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HSBC has beaten analysts’ expectations for its first-quarter results as strong trading conditions, rising interest rates and a weaker dollar lifted earnings, bringing welcome relief from its heavy miss at the end of last year. Pre-tax profits, adjusted for one-offs and currency moves, reached $5.9bn, surpassing consensus forecasts of $5.3bn. Shares opened up 3.4 per cent in London trading, hitting 668.30p. Europe’s biggest bank by assets, which […]

What are the major drivers of Twitter take-up, in Australia and elsewhere? Do we connect around shared interests, shared location, or pre-existing offline relationships? And when, in the eleven-year history of the platform, did these structures form? These are the questions that guided a new, long-term study of the Australian national Twittersphere that my colleagues and I have undertaken. Drawing on , a major multi-institutional facility for […]

By Rishika Sadam and David Ingram Facebook Inc reported surging quarterly profit and revenue on Wednesday, helped by its fast-growing mobile ad business, but its shares dipped from a record high in after-hours trading as investors showed some nervousness about future earnings. The world’s biggest online social network, which is nearing the five-year anniversary of its initial public offering, is searching for new types of advertising features […]

Freight volumes of Middle East carriers increased by more than 16 percent in March on a year-on-year basis, according to new figures released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). IATA said that while capacity increased 2.7 percent, international freight volumes increased 16.4 percent year-on-year in March – the fastest pace since June 2015. Seasonally-adjusted freight volumes maintained their upward trend as the year-on-year growth rate recovered […]

Digitization identified as key for region to retain leadership in global logistics landscape Dubai, United Arab Emirates, May 4 2017  Supply chain optimization took center stage at the ninth GPCA Supply Chain Conference, which took place between 2-4 May 2017 at the Rosewood Hotel in Abu Dhabi. During the event, speakers highlighted logistical efficiency as a top industry priority in the GCC as traditional supply chains across […]

China has rapidly emerged as the leading issuer of green bonds, spurring excitement among the green finance community that they will help the world’s largest emitter reduce its choking pollution. But although the amount raised is carefully tracked, how the money is being spent is less clear. China issued $36bn of green bonds in 2016, up from almost none the year before, and analysts expect it to […]

By Nichola Saminather | SINGAPORE SINGAPORE Asian stocks retreated on Thursday, taking their cues from a subdued session on Wall Street, while the dollar retained gains made after the Federal Reserve delivered a hawkish policy statement. At the end of its two-day meeting, the Fed kept its benchmark interest rate steady as expected, but downplayed weak first-quarter economic growth and emphasized the strength of the labor market, […]

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Sign up to receive FirstFT by email here The Federal Reserve said it believed the recent slowdown in US growth was likely to prove temporary as it stayed on course for a further increase in short-term interest rates as soon as June. The US central bank kept its target range for the federal funds rate at 0.75 per cent to 1 per cent following its latest two-day meeting. In […]

By Lindsay Dunsmuir and Jason Lange | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The U.S. Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday and downplayed weak first-quarter economic growth while emphasizing the strength of the labor market, in a sign it was still on track for two more rate rises this year. In a bullish statement following the end of a two-day policy meeting, the central bank also said consumer spending […]

By Clement Uwiringiyimana | KIGALI KIGALI An independent woman candidate announced on Wednesday she would challenge President Paul Kagame, joining two other candidates hoping to defeat him in August elections after 17 years in office. Diane Rwigara, a 35-year-old accountant, said she would work to eradicate poverty, injustice and promote freedom if elected. She does not belong to any political party. Kagame is widely admired for restoring […]

The more The New York Times gets trashed by President Trump, the more its subscriptions seem to surge. The New York Times on Wednesday reported the addition of 308,000 net digital subscribers in the first quarter of 2017, the most of any quarter in the newspaper’s history, pushing it past the 2 million subscriber mark. Subscriptions to the company’s news products fall just shy of 2 million, […]

The US dollar and Treasury yields held on to their gains after the Federal Reserve said the first-quarter growth slowdown is probably “transitory,” potentially setting the stage for a rate rise this summer. The buck was recently up by 0.4 per cent against the Japanese yen, near the highs of the day. Meanwhile, the euro was off by 0.17 per cent against the greenback, close to session […]

