Finance news

China’s Teapot Refineries Cut Operations to Their Lowest Level Since 2017

The independent refiners in China, the so-called teapots, have slashed their refinery run rates to the lowest level since 2017, as high feedstock prices, weak domestic fuel consumption, and restricted exports have hit margins. Refinery runs at the refiners in the Shandong province slumped to just 50.5% last week, per data from consultancy JLC cited by Bloomberg. These run rates are even lower than in 2020, when the pandemic hit China’s fuel consumption. The current utilization rates are at the l

Germany scraps F126 frigate program, pivots to MEKO warships amid cost and contractor chaos

Germany Navy leaders have already blessed the fallback ships as capable of meeting NATO capability requirements, but an alliance deadline looms.

Markets: HSBC strategist Kettner: “European bank shares still have potential”

HSBC strategist Max Kettner believes Tuesday's price collapse was exaggerated. In the Handelsblatt interview he explains why he continues to rely on the rally - in Europe and in the USA.

Norway Well Workers Continue Strike as Standoff Escalates

The affected companies - including Baker Hughes, Halliburton and SLB - imposed a legal work halt to force the workers into agreeing to terms proposed under government mediation.

Ukraine war: Which European is sitting at the negotiating table with Putin?

At the meeting of the E5 leaders with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Berlin, the question will also be how Europe can help Kiev despite declining US commitments.

Cell phone networks: Fighting dead spots: Citizens should report offline locations

In the digital age, a good cell phone network is becoming increasingly important. The good news: Germany's cell phone networks have improved. But in some places the connection is still pretty bad.

Hong Kong records 91 suspected student suicides in 3 years, majority boys

Hong Kong education authorities have revealed that 91 students were suspected to have died by suicide between 2023 and 2025, with most cases involving secondary school students and boys. The Education Bureau told lawmakers on Wednesday that the numbers of suspected fatal cases among primary and secondary students were 32 in 2023, 28 in 2024 and 31 in 2025. An advocacy group said youth suicide was rarely caused by a single factor, but identified family issues as a leading underlying cause in Hong

FTSE All World + Gerd Kommer ETF makes sense?

Hello everyone, I'm currently only saving for the FTSE All World ETF and I'm very happy with it. But I'm thinking about starting a second savings plan on the Gerd Kommer ETF in the future. I wouldn't sell anything from the All-World, but rather the savings rate in the future, for example. B. split into 75% FTSE / 25% Gerd Kommer ETF. (I currently have almost 70k in the FTSE and a savings rate of 300-500 euros per month, which changes a little depending on my income.) The commercial ETF brings with it a higher weighting

Brussels proposes ‘simplifying’ EU tax rules in huge red tape bonfire

EU executive says ‘taxation omnibus’ will save companies €8 billion per year

Why U.K. stocks can’t escape the shadow of a ‘lost decade’ following Brexit

The year of the Brexit referendum represented a peak for stock prices and foreign investment in the country, but its attractiveness has waned

Family Minister: Ban up to 13 years: Prien supports legal age limit for social media

After long discussions, the Federal Minister for Family Affairs has decided: She wants to ensure that social media is no longer allowed to be used by those under 13 years of age. How this should be regulated.

Space: Space probe shows the bright center of the Milky Way in detail

The “Euclid” probe is actually intended to help research dark matter and dark energy. Now she has focused on a particularly bright area - in the center of the Milky Way.

Up to 70 percent subsidy: Heating replacement in WEG: This is how you secure all the funding

With clever additional applications, owners in WEGs can secure hefty bonus subsidies when replacing heating systems. Otherwise, thousands of euros will be lost. What you specifically need to pay attention to.

Wife of ALS-stricken China e-commerce tycoon refuses divorce despite request

China’s most renowned amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patient, Cai Lei, has been battling the illness for seven years following his diagnosis. His wife, Duan Rui, has supported him in her own way, also becoming a pillar for other families affected by ALS. After the former vice-president of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com received his ALS diagnosis in 2019, Cai, now 48, emerged as one of the world’s most determined advocates against the disease, investing over 100 million yuan (US$15 million)

Tourism: Türkiye and Egypt are experiencing a comeback among Tui holidaymakers

After a lull due to the Iran war, demand for holidays in Turkey and Egypt is noticeably increasing again at Tui. Antalya is particularly popular for summer trips.

