Asia shares loiter as S&P futures climb fresh peak

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian share markets lagged on Thursday as U.S. stock futures nudged to another record high after the Federal Reserve underlined its commitment to keeping policy super loose even as the economy enjoys a rapid recovery. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was flat, and also little changed on the week. […]
CEO Mary Barra bets GM can grow beyond cars and trucks

(Reuters) – Pam Fletcher wants to change the way General Motors Co makes money. The veteran GM engineer’s Global Innovation team is looking for new enterprises to expand the automaker’s sources of revenue well beyond vehicle sales and is incubating ventures from commercial delivery services to vehicle insurance, to address future markets worth an estimated […]
Shell expects at best steady fuel sales for first quarter

LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell expects its fuel sales to fall or at best be broadly steady for the first quarter as some coronavirus restrictions ease, the world’s biggest fuel retailer said in a trading update on Wednesday. Shell said it saw refined oil product sales at 3.7-4.7 million barrels per day (bpd) for […]
Asian shares ease from three-week highs, dollar retreats

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian shares pulled back from a three-week high on Wednesday, dragged lower by Chinese stocks, though investors were still focused on upcoming company earnings for more signs of a global economic recovery. Eurostoxx 50 futures were off 0.1%, those for Germany’s Dax were barely changed while London’s FTSE futures were up 0.4%. […]
Jordan bans media coverage of royal rift, Saudi reaffirms support

AMMAN (Reuters) -Jordan banned all news outlets and social media users on Tuesday from publishing any content related to King Abdullah’s half-brother Prince Hamza after the latter was accused of plotting to destabilise the country. Prince Hamza pledged allegiance to King Abdullah late on Monday after mediation by the royal family, two days after the […]
Sceptical president invites Netanyahu to form next Israeli government

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -A sceptical president tasked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday with forming a new government, after another inconclusive election deepened political stalemate in Israel. The country’s longest-serving leader, in power consecutively since 2009, now faces the tough challenge of enlisting enough allies for a governing coalition. Under law, Netanyahu will have 28 days […]
GameStop plans $1 billion stock sale, shares slide

(Reuters) – GameStop Corp shares fell 12% on Monday after the video game retailer said it may sell up to $1 billion worth of stock as it takes advantage of a dizzying rally in its shares this year on the back of a Reddit-driven retail trading frenzy. The company said it would sell up to […]
SoftBank to lead nearly $1.2 billion investment in diagnostics firm Invitae

(Reuters) -Invitae Corp said on Monday a group of investors including SoftBank Group Corp will invest $1.15 billion in the U.S. genetic diagnostics company. It said the investment, to be used for its growth initiatives, will be in convertible senior notes, which will bear 1.5% interest per year. The company said the notes will have […]
U.S. says 165 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine been administered so far

(Reuters) – The United States has administered more than 165 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Sunday morning and distributed nearly 208 million, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Sunday. That is up from the 161,688,422 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by […]
Oil drops below $64 as rising OPEC+, Iranian output weighs

LONDON (Reuters) – Oil fell to below $64 a barrel on Monday as rising supply from OPEC+ and higher Iranian output countered signs of a strong economic rebound in the United States and expectations of a wider demand recovery in 2021. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, known as OPEC+, agreed on […]