Bank of Japan set to raise interest rates to 30-year high
TOKYO, Dec 19 : The Bank of Japan is set to raise interest rates on Friday to a three-decade high and signal its readiness to eye further hikes beyond next year, underscoring its conviction that sustained wage gains will keep inflation durably around its 2 per cent target.While a hike still keeps ...
Oil prices settle slightly higher as market assesses mounting supply risks
[HOUSTON] Oil prices settled marginally higher on Thursday as investors assessed the likelihood of further US sanctions against Russia and the supply risks posed...
European shares gain after US inflation data, ECB rate decision aids investor optimism
EUROPEAN shares made broad-based gains on Thursday, with lower-than-expected US inflation strengthening hopes for Federal Reserve interest rate cuts in 2026 and the European Central...
US stocks close higher fuelled by tech rally, soft inflation data
WALL Street’s main indexes closed higher on Thursday as a soft inflation report fed expectations for interest rate cuts by the Federal...
Nike edges past quarterly revenue expectations on resilient demand
Dec 18 : Nike on Thursday edged past market expectations for quarterly revenue, helped by resilient demand for its running shoes amid a big marketing push to fend off stiff competition from upstart brands in North America.The company reported second-quarter revenue of $12.43 billion, compared wit ...
US Energy Department signs AI collaboration deals with Big Tech for Genesis Mission
Dec 18 : The U.S. Department of Energy said on Thursday it has signed agreements with 24 organizations, including tech giants such as Microsoft, Google and Nvidia, to advance the Genesis Mission. The mission is a national program aimed at using artificial intelligence to accelerate scientific res ...
Italy's Nexi rejects TPG offer for digital banking assets
Dec 18 : Italian fintech company Nexi said on Thursday it will not proceed with U.S. private equity fund TPG's offer to buy its digital banking unit."Following the analysis carried out and after careful consideration, the board resolved not to proceed with the proposed transaction," N ...
Instacart to pay $60 million to settle FTC claims it deceived shoppers
Dec 18 : Instacart has agreed to pay $60 million to settle the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's allegations that the online grocery delivery platform deceived consumers about its Instacart+ membership and free delivery offers, according to court documents filed in San Francisco on Thursday.Insta ...
US energy regulator directs PJM to launch rules on AI connections
WASHINGTON, Dec 18 : The U.S. energy regulator on Thursday directed the largest U.S. grid operator, PJM Interconnection, to establish rules on the connection of artificial intelligence-driven data centers and other large electricity loads located next to power plants. Backers of AI and other faci ...
Mexico antitrust body says Google cannot impose use of Android on mobile device manufacturers
Mexico's antitrust commission resolves Android competition case, orders Google to drop restrictions
MEXICO CITY, Dec 18 : Mexico's antitrust commission said on Thursday it had resolved a case over a lack of competition in the mobile operating system market stemming from business practices related to Android.As part of the ruling, the commission said Google will eliminate certain contractual ...
SpaceX loses contact with Starlink satellite after mishap
Dec 18 : SpaceX's Starlink said one of its satellites experienced an anomaly in space on Wednesday that created a "small number" of debris and cut off communications with the spacecraft at 418 km (259.73 miles) in altitude, a rare kinetic accident in orbit for the satellite internet g ...
Lawmakers raise concerns about Echostar deals to sell wireless spectrum to AT&T, SpaceX
WASHINGTON, Dec 18 : Two Democratic lawmakers on Thursday raised concerns about EchoStar's deals to sell key spectrum to AT&T and SpaceX for $40 billion, saying it could shrink competition in wireless and satellite markets.Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Greg Casar urged the Fed ...
Wall Street opens higher as inflation eases; forecast boosts Micron
[NEW YORK] Wall Street’s main indexes opened higher on Thursday (Dec 18) after softer-than-expected inflation data boosted expectations for more interest rate...
USITC to probe certain wearable devices after Ouraring complaint
WASHINGTON, Dec 18 : The U.S. International Trade Commission is launching an investigation into certain wearable devices after Ouraring Inc filed a complaint, it said in a statement on Thursday.The companies the USITC identified as part of its probe include Samsung Electronics, Reebok and Zepp Healt ...
Austria's top court rules Meta's ad model illegal, orders overhaul of user data practices in EU
Dec 18 : Austria's Supreme Court has ruled that Meta's personalized advertising model is unlawful and ordered the company to provide users across the European Union with complete access to their personal data within 14 days of any request, in a final and directly enforceable decision that ...
