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Bank of Japan keeps interest rates unchanged
Bank of Japan keeps interest rates unchanged
by  AFP

The Bank of Japan kept interest rates on hold Thursday at 0.5 percent, warning of lingering economic "high uncertainties" linked to US trade tariffs. "High uncertainties still remain regarding the impact of trade and other policies on economic activity and prices at home and abroad," the BoJ said in a statement following the decision.

With inflation under control, ECB to hold rates steady again
With inflation under control, ECB to hold rates steady again
by  AFP

The European Central Bank is expected to keep interest rates unchanged for its third straight meeting Thursday with inflation hovering around its target and the eurozone economy holding up. Jose Luis Escriva, Spain's central bank chief and a member of the ECB's rate-setting governing council, told El Diario newspaper in a weekend interview that the "current level of interest rates is appropriate".

Asia stocks muted with all eyes on Trump-Xi meeting
Asia stocks muted with all eyes on Trump-Xi meeting
by  AFP

Asian stocks were subdued Thursday morning, with investors closely watching talks between the leaders of the United States and China for potential breakthroughs to defuse a damaging trade war. Main benchmarks were nearly flat during Thursday morning trading in Tokyo, Shanghai and Sydney.

'Utter madness': NZ farmers agree dairy sale to French group
'Utter madness': NZ farmers agree dairy sale to French group
by  AFP

Farmers who own New Zealand dairy cooperative Fonterra voted Thursday to sell its consumer business to French group Lactalis, a decision slammed by the country's foreign minister as "utter madness". Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the vote meant "iconic" brands such as Anchor, Mainland and Kapiti were being sold off to the French firm.

Samsung posts 32% profit rise on-year in third quarter
Samsung posts 32% profit rise on-year in third quarter
by  AFP

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics posted on Thursday a 32 percent rise in profits on-year for the third quarter, driven by AI-fuelled market demand for memory chips. - Share surge - Against the backdrop of AI market opportunities, Samsung -- a bellwether on South Korea's benchmark Kospi index -- has seen its shares surge more than 90 percent since the beginning of this year.

Taxes, labor laws, pensions: what Milei wants to do next
Taxes, labor laws, pensions: what Milei wants to do next
by  AFP

Boosted by his victory in mid-term elections, Argentina's libertarian President Javier Milei is preparing to forge ahead with a second wave of reforms, targeting the labor market, taxation system and, down the line, pensions.

Meta shares sink as $16 bn US tax charge tanks profit
Meta shares sink as $16 bn US tax charge tanks profit
by  AFP

Meta shares dove more than eight percent in after-hours trading Wednesday after the tech giant reported a US tax charge took a roughly $16 billion bite out of its quarterly profit. Quarterly revenue however exceeded analyst expectations at $51.2 billion, a 26 percent increase from the same period a year earlier.

Google parent Alphabet posts first $100 bn quarter as AI drives growth
Google parent Alphabet posts first $100 bn quarter as AI drives growth
by  AFP

Google parent Alphabet reported its first-ever $100 billion quarterly revenue on Wednesday, powered by strong growth across its core search business and rapidly expanding cloud division that was buoyed by artificial intelligence. The cloud division, which competes with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, has become a key growth engine for Alphabet.