Malaysia is bracing for more Zika cases, officials said on Sunday, after detecting the first locally infected patient, which could further stretch a health system struggling with dengue, another mosquito-borne virus that can be fatal. More »
A worker fogs the drains in the common areas of a public housing estate at an area where locally transmitted Zika cases were discovered in Singapore August 31, 2016. REUTERS/Edgar Su Singapore confirmed 26 more cases of locally transmitted Zika infections, the... More »
A 61-year-old man diagnosed with the first case of a locally transmitted Zika infection in Malaysia has died from heart disease complications, and not from the mosquito-borne virus, the health ministry said on Saturday. More »
Switzerland’s Falcon Private Bank has appointed ex-Credit Suisse executive Walter Berchtold as chief executive to replace Eduardo Leemann, the wealth manager said on Thursday, confirming what sources earlier told Reuters. More »
A pumpjack drills for oil in the Monterey Shale, California, April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson Oil prices fell over 1 percent on Monday after the U.S. dollar jumped, with markets pressured as Iraq’s production rose and as Iran said it would only cooperate... More »
A man walks past a screen displaying the Nikkei average outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan, June 24, 2016. REUTERS/Thomas Peter Most Asian share markets tumbled on Monday while the U.S. dollar added to gains made after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen indic... More »
A woman walks past an advertisement promoting an apartment complex which is currently under construction in Yongin, South Korea, August 24, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji In Yongin, a satellite city south of Seoul, orange construction cranes are racing to build gle... More »
A contractor fogs a condominium garden in Singapore in an effort to kill mosquitoes, September 5, 2013. REUTERS/Tim Wimborne/File Photo Singapore has confirmed 41 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus, mostly among foreign construction workers, and said it e... More »
Singapore has confirmed its first case of a locally-transmitted Zika virus, which has been linked to microcephaly, a rare birth defect, in Brazil, the health ministry said. More »
By Libby George | LONDON LONDON Oil prices rose on Monday to their highest in nearly a month, with benchmark Brent crude trading more than 10 percent above the start of August, as speculation intensified about potential producer action to support prices in an ... More »
By Marc Jones | LONDON LONDON World shares set up camp at one-year peaks on Monday as a rally in Chinese stocks helped offset news that Japan’s economic growth had ground to a halt last quarter, while oil prices extended their latest rally. Europe’s main bours... More »
By Aradhana Aravindan and Marius Zaharia | SINGAPORE SINGAPORE Sherine Toh says her best days at work are when none of the 600-or-so staff at Singapore’s Tung Lok Restaurants (TGLK.SI) quits, though such days are rare. The Chinese restaurant group is one of th... More »
LONDON World shares hovered close to one-year highs on Thursday as oil prices dropped for a third straight day and the latest interest rate cut in a developed market – this time New Zealand – got a lukewarm reaction from investors. The slip in crude markets le... More »
LONDON Swiss private bank EFG International (EFGN.S) now expects to pay 1.05 billion Swiss francs ($1.08 billion) to buy rival BSI from Grupo BTG Pactual SA (BBTG11.SA), almost 300 million francs less than previously announced. EFG hopes the BSI tie-up, origin... More »
LONDON/HONG KONG An HSBC and Bank of America Merrill Lynch venture and financial technology firm R3 said separately on Wednesday that they had created ways of using blockchain technology to simplify trade finance processes. The two banks said they had joined w... More »
LONDON Oil fell on Monday morning, reversing earlier gains, as increases in OPEC production and U.S. oil rig additions continued to weigh on the market. Brent crude was down $0.44 at $43.09 a barrel at 0854 GMT (4:54 a.m. ET) from the previous settlement, afte... More »
VIENTIANE Southeast Asian nations overcame days of deadlock on Monday when the Philippines dropped a request for their joint statement to mention a landmark legal ruling on the South China Sea, officials said, after objections from Cambodia. Beijing publicly t... More »
