AFP
19711 articles published since 08 Mar 2022
19711 articles published since 08 Mar 2022
Volkswagen reported its first quarterly loss for five years Thursday, topping one billion euros, as the German auto giant struggles with US tariffs and a troubled electric shift at subsidiary Porsche. It is the latest bad news for VW and the wider German auto industry, and reflects broader problems for traditional manufacturers in Europe's struggling top economy.
A beaming US President Donald Trump hailed his "great success" in talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the South Korean city of Busan on Thursday. However, he said after the talks in Busan the tariffs would be reduced to 10 percent -- bringing overall US tariffs on Chinese goods to 47 percent.
Curbing China's critical mineral dominance will top the agenda at a G7 energy ministers meeting in Canada on Thursday, as industrialized democracies seek more reliable access to the resources that power future technologies.
The Bank of Japan kept interest rates on hold Thursday at 0.5 percent, warning of lingering economic "high uncertainties" linked to US trade tariffs. "High uncertainties still remain regarding the impact of trade and other policies on economic activity and prices at home and abroad," the BoJ said in a statement following the decision.
The European Central Bank is expected to keep interest rates unchanged for its third straight meeting Thursday with inflation hovering around its target and the eurozone economy holding up. Jose Luis Escriva, Spain's central bank chief and a member of the ECB's rate-setting governing council, told El Diario newspaper in a weekend interview that the "current level of interest rates is appropriate".
Asian stocks were subdued Thursday morning, with investors closely watching talks between the leaders of the United States and China for potential breakthroughs to defuse a damaging trade war. Main benchmarks were nearly flat during Thursday morning trading in Tokyo, Shanghai and Sydney.
US economy in the dark as government shutdown cuts off crucial data
Farmers who own New Zealand dairy cooperative Fonterra voted Thursday to sell its consumer business to French group Lactalis, a decision slammed by the country's foreign minister as "utter madness". Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the vote meant "iconic" brands such as Anchor, Mainland and Kapiti were being sold off to the French firm.
South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics posted on Thursday a 32 percent rise in profits on-year for the third quarter, driven by AI-fuelled market demand for memory chips. - Share surge - Against the backdrop of AI market opportunities, Samsung -- a bellwether on South Korea's benchmark Kospi index -- has seen its shares surge more than 90 percent since the beginning of this year.
AFP
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