China's factory activity shrank for a second straight month in November, official data showed Wednesday, as large swathes of the country were hit by Covid-19 lockdowns and transport disruptions.. Activity fell at businesses of all sizes during the month, with the PMI for small enterprises hit hardest at 45.6.
Markets mostly rose Wednesday on hopes that China will further ease its strict Covid containment measures following widespread political unrest, though gains were tempered by leaders' warnings of a crackdown on dissent across the country.. Leaders said they would step up their drive to vaccinate the elderly, while the National Health Commission appeared to blame local governments for instituting extreme measures such as tight lockdowns, one of the main reasons for the unrest.
Alibaba founder Jack Ma has been living in Tokyo for almost six months after disappearing from public view following China's crackdown on the tech sector, the Financial Times reported Wednesday, citing multiple unnamed sources.. Ma has been spotted elsewhere since he effectively disappeared from public view in China, including on the Spanish island of Mallorca last year.
Twitter said it has stopped enforcing a policy intended to prevent the spread of Covid misinformation, as new owner Elon Musk -- who has clashed previously with US officials over pandemic safety rules -- continues to remake its content moderation policies.. During the pandemic, Twitter took to labeling misleading tweets about Covid and booting users who persisted in spreading such misinformation.
French leader Emmanuel Macron is hoping his US state visit can produce meaningful concessions for European industry as it smarts from massive US green subsidies -- but the chances of a major win look slim, according to a Joe Biden ally Chris Coons.. Coons, a Democratic senator for Delaware and leader of the Congressional French Caucus, talked to AFP about the French president's visit and goals.
HSBC has agreed to sell its Canadian division to Royal Bank of Canada for US$10.1 billion, the Asia-focused banking giant announced Tuesday.. "This also positions us as the bank of choice for commercial clients with international needs, newcomers to Canada and affluent clients who need global banking and wealth management capabilities."
German inflation unexpectedly slowed in November after months of increases, preliminary data showed Tuesday, as sky-high energy prices begin to ease.. The surprise dip comes as "energy prices have eased slightly", Destatis said, although it noted they were still 38.4 percent higher than a year earlier.
The International Monetary Fund may have to slash its growth forecasts for China, managing director Kristalina Georgieva warned Tuesday, after protests erupted opposing Beijing's strict policies to combat Covid.. Georgieva, speaking in Berlin after meeting Chancellor Olaf Scholz and heads of other international financial organisations, said China was "looking into its zero-Covid policy with a perspective to shift to more targeted response to Covid cases".
Axes, a leading Fintech provider in the gaming industry, is on a mission to support responsible gaming through the use of technology
French President Emmanuel Macron was set to arrive in Washington Tuesday for a rare state visit hosted by Joe Biden, but hard-nosed disagreements about US-EU trade will loom over the pomp and ceremony at the White House.. However, at the White House, a senior official said the main goal is to nurture the "personal relationship, the alliance relationship" with France -- and between Biden and Macron.