SINGAPORE Singapore’s central bank said it will enhance controls against money laundering and take swift action against banks following damaging findings that financial institutions in the city-state handled money flows linked to Malaysian state fund 1MDB. “Th... More »
TOKYO Asian shares held near nine-month highs on Monday as assurance from policymakers on the need to boost growth quelled worries over the impact of Britain’s Brexit vote while the dollar, buoyed by solid U.S. economic data, stayed firm. Policymakers from the... More »
SINGAPORE The Singapore central bank’s current monetary policy stance remains appropriate and only a marked worsening in the global economy or significant shift to the inflation outlook would prompt a change, its managing director said on Monday. The Monetary ... More »
SYDNEY The U.S. dollar gained on the yen on Monday as investors unwound safe-haven trades in the wake of the failed coup in Turkey, while a giant takeover bid in the tech sector and the promise of central bank stimulus lent support to equities. The Turkish lir... More »
SINGAPORE Singapore and Sri Lanka have started talks for a free trade pact, including measures to free up trade in goods and services as well as investments, the city-state’s trade minister said on Monday. Sri Lanka’s push to build infrastructure and develop i... More »
HONG KONG When activists began setting fire to trash bins and hurling bricks at police during a February riot in Hong Kong, Chris Lee became more convinced his decision to leave his siblings and mother behind and move to Taiwan was the right one. Hong Kong, lo... More »
SINGAPORE Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) is close to buying ARM Holdings PLC (ARM.L) for $32 billion and an announcement could come as early as Monday, a source familiar with the matter said. SoftBank could not be immediately reached for comment on a pub... More »
MANILA Patrolling downtown Manila in his new Toyota, Uber driver Daniel Canezal is grumpy. It’s not from the heat, grime or traffic of the capital’s clogged streets – it’s the Philippines’ ramshackle internet service that is making his life a misery. Since sig... More »
TOKYO Asian shares came within reach of their 2016 highs on Wednesday as prospects of solid U.S. growth and accommodative economic policy in major markets whet investors’ risk appetite damaged by uncertainty from Brexit. Spreadbetters expected European shares ... More »
SINGAPORE Singapore’s central bank, which has ordered Swiss private bank BSI to close its local operations, said on Friday BSI’s appeal to a Swiss court against a decision by Switzerland’s financial watchdog has no bearing on regulatory action in Singapore. In... More »
SINGAPORE The Italian city of Florence, birthplace of Italian poet Dante Alighieri, will stage the world premiere of “Inferno”, the third film to be adapted from the Dan Brown novels about symbologist Robert Langdon. “I’m happy to say it is in beautiful Floren... More »
SINGAPORE China rebuffed U.S. pressure to curb its activity in the South China Sea on Sunday, restating its sovereignty over most of the disputed territory and saying it “has no fear of trouble”. On the last day of Asia’s biggest security summit in Singapore, ... More »
SINGAPORE The United States stepped up pressure on China on Saturday to rein in its actions in the South China Sea, with top defense officials underlining Washington’s military superiority and vowing to remain the main guarantor of Asian security for decades t... More »
SINGAPORE The recent lifting of the U.S. arms embargo against Vietnam boosted trust between the former enemies, but significant weapons purchases are some way off, a senior Vietnamese military official said on Saturday. Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh ... More »
TOKYO The leader of Japan’s bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics and other Japanese officials on Monday said the company at the center of questions raised about payments by the bid committee was a legitimate firm and not a paper company. The Guardian newspaper rep... More »
HONG KONG Asian stocks slipped to two-month lows on Tuesday as weak oil prices weighed on sentiment while the dollar got a lift against its peers as the differences in policy directions between the world’s top central banks became starker. MSCI’s broadest inde... More »
TOKYO Asian shares and the dollar dropped on Monday as investors took profits from the currency’s recent gains ahead of central bank meetings in the United States and Japan this week. Financial spreadbetters expected mixed openings for European markets, with B... More »
