Asian stocks climb as Chinese manufacturing PMI beats expectations December 2, 2019 Major Asian markets showed gains on December’s first trading day after a welcome surprise from Chinese factory data. The Nikkei 225 rose one per cent on Monday, its highest increase in a month, as data showed that Chinese manufacturing and domestic demand grew, suggesting Beijing’s stimulus measures are beginning to have an effect. Read more: [...]
Social media lessons from TikTok, Tencent and Weibo December 2, 2019 The average consumer would be forgiven for not knowing their Tencent from their Sina Weibo. In fact, it’s unlikely that they have heard of either platform. Yet these are two of the biggest social media companies in the world, bringing in billions in revenue each year. From transferring money, playing games, and even booking doctors [...]
China rages after Trump signs bills in support of Hong Kong protesters November 28, 2019 China has reacted with fury to Donald Trump’s decision to sign bills in support of the Hong Kong protesters. The US President has approved legislation that threatens sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials for human rights abuses in the territory. Read more: Pro-democracy candidates win 90 per cent of council seats in Hong Kong [...]
Silver Lake pours $500m into Man City owner to break sports group valuation record November 27, 2019 Private equity giant Silver Lake has made a $500m (£389m) investment into Manchester City Football Club’s owners. The cash influx means Abu Dhabi’s City Football Group is now worth $4.8bn, the firms said today, breaking the valuation record for a sports organisation. Read more: Mourinho’s changes spark Spurs comeback to seal last 16 The deal [...]
FTSE 250 hits highest level in 15 months as Conservatives maintain poll lead November 26, 2019 The FTSE 250 nudged up 0.2 per cent this morning to 20,740, reaching its highest level since August 2018. The London index rose on the back of growing investor confidence that the Conservatives will win December’s General Election, after polls showed the party had maintained a healthy lead over Labour. Russ Mould, investment director at [...]
Alibaba IPO: E-commerce giant’s shares jump on blockbuster Hong Kong debut November 26, 2019 Alibaba, the Chinese online retail giant, has enjoyed a surge in its share price after floating on the Hong Kong stock exchange, in one of the year’s most hotly anticipated Initial Public Offerings. The firm, which is already listed in the US, raised around £8.8bn in its secondary listing, with chairman Daniel Zhang cheering on [...]
Don’t panic, China is nowhere close to overtaking America November 25, 2019 There has been far too much doom-mongering of late about America’s structural position in the world. While there is no doubt that the US is in relative decline, it is as if the commentariat does not really understand what these words actually mean, focusing only on the “decline” part of the phrase. So for all [...]
FTSE 100 jumps on US-China trade war optimism as Tory polling boosts pound November 25, 2019 The FTSE 100 rose more than almost half a per cent higher today as China signalled it is willing to bring an end to its prolonged trade war with the US. Meanwhile sterling jumped 0.3 per cent higher as the latest election polls put the Tories on track to win a majority in December’s election. [...]
Hopes of US-China trade deal boost Asian stocks amid Hong Kong local elections November 25, 2019 Asian stocks rallied slightly overnight, as investors hoped for progress in the trade war between the US and China. It comes in part as a reaction to comments by US national security adviser Robert O’Brian over the weekend, that an initial – or so called phase one – trade agreement with China is still possible [...]
LVMH close to buying Tiffany & Co for $16bn November 24, 2019 Luxury fashion house LVMH, the owner of Louis Vuitton, is close to buying jewellery retailer Tiffany & Co for about $16.3bn. LVMH, which also owns Dior and Moet & Chandon, is nearing an agreement to acquire the US jewellers for $135 per share, in a deal that could be announced this evening or tomorrow. Read [...]