LONDON (Reuters) – Russia said on Monday that Ukrainian membership of the NATO military alliance would have very negative consequences for Europe’s security architecture and that Moscow would respond firmly to any such step. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was speaking on the eve of a NATO summit in Lithuania aimed at showing solidarity with Ukraine…
By Byron Kaye and Lewis Jackson SYDNEY (Reuters) – The cost of serving up a sandwich with a cup of coffee has hit the roof across Australia’s vaunted cafes, squeezing profits and forcing a wave of closures for those that managed to survive the COVID slump. The A$10 billion ($6.6 billion) Australian cafe industry, the…
By Clare Jim HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong’s move to raise the maximum mortgages available to some homebuyers, its first relaxation in curbs on home purchases adopted in 2009, boosted shopping interest over the weekend but did little for transaction volumes, property agents said. One of the world’s most expensive property markets, the Asian…
A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike Dolan Last week’s bond market storm calmed somewhat on Monday, but the interest rate horizon now relies heavily on evidence of more disinflation given economic activity and the labor market are holding up so well. With Wednesday’s U.S. consumer price report expected…
By Milounee Purohit and Anant Chandak BENGALURU (Reuters) – India’s inflation likely snapped a four-month decline in June as food prices surged, a Reuters poll of economists found, making a cut in interest rates unlikely any time soon, while the Reserve Bank of India is also expected to resist pressure to raise rates. “We believe…
BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s passenger vehicle sales fell in June, data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) showed on Monday, as a stumbling economic recovery led to more consumer caution on big-ticket spending. Car sales in June totalled 1.91 million units, down 2.9% from last year, CPCA data showed. It was the first monthly…
BEIJING (Reuters) – A 25-year-old man was suspected of attacking a kindergarten in China’s Guangdong province on Monday, killing six people and injuring one, triggering an outpouring of concern about violence against children at school. Media reported the attack in Lianjiang county in the southern province was a stabbing. The suspect, with the surname Wu…
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s IPO applications slumped by a third in the first half of 2023, as earnings volatility, a slowing economy and tighter regulatory scrutiny deterred potential candidates. Chinese exchanges, which vet initial public offering (IPO) plans, accepted around 330 new applications during the period, down from more than 500 a year earlier, exchange…
By Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) -Many regional areas of Japan saw small and mid-sized firms aggressively raise wages, reflecting intensifying labour shortages, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) said on Monday, underscoring its growing conviction that wage hikes were broadening. In a quarterly report, the central bank also said some firms were considering raising the prices…
MUMBAI (Reuters) – A steeper-than-expected surge in the prices of vegetables, especially tomatoes, over the past few weeks could push India’s retail inflation towards 5.5% in the July-September quarter, at least three economists said. The country’s inflation eased to between 4% and 5% in April and May, inching towards the central bank’s 4% target, and…