By Nick Carey and Joseph White | DETROIT DETROIT Automotive supplier Delphi Automotive Plc (DLPH.N) on Wednesday said it plans to spin off operations tied to internal combustion engines and focus on technology for electrically powered and self-driving vehicles, boosting its share price and highlighting the challenges for legacy auto industry players. Vehicles driven by humans and powered with petroleum will dominate roads from Shanghai to San […]

DUBAI // Education systems in the Middle East must improve and the root causes of youth ­unemployment have to be tackled, experts say. A panel on Wednesday responded to the findings of the Arab Youth Survey saying public schools in the region were not preparing young Arabs for the challenges of the future jobs market. “Curricula are a big problem in this region,” said Roy Haddad, director […]

Ecobee unveiled its latest connected thermostat at the Collision conference today. Far and away the most interesting bit is its inclusion of a microphone that utilizes Amazon’s far-field voice recognition to deliver Alexa functionality. And if that weren’t enough Alexa in your life, the company will also be building Amazon’s smart assistant directly into smart light switches it has planned for later in the year. The Ecobee4 […]

Sprint on Wednesday delivered mixed fourth quarter financial results. The Overland Park, Kansas-based company reported a net loss of $283 million, or seven cents per share, compared to a loss of $554 million, or 14 cents per share, the year prior. The nation’s fourth-largest wireless carrier posted net operating revenue of $8.54 billion, up five percent above the previous year. Wall Street was expecting a loss of […]

Yum Brands Inc (YUM.N) posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by lower taxes, vigorous sales of Taco Bell’s Naked Chicken Chalupas and lower costs at KFC restaurants. Shares of the company were up 1.7 percent at $67.45 before the opening bell on Wednesday. Sales rose 8 percent at Taco Bell restaurants open for more than a year, topping the 3.7 percent growth expected by analysts polled by […]

When Northwestern University’s men’s basketball team finally made it to the NCAA’s “March Madness” for the first time this year, it was validation of the growth of its basketball program. Now another part of the school is saying it doesn’t need a traditional stamp of approval when it comes to validating success. Call it the Fleetwood Mac, or “Go Your Own Way” notion of academic self-approval. The […]

The collaboration will focus on identifying specific primary and secondary market interventions which have multiplying effects on the economy and act as an enabler to home ownership 03 May 2017 Istanbul, Turkey — Türkiye Wealth Fund (“TWF”) (www.TurkiyeVarlikFonu.com.tr), The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (“ICD”) (www.ICD-PS.org), the private sector arm of IDB Group, and Catalyst Group (“Catalyst”) (www.CatalsytGroup360.com) have entered into a Joint […]

03 May 2017 Reaching a new milestone, Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH), one of the world’s leading manufacturers of hygienic products, recently launched the “New and Improved” Fine Baby® Diaper, which has been enhanced with maximum absorbency and is now offered in an affordable mega size pack. The launch of the new diaper comes shortly after the product received the prestigious endorsement of the Medical Wellness Association, which […]

As the United States adapts to the presidency of Donald Trump and faces rising tensions abroad, Berkshire Hathaway Inc shareholders will descend on Omaha, Nebraska this weekend seeking reassurance, from Warren Buffett. The weekend known as “Woodstock for Capitalists” is unique in corporate America, a celebration of the billionaire’s image and success at a conglomerate whose businesses range from Geico insurance to the BNSF railroad to See’s […]

Oman Air plans to move ahead with a multi-billion dollar order for wide-body jets early next year even though it won’t now break even in 2017 as the low oil price curbs growth in the Gulf. The carrier is now aiming to end losses by the end of next year, contingent on demand not deteriorating further, Chief Executive Officer Paul Gregorowitsch said in an interview on Tuesday. […]

The New Zealand dollar is the best-performing major currency in Asia today in the wake of strong labour market data. The country’s unemployment rate fell to 4.9 per cent in the three months ended March 31 from 5.2 per cent in the December quarter, according to Statistics New Zealand. This was a better result than the 5.1 per cent economists had pencilled in. It was the equal-lowest […]

By Nichola Saminather | SINGAPORE SINGAPORE Asian stocks followed global indexes higher on Wednesday, as strong earnings and manufacturing data boosted risk appetite, while expectations that the Federal Reserve will signal a June rate increase later in the session lifted the dollar. Oil prices pulled higher after a sharp fall on Tuesday on technical selling in a market already worried about oversupply and following a rise in […]

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