By Laila Kearney and Trixie Sher Li Yap (Reuters) – Oil prices posted gains of more than 1% in Asian trade on Wednesday on falling U.S. crude inventories and a lower greenback, but concerns OPEC+ will leave output unchanged at its upcoming meeting and weak China data limited gains. Brent crude futures firmed 95 cents…
By Kantaro Komiya and Kaori Kaneko TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s factory output fell for a second consecutive month in October, as stalling global demand and lingering supply bottlenecks put a lid on Japanese manufacturers’ production plans. The feeble business activity highlights challenges for the world’s third-largest economy, which has been lagging behind peers in recovering…
By Kane Wu HONG KONG (Reuters) – Asian shares wobbled on Wednesday as investors remain cautious about China’s path to reopening its economy after it released disappointing manufacturing data, with China and Hong Kong stocks wiping out strong gains from the previous day. MSCI’s gauge of Asia Pacific stocks outside Japan was up 0.02% at…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday on an attempt by environmental groups to cancel a key permit for a long-stalled copper-nickel mine. Opponents of PolyMet Mining Corp.′s project say state regulators should have included “end-of-pipe” limits on discharges of mercury, sulfates and other pollutants in the water quality permit. They…
Twitter will no longer enforce its policy against COVID-19 misinformation, raising concerns among public health experts and social media researchers that the change could have serious consequences if it discourages vaccination and other efforts to combat the still-spreading virus. Eagle-eyed users spotted the change Monday night, noting that a one-sentence update had been made to…
U.S. senators from both parties expressed skepticism Tuesday that a proposed merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons would result in lower prices for consumers. “Fewer local options mean less competition to keep prices low,” said Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, in a hearing before the antitrust subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Padilla…
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Railroad unions on Tuesday decried President Joe Biden’s call for Congress to intervene in their contract dispute, saying it undercuts their efforts to address workers’ quality of life concerns, but businesses stressed that it is crucial to avoid a strike next week that would devastate the economy. Biden and House Speaker…
DETROIT (AP) — New electric vehicle models from multiple automakers are starting to chip away at Tesla’s dominance of the U.S. EV market, according to national vehicle registration data. But numbers collected by S&P Global Mobility show that Tesla still controlled about 65% of the growing electric vehicle market during the first nine months of…
By Laila Kearney (Reuters) – Oil prices rose in early Asian trade on Wednesday as U.S. crude inventories were seen falling, but concerns that OPEC+ would leave output policy unchanged at its upcoming meeting limited gains. Brent crude futures were up 65 cents or 0.8% at $83.68 per barrel by 0132 GMT, while U.S. West…
By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Top executives at Kroger Co and Albertsons Companies Inc are expected to face tough questions on Tuesday from lawmakers who worry the grocers’ planned $25 billion merger will push up food prices at a time when inflation is a concern. Kroger Chief Executive Rodney McMullen and Albertsons’ chief, Vivek…
