summer. Robust growth will reinforce the political popularity of Prime Minister Shinzo […]
The UK is set to import its first ever cargo of liquefied natural gas from Peru as a pricing dispute forces shipments to Europe, with growing supplies of the supercooled fuel carving out new export routes. Peru LNG loaded a vessel this week that has its destination listed as the UK, according to data on Lima-based Perupetro’s website. It is carrying about 61,146 metric tonnes of LNG. […]
Sarah Tew iPad sales are awful. Truly awful, and while CEO Tim Cook might be bullish about the tablet’s future, Apple desperately needs to do something to turn sales around if it’s going to come off life support. Must read: Does your iPhone have a battery drain problem? “We’ve got some exciting things coming on iPad,” Cook said during Apple’s last financial conference call, “and I’m optimistic […]
Here are the big questions facing investors ahead of a new trading week. How long does a reprieve for French bonds last? After a burst of selling early last week, French debt was granted a reprieve with the 10-year benchmark yield easing back below 1.10 per cent. In turn, the divergence over 10-year Bund yields also pulled back from a four-year plus high. Traders remain nervous after […]
RIYADH U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday the U.N. envoy to Yemen had his full support, days after Yemen’s Houthi group asked him not to renew the diplomat’s term due to what it said was bias against the Iranian-aligned movement. “Our envoy has my full support and I believe that he is doing an impartial work, that he is doing it in a very professional way […]
The latest retailer to join the “anti-Trump resistance“, is also the one which despite being closest to death managed to crush short sellers on Friday after its stock soared on the announcement of yet another hail ymary restructuring: according to Reuters, Sears and Kmart are discontinuing online sales of 31 Trump Home items. An obvious publicity stunt meant to distract the public’s attention from the company’s chronic […]
PNC Menon is a busy man — it takes several months to lock an interview into his diary. But on the day of our meeting in Dubai, the Indian-born real estate developer exudes characteristic warmth and courtesy, refusing to allow Arabian Business to leave without a bowl of Middle Eastern halva and repeatedly asking whether we have enough milk in our tea. A long-term UAE resident and […]
Opec countries drastically curbed their output in the first month of their new production agreement, in the clearest sign to date that the world’s biggest oil producers are committed to living up to the November pact to cut global supplies. The limits adopted by the oil cartel in January have been “one of the deepest in the history of Opec output cut initiatives”, the International Energy Agency […]
ERBIL, Iraq Western-backed Syrian forces should isolate Islamic State’s de facto capital in Syria “by the spring” before an offensive on the city itself, British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said on Saturday. The Syrian Democratic Forces, which includes the powerful Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, launched the campaign on Raqqa in November. It announced this month the start of a new phase in the offensive, aiming to complete […]
The European government bond market had what is known in technical circles as a minor freak-out this week. Yet as yields in eurozone bonds diverged sharply, the markets for stocks, corporate debt and currencies carried on regardless. The Cac 40 index of large French-listed companies was barely changed on the week. The euro weakened per cent against the US dollar, but at the same time the dollar […]