TOKYO Tumbling crude oil futures knocked Asian shares on Monday after producers’ talks failed to agree on a plan to curb the global supply glut, while Tokyo stocks skidded as investors assessed the impact of a devastating earthquake in southwestern Japan. The ... More »
SINGAPORE A spat between Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his younger sister has blown into the open, one year after the death of their iron-handed father Lee Kuan Yew, who brooked no discord within the city-state’s political world. Lee’s sister ac... More »
TOKYO Asian stocks erased early losses and edged up on Monday as Chinese inflation data fanned optimism Beijing will continue with loose monetary policies, while Japanese shares slid as the dollar notched a fresh 17-month low against the yen. Financial spreadb... More »
SINGAPORE Scanning a bank statement into a computer may not sound particularly high-tech, but it’s unsettling some of Asia’s private bankers. By aggregating all the monthly statements mailed to high net worth individuals on the multiple accounts they hold at d... More »
TOKYO Asian share prices held firm on Monday after solid U.S. payroll data underpinned investor risk sentiment while last week’s dovish comments from Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen kept the U.S. dollar in check. Oil prices showed signs of fatigue after las... More »
SINGAPORE/TOKYO The dollar firmed on Monday and most Asian markets surrendered early gains as investors cautiously awaited U.S. economic data and speeches by Federal Reserve officials this week that could signal more interest rate increases than expected. Euro... More »
SYDNEY The dollar advanced for a fifth straight session on Thursday, pressuring commodities and Asian shares after yet another Federal Reserve official talked up the chance of more than one increase in U.S interest rates this year. If the dollar .DXY can keep ... More »
TOKYO Asian shares began a central-bank focused week on firm footing on Monday, buoyed by gains on Wall Street as well as glimmers of strength in weekend data from China. Financial spreadbetters expected Britain’s FTSE 100 .FTSE to open 0.3 percent higher. Ger... More »
BEIJING/SHANGHAI The logistics arm of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA.N) has completed a funding round, China’s biggest e-commerce company said on Monday. Investors in the funding round of Cainiao include Singapore’s Temasek Holdings [TEM.UL] and GIC Pte Ltd [... More »
TOKYO/SINGAPORE Sharp losses in Chinese stocks pulled Asian equities further away from two-month highs on Wednesday as weak trade figures from the world’s second-biggest economy and wobbly oil prices revived concerns about global growth. European shares, howev... More »
SINGAPORE With her brown hair, soft skin and expressive face, Nadine is a new brand of human-like robot that could one day, scientists hope, be used as a personal assistant or care provider for the elderly. The 1.7-metre tall Nadine was created in the likeness... More »
TOKYO Asian stocks retreated on Monday after a weekend meeting of G20 policymakers ended with no new coordinated action to spur global growth and as solid U.S. data revived expectation of the Federal Reserve further raising rates before year-end. MSCI’s broade... More »
SHANGHAI Investors hoping for a grand plan from the world’s top financial officials to stabilize shaky markets are set for disappointment, insiders say, when finance ministers and central bankers gather this week in Shanghai to discuss the troubled global econ... More »
TOKYO/SINGAPORE Asian shares fell on Wednesday as oil prices skidded after Saudi Arabia effectively ruled out production cuts by major producers anytime soon, sending investors into safe-havens such as the yen and gold. European markets set to follow Asia’s le... More »
HONG KONG Asian stocks started a new month on a cautious note on Monday, with the Bank of Japan’s surprise policy easing sparking some buying but further signs of economic weakness in China and a fall in oil prices keeping investors on guard. European stocks w... More »
SINGAPORE South Korean Song Young-han held his nerve to edge his role model, world number one Jordan Spieth, by a shot to win the Singapore Open in a weather-delayed Monday finish. Song returned at 7:30 a.m (2330 GMT) to par the last three holes of his final r... More »
