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China-based companies will have to disclose more about their structure and contacts with the Chinese government before listing in the US, the Securities and Exchange Commission said on Friday. Gary Gensler, the chair of the US corporate and markets regulator, has asked staff to ensure greater transparency from Chinese companies following the controversy surrounding the

US economic growth rose slightly in the second quarter to 6.5 per cent on an annualised basis, a weaker-than-expected increase as strong consumption was offset by lagging private investment. The data from the US commerce department on Thursday fell short of economists’ forecasts of 8.5 per cent growth on an annualised basis, and compared with

The Federal Reserve signalled it was moving closer to the moment when it will withdraw its support for the economic recovery by tapering its asset purchases, declaring that “progress” had been made towards meeting its goals. At the end of a two-day meeting on Wednesday, the Federal Open Market Committee kept its main interest rate

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is set to revise its guidance for vaccinated people on wearing masks indoors, in a major climbdown from a decision it made just two months ago. The public health body will recommend that vaccinated people should wear masks in indoor places if local case rates are high,

The returns investors expect to earn after inflation on the world’s most important government bonds have reached a record low in a fall that has had sweeping implications across global markets. The real yield on 10-year US Treasuries fell further below zero on Monday as growing anxiety over the outlook for economic growth added fuel

The single largest bet on Chinese tech by SoftBank’s Vision Fund is in the red as Beijing punishes ride-hailing group Didi Chuxing for alleged data security lapses on the back of its blockbuster New York listing. The Vision Fund’s 20.1 per cent stake in the taxi app, for which it paid $11.8bn in 2019, is

The lending businesses of large US banks are doubling down on wealthier customers, as well-to-do Americans borrow to buy second homes, invest in the stock market and potentially lighten their tax bills. The combined value of loans made by the wealth management arms of JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup and Morgan Stanley surpassed $600bn

Several hedge funds have backed away from trading and other activities on Binance in response to the accelerating regulatory crackdown on the crypto exchange, deepening the strain for a group already cut off by a clutch of banks and payments companies. Crypto specialist Tyr Capital said it had “significantly decreased its exposure” to the group,

The European Central Bank will keep buying bonds and maintain its deeply negative interest rates in an attempt to shift the eurozone economy out of its persistent pattern of sluggish inflation, its policymakers decided on Thursday. The ECB also said it was prepared to tolerate a moderate and transitory overshoot of its inflation target as

Brussels has insisted it will not renegotiate the EU’s Brexit deal with the UK after London inflamed tensions by launching a bold push to overhaul trading rules for Northern Ireland. Maros Sefcovic, European Commission vice-president in charge of relations with the UK, said Brussels “will not agree to a renegotiation of the protocol” after the

US health officials said the more contagious Delta variant now accounts for more than 80 per cent of new coronavirus cases in the country, a dramatic increase that has underscored how quickly the more contagious strain is spreading. “[The] CDC has released estimates of variants across the country and predicted the Delta variant now represents

European equities were heading for their worst session of the year as the growing threat of the Delta coronavirus variant triggered falls in global share markets and commodities, while investors sought havens in government bonds and gold. Europe’s region-wide Stoxx Europe 600 lost 2.7 per cent, the biggest drop since October, while London’s FTSE 100

Opec and its allies have reached an agreement to raise oil production at a time of soaring prices after compromising over how the output targets of some of its largest members are calculated. Members of the Opec+ group including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq and Kuwait will all be awarded higher production baselines —

With just over two months to go until polling day, the devastating floods that swept through western Germany this week have catapulted climate change to the heart of the German election campaign. Most of Germany’s political parties agreed that global warming was to blame for a catastrophe that left 103 people dead and visited destruction

The Biden administration Friday warned US companies that they faced serious and escalating risks operating in Hong Kong, as the Chinese government increasingly cracks down on freedoms in the financial hub. The US issued a “business advisory” about threats ranging from China’s ability to gain access to data stored on servers in Hong Kong to

Aurora, the driverless vehicle start-up backed by Amazon and Uber, has unveiled plans to go public in a merger with a blank-cheque company, becoming the first top-tier player in the industry to achieve a stock market listing and setting up a test of investor appetite for such cash-guzzling ventures. Aurora said on Thursday it would

Jay Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, said the US central bank was ready to intervene if inflation spiralled out of control, but stressed that he expected price increases to ease later in the year. “Inflation has increased notably and will likely remain elevated in coming months before moderating,” Powell said in prepared remarks

The breakneck pace of US consumer price increases seen since the start of the year accelerated in June, challenging the Federal Reserve’s case that the burst of inflationary pressures accompanying the economic reopening will prove temporary. The consumer price index rose 5.4 per cent in June from a year ago — above the nearly 13-year

Israel will begin offering third doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine this week to adults with serious pre-existing medical conditions, becoming the first country in the world to officially offer a so-called “booster” jab. The move, confirmed by the health ministry on Monday, comes as US and European health authorities debate the need for booster

Brussels will set out plans this week to increase taxes on polluting fuels and introduce an EU-wide levy on aviation kerosene for the first time, under measures intended to put it at the forefront of global efforts to reduce carbon emissions.  The European Commission will propose a revamp of its 15-year-old rule book on carbon