Mexico, EU leaders pledge quick trade deal update, says Mexican president

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexico and the European Union agreed to quickly finalize an updated free trade deal, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Thursday in a post on social media after meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Both sides aim to sign a deal by the end of the year, according…

Read More

China encourages private firms to participate in key supply chain projects

BEIJING (Reuters) – China will speed up the process to allow private firms to access infrastructure of major national scientific research projects and will encourage private businesses to participate in key supply chain projects, a state planner spokesperson said on Friday. Private fixed-asset investment shrank 0.1% in the first five months of the year, a…

Read More

Cheap ‘like cabbage’ apartments in some Chinese cities draw buyers, and caution

By Liangping Gao and Marius Zaharia BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Beijing resident Hu Yongwei bought more than a dozen apartments in the small central Chinese city of Hebi for about $31,000 in all, betting they will be financially more rewarding than other investments. Hu, who mostly acquired two- or three-bedroom apartments built about three decades…

Read More

US banking regulator seeks bids for Silicon Valley Bank’s German assets

(Reuters) -The U.S. banking regulator is seeking bids for the sale of collapsed Silicon Valley Bank’s German assets, according to a Thursday notice posted on its website. The U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is inviting bids for SVB’s $460 million asset portfolio, including loans and leases, in Frankfurt and Berlin. The deadline for submission…

Read More

Virgin Galactic plans first commercial space service for June; shares take off

(Reuters) -Virgin Galactic Holdings, the space tourism firm founded by Richard Branson, said on Thursday its long-awaited commercial spaceflight service would launch later this month, sending its shares up over 55% in trading after the bell. The first spaceflight, called “Galactic 01”, is planned between June 27 and June 30, the company said. “Galactic 02”…

Read More

Ticketmaster, others agree to upfront, all-in prices as part of Biden war on junk fees

By Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) – Ticketmaster and other companies have agreed to offer consumers upfront, all-in pricing, the White House announced as it convened a meeting on Thursday to highlight efforts to crack down on so-called junk fees. President Joe Biden hosted a meeting at the White House of private companies – including Live Nation’s…

Read More