Optus criticised for failures in fatal emergency call outage
Peter Vercoe / Bloomberg - Optus management has been sharply criticised in an independent review into September’s fatal emergency call outage, which found that a series of avoidable failures and cultural shortcomings at the Australian telecommunications company contributed to the incident. The report by veteran executive Ke ...
Lasers turn back time on Rome’s Column of Marcus Aurelius
ROME, Dec 18 : Just as cosmetic surgeons wield lasers to smooth away wrinkles, archaeologists in Rome are firing beams of light at history itself, peeling away decades of grime from one of the city's most storied monuments.Restorers are making the most extensive use yet of laser cleaning in Ita ...
ECB holds rates with growth firmer and inflation near target
Policymakers give no guidance on next steps, saying decisions will be made meeting by meeting on data
UBS plans January job cuts to kick off final year of integration
The step will be followed by another round later in 2026
Trump Media, fusion power firm TAE Technologies combine in US$6 billion deal
Under the deal, shareholders of both companies will own about 50% of the combined entity
Zara turns to AI to generate fashion imagery using real-life models
LONDON, Dec 18 : Zara has become the latest fast-fashion retailer to use AI to help create new images of real models in different outfits, speeding up the production process as part of an industry shift that could have a major impact on fashion photography.Zara's AI experimentation follows Swed ...
IndiGo faces India antitrust scrutiny after mass flight cancellations
Disruptions highlight risks of the 90% IndiGo-Air India duopoly in India’s air market
Indonesia will issue investment instruments for export earnings of natural resources
JAKARTA, Dec 18 : Indonesia will issue investment instruments for earnings from the export of natural resources, a finance ministry official said on Thursday, to try to improve exporters' compliance with rules to keep their foreign currency proceeds in the country.The new regulation, intended t ...
Ever Glory’s public offer of 2 mil offer shares 7.6 times subscribed
Nicole Lim - Ever Glory’s public offer of 2 million offer shares was 7.6 times subscribed, having received total valid applications for 15,288,700 offer shares. The company announced on Dec 10 that it was issuing 2 million new offer shares at 64 cents per offer share, in relation to its proposed transfer of li ...
Bank of England lowers rates after tight vote but signals caution about further cuts
Five MPC members vote to lower the benchmark rate for the fourth time in 2025 to 3.75%
MinLaw looks forward to ‘full and thorough’ probe into allegations of workplace issues at Law Society
[SINGAPORE] The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) on Thursday (Dec 18) said it looks forward to a “full and thorough investigation” into allegations...
ValueMax Group to defend claims of trademark infringement brought by Louis Vuitton Malletier
Nicole Lim - ValueMax Group says that it shall “vigorously and robustly defend” the claims of trademark infringement brought by Louis Vuitton Malletier (LV) on the group. The global luxury fashion goods company filed a claim in mid-September alleging that ValueMax’s retail arm had in July and August 2024 a ...
China solar industry’s losses narrowing on overcapacity push, association says
The deficit still comes up to 6.42 billion yuan in the July-to-September period
Accenture beats quarterly revenue estimate
Dec 18 : Accenture beat Wall Street expectations for first-quarter revenue on Thursday, driven by robust demand for its artificial intelligence solutions that help clients integrate the technology to enhance productivity.The IT consulting firm reported revenue of $18.74 billion, compared with analys ...
Accenture beats quarterly revenue estimate on strong demand for AI services
Dec 18 : Accenture beat Wall Street expectations for first-quarter revenue on Thursday, buoyed by robust demand for its artificial intelligence-driven IT services as the company advances its AI strategy to capture greater market share.The company's aggressive AI push underscores a wider industr ...
Trump Media, TAE Technologies to combine in $6 billion deal
Dec 18 : Trump Media & Technology and fusion power company TAE Technologies have agreed to combine in an all-stock deal valued at more than $6 billion, the companies said on Thursday.Shareholders of each company will own about 50 per cent of the combined entity after the closing of the deal in m ...
Trump Media bets on fusion energy with $6 billion TAE deal
Dec 18 : U.S. President Donald Trump is getting into the fusion power business through a $6 billion merger of his social media firm and Google-backed TAE technologies, just days after industry representatives urged federal funding. The all-stock deal announced on Thursday is an ambitious bet on the ...
Trump Media, fusion power firm TAE Technologies combine in $6 billion deal
Dec 18 : U.S. President Donald Trump's social media company is entering the fusion-power business through a more than $6 billion merger with TAE Technologies, betting on the experimental technology as AI datacenters drive a surge in energy demand.Shareholders of each company will own about 50 p ...
