Takata’s share price surges as KKR takes an interest in the troubled airbag company May 26, 2016 Japanese airbag company Takata has attracted the attention of US investment fund KKR, driving the Tokyo-listed firm's share price up by over 20 per cent this morning. Takata's share price has slumped over the past couple of years due to a massive recall of its airbag inflators, which were fitted into millions of cars around the world. Faults with [...]
Forget negative interest rate gloom. In robotics Japan has a ¥9.7 trillion opportunity May 26, 2016 A negative interest rate and the perceived failure of Abenomics have undermined investor confidence in Japan, stealing attention from robust fundamentals and an untapped growth story. Strong company earnings and structural reforms combined with improving governance are creating real value in innovative sectors of Japan’s equity market, such as robotics. Japan has always been seen [...]
Netflix and Amazon face European quotas under new EU rules aimed at creating a ‘single digital market’ May 25, 2016 The European Commission today unveiled its proposed new rules for video streaming companies such as Netflix and Amazon – with the aim of creating a so-called 'single digital market'. However, Netflix claims the new measures will not help achieve this aim. The Commission wants to impose a 20 per cent quota on streaming sites, which [...]
Greek debt crisis: Eurozone strikes deal with Greece for €10.3bn bailout May 25, 2016 The Eurozone hammered out a €10.3bn (£7.9bn) bailout deal with Greece in the early hours of this morning. European finance ministers hailed the deal as a breakthrough, given that it carries with it a commitment from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to return to taking part in the bailout. The IMF coming back on board [...]
With world leaders congregating in Japan for the G7 summit, is it just a pointless talking shop? May 25, 2016 Steve Davies, education director at the Institute of Economic Affairs, says Yes. The G7 summit, which is now a regular event in the circus of international get-togethers, is indeed both pointless and a talking shop. The problem is that its perceived point is neither possible nor desirable. These meetings give the impression that the attending world [...]
Don’t blame the global slowdown for Brazil’s economic ruin May 25, 2016 If the diverging fortunes of Africa make it palpably clear that the Brics hysteria about the inevitable rise of most emerging markets is intellectual fool’s gold, what is going on in South America definitively drives a stake through the heart of that argument. For yesterday’s darling Brazil continues to fall off the table, just as [...]
America under Trump: What would Donald do to trade, the dollar and investment in the US? May 25, 2016 Donald Trump is the last man standing in the Republican race for the White House. With six months to go until November’s presidential election, it’s almost certain Trump will stand against Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton. A businessman with no political experience, Trump has been pretty vague on policy details and some of his claims are so [...]
Greece expected to get €10.3bn in next loan payout May 24, 2016 Greece is expected to get approval for bailout loans of up to €10.3bn (£8bn) today. Eurozone finance ministers are currently discussing the loans in a Eurogroup meeting that’s been going on for over eight hours. The loan is likely to be paid out on two tranches with the first instalment of €7.8bn due in June. Read [...]
Dubai opens the world’s first 3D-printed office building May 24, 2016 Dubai says it has opened the world's first 3D-printed office building – and the emirate wants 25 per cent of its buildings to be printed by 2030. The new, city-centre offices were created using a special mixture of cement, the Dubai government said, with reliability tests carried out in Britain and China. The arc-shaped construction was built in [...]
The Chinese town where robots replaced 60,000 workers May 23, 2016 A Chinese manufacturing hub enlisted a fleet of robots to help overhaul its growth strategy. Kunshan, in Jiangsu province of China, used to be one of the country’s best performing economies. But its reputation was dented after an industrial explosion killed 146 people in 2014. At the time, it was blamed on poor safety standards [...]