Author: Journalist

With global warming, dwindling biodiversity and rising pollution threatening posterity and widening economic disparities, campaigns such as Race to Zero and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals matter more than ever. Investors these days are conscious about where their money goes, and environment, social and governance (ESG) has evolved as a framework to back businesses that take the conscientious route to profits. ESG funds have found favour among investors globally because they help meet responsible-investing goals while entrusting the arduous stock-selection process to fund managers. ESG funds are mutual funds or managed investment schemes that specifically take into account the…

BEIJING: China’s exports likely grew in November, slower than last month’s bumper data but continuing an upbeat trend as Chinese exporters likely frontloaded shipments amid growing tariff risks from the incoming US administration. Outbound shipments are expected to have risen 8.5 per cent year-on-year by value in November, the median forecast of 22 economists in a Reuters poll showed, compared to a 12.7 per cent jump in October. Imports likely grew marginally at 0.3 per cent, creeping back into the positive from a 2.3 per cent decline in October. The forecast indicates another month of buoyant trade data scheduled for…

THE European Central Bank (ECB) is expected to cut interest rates again this week amid a darkening outlook, with political turbulence in the eurozone’s two biggest economies adding to the troubled picture.It would be the ECB’s third straight reduction as it increasingly focuses on spurring lending to boost consumer spending and business investment in the 20 countries that use the euro. The central bank hiked rates aggressively from mid-2022 to tame surging energy and food costs but, with inflation easing and the eurozone weakening, they have now turned their attention to cuts. Recent worse-than-expected data had fuelled speculation the ECB could deliver…

The IRDAI and the Finance Ministry’s Financial Services Department have voiced support for a proposal to cut GST on insurance premiums. The GST Council is scheduled to meet on 21 December and expected to restructure the GST on insurance premiums. A Group of Ministers (GoM) has advocated exempting premiums paid on health insurance for senior citizens, health insurance with coverage of INR500,000 and term life insurance. For all other policies, the GoM suggested retaining existing rates, reported The Hindu Business Line. In a submission before a Parliamentary panel, the IRDAI said several developed countries, including the European Union and Canada, exempted…

Bitcoin has never been more valuable. Last week, it reached a record $100,000 (£79,000) per bitcoin – the climax of a surge in cryptocurrencies overall since the election of Donald Trump in November.As Guardian US tech editor, Blake Montgomery, explains to Michael Safi, the relationship between Trump and crypto has not always been so smooth – as recently as his first presidential term, he called bitcoin a “scam against the dollar”.But the election campaign saw an embrace between the two. In the summer Trump became the first former or sitting president to address a bitcoin conference, announcing he wanted the…

Mid-market organisations in the  Asia-Pacific region are embracing artificial intelligence (AI) with confidence, with most anticipating up to fourfold returns within 12 months, according to a report from Avanade. However, gaps in workforce readiness, data governance, and technology infrastructure are key obstacles for mid-market organisations to achieve sustainable returns. For this report, Avanade commissioned independent market research firms McGuire Research Services and Vanson Bourne to undertake research to understand the mid-market’s experience in developing and implementing AI solutions and emerging technologies.  – Advertisement – Across the two separate research projects, a total of 4,100 IT decision makers and senior business decision…

A new European directive setting strict ESG reporting standards for large firms operating in the EU creates challenges that make “absolutely no sense” for companies like QatarEnergy, according to its CEO.“My message to Europe and to the EU Commission is: are you telling us that you don’t want our LNG into the EU?” QatarEnergy CEO Saad Al-Kaabi, who is also minister of state for energy affairs, told the Doha Forum. “I am sure not going to supply the EU with LNG to support their energy requirements and then be penalised with our total revenue worldwide,” Al-Kaabi said on Saturday, in reference…

RESIDENT employment in Singapore rose by 4,000 in Q3, reversing from a seasonal decline in Q2, driven by strong hiring in outward-oriented sectors such as information and communications, professional services, and financial services.Non-resident employment rose by 18,200, primarily due to the hiring of work-permit holders in construction and manufacturing, based on the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) quarterly Labour Market Report released on Monday (Dec 9).Overall, total employment increased by 22,300 in Q3, nearly double the 11,300 gain in Q2.Labour demand remained robust, with MOM noting that year-end festivities are expected to boost hiring activity.Job vacancies, however, declined to 63,400 in…

Asian markets off to a slow start The Asian session is off to a slow start, with the Nikkei up 0.19%, the ASX down 0.29%, and the KOSPI down 1.37% at the time of writing. Strength on Wall Street to end last week has not been broad-based, with only four sectors closing in the green, but that did not stop the Nasdaq and S&P 500 from edging to yet another record high. The heavy lifting was concentrated around a handful of tech stocks, notably with Tesla and Broadcom up 5.3%, while Amazon and Meta were up 2.9% and 2.4% respectively.…

Asia Open The Asian session is off to a slow start, with the Nikkei +0.19%, ASX -0.29% and the KOSPI -1.37% at the time of writing. Strength in Wall Street to end last week has not been broad-based, with only four sectors closing in the green, but that did not stop the Nasdaq and S&P 500 from edging to yet another record high. The heavy-lifting was concentrated around a handful of tech stocks, notably with Tesla and Broadcom up 5.3%, while Amazon and Meta were up 2.9% and 2.4% respectively. However, the struggle for value sectors to see any notable…