LONDON European stocks succumbed to another slide in oil prices on Wednesday as markets waited cautiously to see what the Federal Reserve’s reaction will be to what has been a brutal start to the year for world markets. Asian and particularly Chinese bourses .... More »
LONDON British insurer Prudential Plc (PRU.L) posted a slightly above-forecast capital ratio under new European rules and appointed a UK head as it attempts to woo investors later on Tuesday. Prudential has been a darling of investors but worries about Asian m... More »
TOKYO Asian shares were mostly higher on Tuesday as Shanghai stocks surged after data pointing to slower Chinese economic growth fanned stimulus hopes. Spreadbetters expected Europe to follow Asia’s lead and forecast a higher open for Britain’s FTSE .FTSE, Ger... More »
LONDON European shares fell on Monday, following Asia lower and led by banks after the European Central Bank said it would quiz euro zone lenders about high levels of bad loans, while oil prices tumbled on the prospect of more supply from Iran. With U.S. marke... More »
LONDON World stocks fell to near 2-1/2 year lows on Monday as a fresh pounding for Chinese markets left Asia at a four-year trough and sent oil and commodity markets sprawling again. Europe’s main bourses saw a more steady start to the week but investors were ... More »
SINGAPORE/SYDNEY Chinese shares led Asian markets higher on Monday, defying a dive on Wall Street, while the price of Brent crude plumbed 11-year lows on renewed worries over a global oil glut. European shares are unlikely to follow Asia’s example, with spread... More »
SINGAPORE Stan Wawrinka showed his class in both singles and doubles to lead the Singapore Slammers to victory in the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) final in front of a delighted home crowd at the Indoor Stadium on Sunday. Matches in the Asia-based... More »
MACAU Top Republican Party donor Sheldon Adelson said on Friday he met presidential candidate Donald Trump earlier this week and that the two American billionaires broached the issue at the heart of Adelson’s political agenda: support for Israel. While the meg... More »
SINGAPORE Six crew members are still missing after a general cargo freighter sank in the Singapore Strait following a collision with a chemical tanker at 8:14 p.m. (7.14 a.m. ET) on Dec. 16. The 10,385 deadweight tonne (dwt) cargo freighter Thorco Cloud, opera... More »
SYDNEY Asian stock markets jumped on Thursday as investors chose to take an historic hike in U.S. interest rates as a mark of confidence in the world’s largest economy, lifting the dollar and piling on the pain for oil prices. European shares were expected to ... More »
SYDNEY Asian share markets turned mixed on Monday as caution grew ahead of Chinese data, though sentiment stayed supported by hopes the U.S. economy would be able to handle an expected first increase in interest rates in almost a decade. Oil prices were near t... More »
LONDON A perceived lack of ambition in the European Central Bank’s latest stimulus efforts left financial markets with a niggling worry on Thursday that even ‘Super Mario’ Draghi might not be able to drag euro zone inflation back up to target. A bare minimum 0... More »
SINGAPORE When “Bathing in the Shower” by the late Indonesian artist Hendra Gunawan went under the hammer at Sotheby’s autumn auction in Hong Kong in October this year, the oil painting of three female bathers was sold for HK$9.7 million ($1.3 million). That p... More »
TOKYO An extended selloff in Chinese stocks pulled down Asian markets on Monday, while the yuan bounced on suspected intervention by Beijing hours ahead of an IMF decision on whether to promote it to a basket of global reserve currencies. MSCI’s broadest index... More »
SINGAPORE Adam Lambert may have been a hit on American Idol but rival petitions in Singapore have gathered thousands of online votes in a lively debate over whether he is too sexy to be allowed to perform at the city-state’s largest New Year’s eve concert. The... More »
SYDNEY The euro sagged to a seven-month trough on Monday as the prospect of more policy easing in Europe benefited the U.S. dollar, while activity in Asian shares was crimped by a holiday in Japan. The strength of the dollar also combined with worries about Ch... More »
SINGAPORE The co-founder of a Singapore church and five other leaders were sentenced to jail terms of up to eight years on Friday, for fraudulently diverting millions of dollars to support his wife’s pop singing career. The mix of faith and fraud has fascinate... More »
