Finance news

Hanoi softens gasoline motorcycle curbs with phased rollout

Data leak fears after ransomware attack hits Hong Kong’s Kee Wah Bakery

A major bakery chain has been hit by a ransomware attack on its internal network, prompting Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog to seek details to assess the risk of a potential data leak. Kee Wah Bakery, known for its local and Chinese pastries, revealed the incident on Tuesday, after its internal network malfunctioned on Friday last week. A preliminary investigation found that a ransomware attack had targeted its system, which contains employees’ personal data as well as information related to...

Health risk heat: “Silent killer” – What makes heat dangerous for people

Summer is coming. But the coming hot days also bring dangers - especially for certain groups.

Investment: Five mistakes: This is how investors often give away returns

Losing stocks, wrong timing and expensive trading mistakes: According to Stiftung Warentest, where investors lose the most - and how it can be done better.

Blackmail: Cybercriminals apparently demand $25 million after attack on Novo Nordisk

According to their own statements, the hackers were active in the Danish pharmaceutical company's networks for more than two months. The authorities are involved.

What have the U.S. and Iran agreed to? This is what markets are focused on.

The Trump administration and Iran have agreed on a framework for a peace deal. As everyone waits for the text of the framework to get released, here is a rundown of what the key points are for markets.

Malaysia’s tax officials play their cards as collectibles turn into money-spinners

With the card-collecting hobby turning into a moneymaking venture with thousands of ringgit moved in single transactions, Malaysia’s tax authorities are keeping a close eye out for any tax discrepancies and doing audits to clarify statuses. The Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) said it is aware of the growing market for high-value collectibles, in particular trading cards, and urged collectors to be aware of tax responsibilities if their hobbies are deemed to be business transactions. “We are aware of

Guest commentary: China's ambassador: Europe needs cooperation instead of isolation

Brussels fails to recognize how much both regions benefit from each other, says Deng Hongbo, Chinese ambassador to Germany. Europe is only harming itself with protectionism.

Financial market: Esma boss warns: “The risk of setbacks on the markets is high”

Verena Ross and other financial supervisors doubt whether investors on the stock exchanges are correctly assessing the consequences of the Iran war and other dangers. Meanwhile, stock analysts are becoming increasingly optimistic.

USA: Investors challenge Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh at his premiere

Will the new head of the US Federal Reserve become Donald Trump's vicarious agent? Warsh's first interest rate decision becomes a reality test: the US President demands lower interest rates, the markets demand higher ones.

Presidential elections: The man who hates Germany – and could become president of France

Jean-Luc Mélenchon was long considered too radical for power. The leader of the radical left is now having success among younger people and in the suburbs. His election victory would be a problem for Germany.

Brewery ranking: Six German breweries in the global top 40

Overall, beer sales from the industry giants are declining. In Germany, only one of the large breweries can make significant gains. But the distance to the top is enormous.

Is the ‘Singapore brand’ losing its shine in China’s food scene?

When Celine Teo feels homesick, she visits Singaporean eatery Vanda Room in Beijing’s central business district to enjoy delicacies such as chicken rice and laksa. “Being able to enjoy a familiar dish abroad always brings a sense of comfort and connection to home,” said the 25-year-old undergraduate, who has lived in China for four years. But Teo worries these connections are thinning, as some Singapore-linked F&B players retreat, refocus or struggle to defend their edge in China’s increasingly.

China debate reaches boiling point as EU weighs tougher stance

European leaders are converging on a tougher view of Beijing, but concrete action remains elusive

IPO: “Significant burden factor”: Anthropic ban complicates IPO plans

Analysts warn: Blocking the most important AI models could intensify the race between Anthropic and its competitor OpenAI and put OpenAI in the lead.

SpaceX options debut signals 'expensive' and 'dangerous' bets, strategist says

Options on SpaceX have started trading after the company's IPO, and they show a wide variation in bets.

Invest: Barclays chief economist: “You can get rid of low key interest rates”

In the podcast, Christian Keller explains why interest rates won't fall any time soon and how the new US Federal Reserve boss wants to ensure more stability.

