By Stefanno Sulaiman and Gayatri Suroyo JAKARTA (Reuters) -Indonesia’s economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter, as consumer and government spending offset a slowdown in exports and investment in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. Gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 5.03% in the January to March quarter from a year earlier, data from Statistics Indonesia…
By Sarah Young and Federica Mileo LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) – British Airways-owner IAG and Air France-KLM reported bumper summer bookings as travellers pressed ahead with holiday plans despite a cost-of-living crisis, though IAG’s boss warned strikes and lack of staff could still disrupt major airports. European airlines and airports are under pressure to avoid a repeat…
By Suban Abdulla LONDON (Reuters) – Activity in Britain’s construction sector increased in April but growth was lopsided, with residential house-building suffering its steepest decline since May 2020, weighed down by weaker demand and higher mortgage rates, a survey showed on Friday. The S&P Global/CIPS UK Purchasing Managers’ Index for the construction industry came in…
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Euro zone companies are raising prices at a more moderate pace as their costs stabilise, demand cools and competition mounts, although growing wages remain a concern, according to a European Central Bank survey published on Friday. The ECB slowed the pace of its interest rate increases on Thursday but signalled more tightening…
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Euro zone inflation could be lower in the coming years than previously expected but may stay above the European Central Bank’s 2% target further out, the bank’s Survey of Professional Forecasters showed on Friday. The ECB has raised rates at each of its past seven meetings and promised even more tightening to…
LONDON (Reuters) – Fresh turbulence in U.S. banks and debt ceiling woes in Washington suggest recent stability in world markets will most certainly be put to the test in May. The latest U.S. and Chinese inflation numbers and a Bank of England interest rate decision are among the calendar highlights meanwhile. Here’s a look at…
By Jesús Aguado MADRID (Reuters) -Caixabank on Friday beat first-quarter net profit forecasts, helped by higher lending income, which the Spanish bank said would rise more than 30% in 2023 after raising its guidance, even as retail deposits dipped compared with December. Banks across Europe are benefiting from higher interest rates, and Caixabank’s net interest…
HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam’s central bank bought $4.9 billion from credit institutions in the first four months of this year to shore up its foreign exchange reserves, the investment minister said on Friday. Well-managed monetary policies and stable exchange rate have enabled the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) to continue to buy foreign currency to…
By Kane Wu HONG KONG (Reuters) – U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital is nearing the final close of its fifth and biggest Asia-focused fund after having raised around $6 billion from global investors, said two people with knowledge of the situation. The committed capital to the fund has exceeded the firm’s initial target of…
(Reuters) -German industrial orders fell significantly more than expected in March, decreasing by 10.7% from the previous month on a seasonally and calendar adjusted basis, the federal statistics office said on Friday. A Reuters poll of analysts had pointed to a 2.2% decrease. It marks the largest month-on-month decline since 2020 at the height of…
