Qualcomm’s new CEO eyes dominance in the laptop markets

Qualcomm Inc’s (QCOM.O) new chief thinks that by next year his company will have just the chip for laptop makers wondering how they can compete with Apple Inc (AAPL.O), which last year introduced laptops using a custom-designed central processor chip that boasts longer battery life.
U.S. quarterly auto sales jump on strong SUV demand, shift to EVs

U.S. automakers on Thursday reported a sharp rise in quarterly sales on strong demand for SUVs and pointed to the trend continuing into 2022, as more people shift to private conveyance and new electric vehicles (EVs) line up for launch.
IMF raises U.S. 2021 growth forecast to 7%, assumes Biden spending plans pass

The International Monetary Fund raised its 2021 U.S. growth projection sharply to 7.0% due to a strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and an assumption that much of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure and social spending plans will be enacted.
Ghosts of taper tantrum to haunt EMFX, stir volatility memories: Reuters poll

Volatility risks in coming months are high on the radar of emerging market currency investors still familiar with past Fed tightening, a Reuters poll of strategists found, but commodity prices are offering support amid slow vaccination rates.
Volkswagen sees strongest first-half U.S. sales since 1973

Volkswagen of America said it sold more than 211,000 cars in the first half of 2021, its highest level for the period in nearly 50 years, and is on pace to sell more than 400,000 this year, Chief Executive and President Scott Keogh said in a media briefing on Thursday.
Analysis: U.S. companies spend billions on stay-at-home tech, boding ill for office properties

As the U.S. economy reopens, ramped-up corporate spending on video systems and plans to increase shared workspace suggests hybrid work is here to stay, potentially weighing on commercial property prices in New York, San Francisco and other major cities.
EXCLUSIVE Shell plans to exit California joint venture with Exxon Mobil -sources

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L) plans to leave Aera, its California-based oil and gas-producing joint venture with Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N), four people familiar with the talks told Reuters.
Asia M&A bonanza fuelled by Southeast Asia, private equity deals

Asian merger and acquisition activity surged to its second-highest level ever for a first half as Southeast Asian and private-equity deals hit records, and bankers expect the strong momentum to be maintained for the rest of the year.
PepsiCo vows to cut soda sugar levels by 25% in EU by 2025

PepsiCo Inc (PEP.O) said on Thursday it plans to reduce sugar content in sodas and iced teas by a fourth in the European Union and launch more nutritious snacks by 2025, to attract more health-conscious consumers in its second-biggest market.
‘Flying off the shelves’: Primark sales soar in reopened markets

Primark’s sales exceeded pre-pandemic levels and management expectations in its latest quarter as stores reopened after COVID-19 lockdowns and consumers splashed out to update their wardrobes.