By Vivek Mishra BENGALURU (Reuters) – Australia’s housing market outlook has improved significantly, with home prices expected to on average stagnate this year compared to the near double-digit fall predicted three months ago, according to a Reuters poll of housing analysts. After slumping about 9% from May 2022 to February, Australian home prices rose for…
SHANGHAI/HONG KONG (Reuters) – China’s cash-strapped local governments have suddenly rushed to an unusual corner of the debt market in Shanghai where ambiguous rules offer ways to skirt restrictions on onshore borrowing. Some analysts have described local government financing vehicles (LGFVs) as the “black hole” of China’s financial system, with debts of more than $9…
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian home prices rose for the third consecutive month in May, with the pace of growth accelerating sharply as demand remained strong despite high mortgage rates, and the number of available homes nudged lower. Figures from property consultant CoreLogic released on Thursday showed national home prices surged 1.2% in May after rising…
By Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) – A former New York City police sergeant charged with acting as an illegal Chinese agent for allegedly intimidating a U.S.-based fugitive from China went on trial on Wednesday and argued he did not know that country’s government was behind a private surveillance job he took. Federal prosecutors in…
By Roxanne Liu and Kane Wu BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) -China-focused venture capital fundraising is heading for its weakest first half year in at least eight years, data from researcher Preqin showed, as a teetering economic recovery and Sino-U.S. tensions unsettle investors and startups. Concern about the impact of a weak business environment on startups’ prospects…
By Trevor Hunnicutt, Krishn Kaushik and Rajesh Kumar Singh WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI (Reuters) – The Biden administration is poised to sign off on a deal that would allow General Electric Co to produce jet engines powering Indian military aircraft in that country, according to three people briefed on the decision. A deal finalizing the joint production…
By Jamie McGeever (Reuters) – A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever. A batch of purchasing managers index reports from across the Asia-Pacific region will offer local markets direction on Thursday, with investors likely to be in a cautious mood following Wednesday’s global market moves. If the PMI data on…
By Makiko Yamazaki TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s Daiwa Securities Group Inc aims to boost annual revenue from the M&A advisory business by 50% in eight years by hiring more bankers and acquiring boutique firms to try to expand its presence in the United States. The second-largest Japanese brokerage and investment bank is targeting global M&A…
By Devayani Sathyan BENGALURU (Reuters) – New Zealand house prices are forecast to drop further this year, pressured by higher interest rates, according to a Reuters poll of property analysts, who expect a 20% peak-to-trough correction, roughly similar to a survey taken three months ago. In one of the most unaffordable housing markets in the…
By Hyonhee Shin, Minwoo Park and Heekyong Yang SEOUL (Reuters) – Jeong Se-ah feels happy to see Tanaka, a Japanese bar host character from the early 2000s created by a South Korean comedian, because he revives her teenage memories of watching animations from the neighbouring nation. The 24-year-old office worker is one of a growing…
