Asia Economy
JPMorgan picks China stocks to play Beijing’s infrastructure boost
China has announced big plans to build up more cities, and JPMorgan analysts say it’s time to buy some infrastructure stocks. That’s based on news earlier this month that China’s top executive body, the State Council, has loosened residency rules to allow migrant workers from rural areas to settle in smaller towns. By the numbers, […]
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North Korea’s Kim orders military to ‘stabilize’ drug supply amid Covid outbreak
North Korea acknowledged for the first time last week that it is battling an “explosive” Covid-19 outbreak. In this file photo, employees are seen spraying disinfectant as part of preventative measures against the virus at the Yokjon Department Store in Pyongyang on October 20, 2021. Kim Won Jin | AFP | Getty Images North Korean […]
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China’s economic data disappoint in April as Covid controls weigh
The persistent spread of Covid and resulting stay-home orders — primarily in Shanghai — forced factories to close or operate at limited capacity in April. Pictured here on May 12 is a refrigerator factory in Hefei, China, about a five hours’ drive from Shanghai. Xie Chen | Visual China Group | Getty Images BEIJING — […]
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India blocks all wheat exports with immediate effect
India, the world’s second-biggest wheat producer, has blocked all exports of the grain with immediate effect. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images India has prohibited wheat exports with immediate effect, the government said in a notification late on Friday, as the world’s second-biggest wheat producer tries to calm local prices. Shipments of wheat are allowed […]
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European stocks climb as global markets look for rebound; Stoxx 600 up 1.4%
LONDON — European stocks bounced on Friday as global markets looked to regain some ground after a bruising week, with investors assessing the outlook for inflation and interest rates. The pan-European Stoxx 600 added 1.4% by around noon, with travel and leisure stocks jumping 3% to lead gains as all sectors and major bourses traded […]
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North Korea reports first Covid-19 death as fever ‘explosively spreads’
People sit near a screen showing a news broadcast at a train station in Seoul on May 12, 2022, of North Koreas leader Kim Jong Un appearing in a face mask on television for the first time to order nationwide lockdowns after the North confirmed its first-ever Covid-19 cases. Anthony Wallace | AFP | Getty […]
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Shanghai says victory against Covid getting closer
Residents line up to take nucleic acid tests on May 12, 2022 in Shanghai, China. Streets in China’s capital Beijing were quiet on Friday as residents heeded the advice of authorities to work from home to stop the spread of Covid-19, while officials in locked-down Shanghai said they aimed to defeat the virus this month. […]
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Sri Lanka names new prime minister in bid to address growing crisis
United National Party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe sets his signature on his letter of appointment as the new Prime Minister at the Presidentâs House in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 12 May 2022. Wickremesinghe, a political veteran who has been prime minister of the island nation five times before, must try to address financial chaos and heal political […]
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North Korea fires suspected ballistic missile toward sea
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. KCNA | Reuters North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile toward the sea on Thursday, South Korea and Japan said, in the latest of a series of weapons demonstrations this years and just hours after it confirmed its first case of the coronavirus since the pandemic began. Japan’s Defense […]
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China won’t have a ‘normal’ economy without tackling Covid first, senior Chinese official says
Shanghai and Beijing have retained, if not tightened, many Covid-related restrictions on business and travel. In this picture, workers disinfect a residential community on May 11, 2022, in Beijing, China. Beijing Youth Daily | Visual China Group | Getty Images BEIJING — Getting the pandemic under control is a prerequisite for a “normal” functioning economy, […]
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