By Anshuman Daga SINGAPORE (Reuters) -A small blank-check firm backed by state investor Temasek made its Singapore debut on Thursday, marking the first such local listing as Singapore steps up a drive to emerge as a key venue for listings of this type. This came four months after Singapore Exchange allowed special purpose acquisition companies…
By Andrew Galbraith SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Asian share markets broke a five-day slide, pushing higher on Thursday as China underscored its diverging monetary and economic picture by cutting benchmark mortgage rates. The rise was set to continue in Europe, where strong earnings helped to support gains a day earlier. In early deals, pan-region Euro Stoxx…
By Wayne Cole SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia has ruled out letting teenagers as young as 16 drive forklift trucks to tackle a shortage of workers in coronavirus-hit supply chains, as it scrambles to scoop up millions of home testing kits needed to keep businesses functioning. A sudden surge in coronavirus cases in recent weeks has…
(Reuters) – The proportion of women in leading positions at major European companies rose last year, but fell behind schedule to reach the European Commission’s proposed target of 40% for 2025, a study by an EU-sponsored non-profit organisation showed on Thursday. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said earlier this month she would try…
By Naveen Thukral and Roslan Khasawneh SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Oil steadied on Thursday, clawing back losses earlier in the session, as strong demand and short-term supply disruptions continue to support prices close to their highest levels since late 2014. Brent crude futures fell 17 cents, or 0.2%, to $88.27 a barrel, as of 0418 GMT, having…
By Jamie Freed SYDNEY (Reuters) – Qantas Airways Ltd said on Thursday it would seek to terminate its contract terms with long-haul flight attendants, in a move that would lead to large pay cuts, after union members voted against more flexible rostering. Qantas said it is the first time in its history that it has…
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China stepped up its monetary easing efforts to prop up a slowing economy this week by lowering a set of key policy rates and lending benchmarks, and markets believe Beijing could ease further before growth bottoms out. With the property downturn seen persisting into 2022 and fast-spreading Omicron variant dampening consumer activity,…
By Naveen Thukral SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Oil prices slipped back on Thursday after hitting their highest levels since 2014 in the previous session on the back of strong demand and short-term supply disruptions, underlying factors that limited losses as investors took profits. Brent crude futures dropped 72 cents, or 0.81%, to $87.72 a barrel, as…
By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) – World Bank President David Malpass on Wednesday criticized Microsoft’s $69 billion takeover of gaming developer Activision Blizzard as a questionable allocation of capital at a time when poor countries are struggling to restructure debts and fight COVID-19 and poverty. Malpass said during a Peterson Institute for International Economics virtual…
By Wayne Cole SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australian employment raced ahead in December as the jobless rate fell to its lowest point since 2008, showing strength that should help the economy weather the current surge in coronavirus cases across the country. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday showed employment jumped 64,800 in December, topping…