Invest: Barclays chief economist: “You have to get rid of low key interest rates”

In the podcast, Christian Keller explains why interest rates won't fall any time soon and how the new US Federal Reserve boss wants to ensure more stability.

Sips of history: how ancient Chinese brewing techniques shaped modern alcohol

Alcohol has played a central role in human culture for at least 10,000 years, with the earliest known alcoholic beverage – a rice wine – originating from the Henan province of central China. However, much of our understanding of these early adult beverages is superficial at best. Recently, a handful of studies from China are shedding light on what the oldest Chinese residents were drinking and how they crafted these libations. The highlight was the discovery of an unopened bottle of drink from..

What launch of Himars rockets towards Taiwan Strait says about Taipei’s battle plans

Taiwan’s recent launch of Himars rockets westwards towards the Taiwan Strait highlights how the island’s defensive strategy is shifting to the use of mobile strike weapons to disrupt a mainland Chinese attack before it reaches shore. The exercise on June 10 was the first time the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System had been launched in the direction of mainland China. Beijing has yet to respond to the launches. Analysts said the significance of the drill lay in what it revealed about how...

KfW survey: Municipalities lack money: investment backlog reaches record

Potholes, dilapidated schools, missing millions: many municipalities can no longer properly take care of their infrastructure. The investment backlog is higher than ever. Is improvement in sight?

Can Hong Kong make a giant leap to commercial space insurance?

Some may feel a lump in their throats as they watch Hong Kong’s first astronaut, Lai Ka-ying, make history, but few see it as anything more than an inspirational story for our youth. In reality, space, which can feel lofty and far away to pragmatic Hongkongers, could hold the key to our city’s economic future. In my previous column, we discussed why Hong Kong represents China’s best chance to build an alternative global maritime insurance system, but also why that remains mission impossible for.

Top meeting in Évian: Five lessons from the G7 summit

The Iran war has divided the USA and the Europeans. The hope for peace now brings them together again. And that offers opportunities for resolving another conflict.

Eternal ‘star’: asteroid named after firefighter killed in Hong Kong blaze

An asteroid discovered by a Hong Kong-born astronomer has been named after a firefighter who died in the city’s deadliest blaze in decades, with his fiancée expressing gratitude for a move that turned him into an eternal “star”. Ho Wai‑ho, 37, was killed in the Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po last November while helping to evacuate residents. To honour his sacrifice, amateur astronomer William Yeung Kwong-yu, a former president of the Hong Kong Astronomical Society, has named asteroid 34871...

NTT hoped to lead optical data networks. AI and Nvidia changed that

Japan's tourism hotspots turn to dual pricing as crowds swell

$JHG: Looked appealing but quickly became very uninteresting due to non-recurring earnings and a pending merger

Janus Henderson Group (JHG) screens cheaply on the surface with a quote around $47 a share, a Price to Earning (P/E) of 9.9 and Price to Book value (P/B) of 1.56 but there is more to the story. There looms a pending acquisition by Trian and General Catalyst that was announced at the end of December in 2025 that values JHG at $49 per share. Most of the analysis covering this stock focus on the merger arbitrage angle but I am going to take a different approach. I am going to apply Benjamin Graham’

Gulf gamble: will South Korea step up for Strait of Hormuz security?

The expected reopening of the Strait of Hormuz under a US-Iran ceasefire framework could ease pressure on South Korea’s energy-dependent economy while creating a thornier diplomatic problem for Seoul: how much should it contribute to securing the waterway? That question is likely to shadow President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to the Group of Seven summit this week in Evian-les-Bains, France, where the wars in Ukraine and Iran are expected to dominate talks among G7 leaders and several invited...

The Smartest Way to Play the AI Boom in 2026

If you've been investing in the AI boom, you probably own most of the same names everyone else does. NVIDIA for the chips. Microsoft, Google and Amazon for the cloud. Maybe Meta for the consumer side. Maybe Palantir or one of the AI software names. Possibly TSMC for exposure to the manufacturing layer. And that playbook has worked well for investors. NVIDIA alone has minted more wealth in two years than most companies create in a century. The hyperscalers have all hit fresh highs. AI software st

Japan exports in May grow at fastest pace in more than three years, beating estimates