By Wayne Cole SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s Labor government is set to reveal a vast improvement in the budget bottom line next week as its coffers bulge with tax windfalls, yet the outlook will be a sober one as fiscal challenges loom large. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has spent weeks using “restraint” and “responsible” to describe…
BEIJING (Reuters) – Prices of new homes in 100 Chinese cities rose a touch in April in an extension of modest gains seen in March, a private survey showed on Monday, as government support measures stoked demand in large and midsize cities. New home prices in April edged up 0.02% from the previous month, the…
By Katya Golubkova TOKYO (Reuters) -Oil prices fell on Monday as jitters over the prospect of the U.S. Federal Reserve raising interest rates, which could slow growth and hit fuel demand, and worries about weaker Chinese manufacturing data combined to erase earlier gains. Brent futures for July delivery were down 61 cents, or 0.8%, at…
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian home prices rose for a second straight month in April, in a further signal that the nation’s property market may have hit a floor ahead of a central bank rate decision on Tuesday. Figures from property consultant CoreLogic released on Monday showed prices nationally rose 0.5% in April from March, when…
By Stella Qiu SYDNEY (Reuters) -Currencies were in limbo on Monday as holidays in most of Asia made for thin trading, while traders braced for a packed week of central bank meetings that would offer the latest guidance on future rate hikes across continents. Activity in the foreign exchange markets was subdued due to the…
By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday, in a possible preview of a 2024 presidential campaign theme, attacked news outlets he said used “lies told for profit and power” to stir up hatred in the United States, as he coupled his remarks with pointed jokes about Fox News. Speaking at…
TOKYO (Reuters) – Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma has been invited to be a visiting professor at Tokyo College, a new organization run by the University of Tokyo, the university said on Monday. The appointment term for China’s best-known entrepreneur finishes at the end of October, but the contract is renewable on an annual basis,…
(Reuters) -Japan’s Astellas Pharma said on Monday it agreed to buy U.S. drugmaker Iveric Bio Inc for about $5.9 billion in its biggest acquisition, giving it access to a range of ophthalmology treatments. Through Berry Merger Sub Inc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Astellas U.S. Holding, the Japanese company agreed to acquire Iveric for $40 per…
SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea’s exports fell for a seventh straight month in April for their longest losing streak in three years, driven by an extended slump in sales to China and suggesting persistent pressure on the economy from frail global demand. The downturn comes despite the reopening of the Chinese economy – a major market…
By Lucinda Elliott and Daniela Desantis ASUNCION (Reuters) – Paraguay’s President-elect Santiago Pena, a clean-cut former central bank director, will need all his wits and cool to steer the South American nation through economic headwinds hurting voters and rising pressure from farmers to cut ties with Taiwan. The former International Monetary Fund (IMF) economist, who…