ECB reports on progress towards euro adoption

Comment: The age limit for social media sounds convincing, but it has its pitfalls

Children and young people are exposed to considerable risks in the digital age. A minimum age for using social media can't be wrong.

GDP shrinks without climate?

There was once a study that said that air conditioning contributes significantly to increasing GDP. Singapore was cited as an example. The author of the study showed a correlation between % of offices with air conditioning and growth in GDP (or something like that - I read the study 10 years ago). According to an article by CNN, only 3% of households in Germany have air conditioning. Now the question is, do you think our economy is shrinking because of lack of air conditioning? As an example:

Energy efficiency: Government relaxes efficiency rules for data centers

Data centers should be given more time to meet efficiency targets and switch to renewable energies. The government promises relief, the opposition speaks of regression.

Diseases: Ebola outbreak: First case detected in France

More than a thousand people have been infected with Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Now France is also reporting a case. How did the man get sick?

Hungary: End of the Ice Age in Central Europe: Peter Magyar revives the Visegrad Group

After Viktor Orban's fall, the Central European four-party alliance quickly regrouped. Even his close allies Babis and Fico hardly mourn Hungary's former head of government.

The doomsday argument - are we right on this?

First of all, I would like to clarify that I believe in long-term buy and hold (broad etfs, good stocks, etc.), and it's probably one of the best strategies. I am also not a doomsday person, prepper, or anything like that. The argument Anyways, I have been thinking for some time about the doomsday/slow decline argument that sometimes comes up in investing communities. It's usually something like this : "Most of the developed world, the West, USA, is currently at its peak, similar to Roman empire

Asia Techonomics: How AI start-ups in India get large amounts of training data for robots for little money

Silicon Valley investors are betting on housekeepers and factory workers to solve one of the biggest problems as AI leaps into the physical world. This is causing uncertainty in India.

Deutsche Bahn: How did the major train cancellation happen?

There are no trains running in all of Germany - that's rare, but it does happen: How a nationwide train radio disruption knocked out the rail system.

Everyone complains about civil servant pensions, but nobody wants to become a civil servant.

I am a civil servant myself and we have had a significant, almost insane, staff shortage for the last few years. At the same time, I read here every day how unfair and undeserved our pensions are. It's not as if public service is an elitist, closed club to which only the select few are allowed access. That may have been the case 20 years ago. Today, the shortage of personnel, especially in municipalities and authorities, is so great that you yourself are considered stupid

Chinese-Filipino groups downplay Sinophobia over earthquake aid in Philippines

Chinese-Filipino business groups have sent aid to earthquake-hit residents in the southern Philippines, continuing their tradition of providing disaster relief at a time when worsening Manila-Beijing ties have complicated public perceptions of people and organisations linked to China. In General Santos City, among the areas hardest hit by the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the country on June 8, local officials and survivors said politics had little place in disaster recovery..

India Cuts Coal Imports as Power Plants Turn to Domestic Fuel

India is boosting the share of domestic coal used in power plants designated to run on imported fuel, as rising local coal production and expanding renewables have helped to cut coal imports to multi-year lows. India has raised the use of domestic coal to 50% at many power plants that have typically run on imported coal, industry and government officials told Reuters on Wednesday. Power producers are currently running the coal-fired power plants on a mix of imported and domestic coal, and some p

Major bank: Santander is negotiating early retirement for up to 3,000 employees

The effects of artificial intelligence on the labor market also affect the banking industry. Now there are further consequences for the major Spanish bank Santander.

Tank maker KNDS plans stock market listing, Germany to buy 40% stake

The firm showed a proposed battle tank at Eurosatory defense exhibition in Paris boasting a French turret and gun mounted on a German Leopard 2 chassis.

‘I’m scared of making a huge financial mistake’: I gave my brother half of my $1.5 million home. Can he force me to sell?

“One lawyer estimated that my brother and I would each walk away with a couple hundred thousand dollars.”