LONDONThe dollar took a breather on Monday having surged to a seven-month high, while emerging, commodity and bond markets had a nervy feel after strong U.S. jobs data boosted bets on a December Federal Reserve rate hike. European .FTEU3 and Asian .MIAPJ0000PU... More »
TOKYO Asian stocks slid to their lowest level in nearly three weeks on Monday, as profit taking set in after soft Chinese factory surveys and U.S. consumer spending data raised concerns over the global economic outlook. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific sh... More »
TOKYO Asian stocks on Monday were close to wiping out all their losses since China’s shock currency devaluation in August, as global equities rallied after the Chinese central bank cut rates and U.S. tech giants provided upbeat earning guidance. MSCI’s index o... More »
SINGAPORE Countries should not bank on oil prices remaining low when formulating their energy policies, as supplies could tighten from mid-2016 due to a drop in investment and falling U.S. output, a senior industry official said on Monday. Global oil prices LC... More »
HONG KONG Asian shares held two-month highs on Monday as a batch of Chinese data showed the economy slowing while still managing to reassure investors it was not in danger of a hard landing. Adding to optimism wee growing bets that the U.S. Federal Reserve wil... More »
HONG KONG Asian shares rose on Monday, extending an October rally, as investors hunted for bargains in industrials and basic materials, fueled by a rebound in commodities while the dollar struggled as hopes of a Fed rate rise this year faded. European stocks w... More »
The U.S. administration hopes to release the full text of a Pacific trade deal within the next 30 days, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said in an interview with CNN. The United States sealed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with 11 trading partner... More »
TOKYO Asian stocks rose on Monday as expectations for a U.S. interest rate hike this year faded after weaker-than-expected employment data. Spreadbetters forecast a higher open for Britain’s FTSE .FTSE, Germany’s DAX .GDAXI and France’s CAC .FCHI as investors ... More »
ATLANTA A dozen Pacific nations closed in on a sweeping free-trade pact on Sunday in Atlanta but failed to finalize terms on the fifth day of round-the-clock talks, dashing hopes raised by an earlier breakthrough on protections for new biotech drugs. U.S. offi... More »
SINGAPORE Singapore surprisingly scrapped its two biggest horse races worth S$4 million ($2.80 million) on Monday, claiming they have achieved their purpose and were no longer needed. The S$3 million Singapore Airlines International Cup (SIA), a 2,000 meter Gr... More »
SHANGHAI/BEIJING China’s most popular ride-hailing app Didi Kuaidi said on Monday it has invested in Indian peer Ola, forging a new alliance within a network of companies challenging U.S. rival Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL]. Didi joins existing investors inc... More »
SINGAPORE Asian shares and emerging currencies fell on Monday after the U.S. Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates at record lows raised fresh concerns about growth globally, particularly in China. European markets were set to follow suit, with fin... More »
(This version of the story corrects number of troops in paragraph 1 to 1,000 from 10,000- headline altered to reflect change) PADAMARAN, Indonesia (Reuters) – Indonesia said on Friday it will send more than 1,000 troops to fight fires in southern Sumatra, as s... More »
TOKYO Asian shares rose in choppy trade on Monday after Chinese markets were hit by soft economic data, while the dollar sagged as investors questioned whether the U.S. Federal Reserve will be confident enough to raise rates for the first time in almost a deca... More »
LONDON Britain’s Tesco (TSCO.L) has agreed to sell its South Korean unit to a group led by private equity firm MBK Partners for $6.1 billion, it said on Monday, in its first major disposal since it hit financial difficulties. Seeking to raise funds to revitali... More »
TOKYO Asian stocks were subdued on Monday, lacking clear direction as Shanghai shares see-sawed in and out of the red after the Chinese markets resumed trading following a four-day long weekend. Spreadbetters forecast Britain’s FTSE .FTSE, Germany’s DAX .GDAXI... More »
