Whatsapp in talks to launch mobile payments service in Indonesia August 20, 2019 Whatsapp is said to be in discussions with several digital payments firms in Indonesia over plans to offer mobile transactions over its platform. If a deal were reached, it would make Indonesia only the second country worldwide where Whatsapp offers the service. Read more: NSO denies Whatsapp spyware can hack data The firm is currently [...]
US extends reprieve on Huawei ban by 90 days August 19, 2019 The US has delayed its trade ban on Huawei by a further 90 days, despite President Donald Trump’s insistence that American companies will be blocked from trading with the Chinese tech giant. Commerce secretary Wilbur Ross today said his department will extend a temporary measure that allows American companies to do business with Huawei. The [...]
Food for thought: Restaurant numbers drop as Chinese, Indian and Italian cuisines struggle August 19, 2019 Chinese, Indian and Italian cuisine might be the staple of many Saturday night takeaways, but new evidence suggests that the beloved British favourites are bearing the brunt of a slowdown in the casual dining sector. Read more: Revealed: These 10 London restaurants have the best mobile reception An average of 18 restaurants have shut per [...]
British Steel buyout: Questions linger as Turkish military pension fund swoops in August 18, 2019 Government officials will this week start exclusive talks with their preferred buyer for stricken industrial firm British Steel. Ataer Holdings, a subsidiary of the Turkish military’s pension fund which is known as Oyak, reached a provisional deal to buy the firm out of insolvency at the end of last week. Read more: British Steel’s collapse [...]
Danske Bank thinks US Fed will slash rates to one per cent by March August 16, 2019 Denmark’s biggest bank has predicted that the US Federal Reserve will slash its interest rate down to one per cent by March 2020. Danske Bank said it expects five more 25 basis point (0.25 percentage point) cuts between now and the Fed’s March 2020 meeting to “reflate the economy and markets”. Read more: Markets drop [...]
US stock markets jump after China hints at stimulus August 16, 2019 US stock markets have opened significantly higher after China sewed hopes of more stimulus and a rally in government bonds slowed down. Read more: FTSE 100 follows European stocks upwards after it reopens The tech-heavy Nasdaq index was the biggest climber, rising one per cent shortly after the opening bell. The S&P 500 had risen [...]
Hong Kong economy grows less than expected as recession fears hit August 16, 2019 Hong Kong’s economy grew less than expected at just 0.5 per cent year-on-year for the second quarter, the government revealed on Friday. It comes amid growing tensions between the US and China as the trade war rumbles on and on the back of continued unrest in the financial hub, igniting fears it could tip into [...]
Asian stock markets buoyant despite rising trade tension August 16, 2019 The main Asian stock markets have climbed overnight despite the raging US-China trade war after Beijing hinted at stimulus for its economy. Read more: Markets drop as US and China enter fierce war of words Investors’ spirits were lifted after China’s state planning office said it would act to increase disposable income. China’s Shanghai composite [...]
Markets drop as US and China enter fierce war of words August 15, 2019 A fierce war of words between China and the US broke out today after Beijing vowed to strike back over the 10 per cent tariffs the Trump administration is set to apply to $300bn of Chinese goods. Read more: Recession warning lights flash red as US and UK ‘yield curves’ invert China’s finance ministry said [...]
Alibaba beats expectations as revenues surge August 15, 2019 Chinese online shopping giant Alibaba trumped market expectations this afternoon, providing some relief for Asian investors in a week that has seen markets rocked by the US-China trade war and fears of a global recession. The retail group posted better-than-expected quarterly results after revenues from its cloud and e-commerce operations surged, sending shares up more [...]