HONG KONG Global financial markets looked set for another rough week on Monday, with stocks and commodities falling ahead of data that could give clues on when the U.S. will raise interest rates and surveys which are likely to point to further weakness in Chin... More »
LONDON Volatile global markets got some respite from the latest blood-letting on Tuesday as bargain hunters nudged up Asian and European stocks, though China, at the center of the rout, was smashed again. The dollar and oil prices saw their first rises in five... More »
BEIJING Boeing Co (BA.N) on Tuesday raised its forecast for China’s aircraft demand over the next 20 years despite a slowing economy and a tumbling stock market that have triggered a worldwide slide in equity and commodity prices. The U.S. plane maker expects ... More »
BlackRock Inc’s (BLK.N) chief investment officer of fundamental fixed income, Rick Rieder, believes the window for the U.S. Federal Reserve to raise interest rates is closing, he said in an interview on Monday. While Rieder hopes the Fed will still begin raisi... More »
Norton antivirus software maker Symantec Corp has agreed to sell its data storage unit, Veritas, for $8 billion to a group led by Carlyle Group LP as it seeks cash to turn around its core security software business. The deal, the biggest U.S. leveraged buyout ... More »
KUALA LUMPUR The head of world athletics vigorously defended the IAAF’s anti-doping record on Monday, as global sporting bodies called for a thorough probe of the latest allegations to plunge international sport into crisis. Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper an... More »
KUALA LUMPUR The head of world athletics said on Monday that any suggestion his organization had been negligent in drug testing of athletes was “laughable”. “There are allegations made, no evidence,” IAAF president Lamine Diack told Reuters in the Malaysian ca... More »
HONG KONG/TOKYO An index of Asian shares outside Japan fell close to this year’s lows on Monday thanks to a deepening selloff in commodities and fresh concerns over slowing growth in China, while the dollar held its ground against a basket of currencies. In li... More »
KUALA LUMPUR Malaysian police raided the office of troubled state investment fund 1MDB on Wednesday, following a report that claimed investigators looking into the firm found nearly $700 million had been transferred to Prime Minister Najib Razak’s bank account... More »
TOKYO Most Asian stocks drooped on Tuesday as Chinese equity markets went into a fresh tailspin, fraying investor nerves already strained by uncertainty hanging over the future of Greece and the European currency union. Chinese shares fell more than 5 percent ... More »
HONG KONG Asian shares held near five-month lows on Tuesday after Chinese stocks took another leg down while safe-haven assets received a boost as investors nervously awaited further developments in the deepening euro zone crisis. China’s stocks .SSEC tumbled ... More »
TOKYO U.S. stock futures edged up and the euro sagged in early Asian trading on Tuesday as Greece lurched toward defaulting on a debt payment due later in the session, raising the likelihood of the cash-strapped nation’s exit from the euro zone. Greece will no... More »
SINGAPORE/SYDNEY The dollar hit a one-month low on Thursday, staying on the defensive after the head of the Federal Reserve disappointed some who had hoped for a clearer signal on when the central bank will lift interest rates. Instead, Fed Chair Janet Yellen ... More »
SINGAPORE Crude oil futures held steady amid low trading volumes on Monday, although healthy Asian appetite and demand from the U.S. driving season could provide some upside. Front-month Brent crude prices had shed 7 cents to $65.30 per barrel by 0655 GMT. U.S... More »
BANGKOK Thailand surprisingly reported quarterly growth for the first three months of 2015 but the economy is still stumbling one year after the army took power. The National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) said on Monday the economy expanded a s... More »
TOKYO The dollar clawed its way higher but remained not far from a three-month low against the euro in Asian trade on Monday after downbeat U.S. economic data raised bets that the Federal Reserve will wait longer to raise interest rates. Industrial production ... More »
YONG PENG, Malaysia In barns filled with classical music and lighting that changes to match the hues outside, rows of chickens are fed a diet rich in probiotics, a regimen designed to remove the need for the drugs and chemicals that have tainted the global foo... More »
