Finance news

US seeks 'stable equilibrium' against China hegemony, Hegseth says

A2PK5J vs A0RGCS vs A2PLS9

Yesterday I came across the ETFs mentioned in the title. Regardless of the question of whether you are looking for All World or just Developed World, why are they so rarely discussed here? The A2PK5J (UETW) has only 0.06% TER. The A0RGCS (SC0J) even has only 0.05% TER and does synthetic replication, which can probably even save US withholding taxes (ok, probably not relevant for most people here)? The A2PLS9 (VHVE) has 0.12% TER, which you can still see mentioned here sometimes. With the all-world ETFs, a uh

PSG, Arsenal and Co.: PSG, Arsenal and Co. - The business of Europe's football soul

US investors are pouring record amounts into European clubs. The World Cup will continue to drive up ratings. The clubs attract with tradition, global brands – and fantasy returns.

Trump’s ICE blitz cost 668,000 jobs, creating ‘chilling effect’ on US firms

The Trump administration’s immigration surge into US cities last year resulted in 668,000 job losses, creating a “chilling effect” that pervaded local economies, hurt businesses and affected American-born workers, according to a report from the Brookings Institution. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement campaign adopted “shock and awe” tactics that were broader and far more visible than previous enforcement efforts, including one started under former president George W. Bush in 2008 and...

Chasing billions: Indonesia’s commodity export crackdown sows confusion

Indonesia lost nearly US$1 trillion in resource wealth over a 34-year period due to deceptive trade practices, President Prabowo Subianto declared in parliament on May 20. That same day, a set of new export controls was unveiled. Foreign-exchange earnings would be locked in Indonesian banks for a prescribed time limit and producers of coal, palm oil and ferroalloys would be required to route sales through a new state-owned enterprise. But barely had the ink dried on the new rules when talk of...

How Philippines and Japan future-proofed ties amid China tensions, US wavering

The upgrading of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the Philippines and Japan underscores how the allies are future-proofing their ties amid growing uncertainty in the Indo-Pacific, analysts say. “This milestone reflects the strength, depth and breadth of our ties as we respond to the evolving challenges and opportunities of our time,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said on Thursday at a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo. The talks also...

Iran War: Iran's power apparatus: an overview of the most important people

US President Donald Trump spoke of “new and more sensible” forces in Tehran in the wake of the Iran war. He received ridicule for this. Who are the new (and old) decision-makers?

Is Huawei’s new chip scaling law a true breakthrough, or mere hype?

Microchip development has always been a race to build smaller and smaller transistors – the fundamental components of chip circuits. Now China’s Huawei Technologies wants to change the game entirely. Faced with US tech export restrictions that block its access to the world’s most advanced chipmaking machinery, Huawei is proposing a fundamental shift in semiconductor progress: stop obsessing over how small the transistors are and start focusing on how fast data moves through the system. It is a..

+++ USA +++: US economy – billions in damage due to stop of international flights to “sanctuary cities”

Trump – “No longer interested” in Kennedy Center renovation +++ USA – Rare military contact with Cuba +++ Court – The name Trump is not allowed to appear on the Kennedy Center +++ The news blog.

‘Clear-eyed’ on China: the takeaways from Pete Hegseth’s Shangri-La speech

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday morning, just two weeks after a summit between the presidents of China and the United States. The speech was expected to be a barometer of the summit’s outcomes between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump. Here are some of the main points from Hegseth’s address. Tough on China, but less confrontational Hegseth referred to China’s “historic military build-up” and reaffirmed...

Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore: Hegseth attacks Europe - and warns about China's hegemony

Sharp words to Europe, warnings about China: US Defense Minister Hegseth is calling for more military commitment from allies in Singapore - and stronger deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.

President under criticism: Another court examines Trump's controversial tax settlement

Trump sued the US government over tax revelations - and reached an out-of-court settlement with his own attorney general that was favorable to him. Now the courts are getting involved.

Renaming of institutions: Trump upset: Kennedy Center will no longer be named

The US President wants to immortalize his name in many places, but a court has put a stop to it. His name must be removed from the famous Kennedy Center. The reaction follows promptly.

Morning Briefing Insight: Is journalism lacking a culture of error?

Martin Knobbe, deputy editor-in-chief, and Morning Briefing author Teresa Stiens discuss why the Handelsblatt thrives on trust and facts - and the Ferrari is still sometimes called Porsche. Also: a look behind the scenes at the work of US correspondent Dana Heide.

Taxi trade fears 10% could lose cabs as drivers gear up for ride-hailing

Hong Kong’s taxi trade has warned that 10 per cent of the cab owners in the city could soon default on vehicle mortgages as licence values plunge, with many drivers switching to the new ride-hailing regime where 10,000 permits will be issued. The market value of a taxi licence has plunged over the past two decades, from a historic high of HK$7.66 million (US$970,163) in 2009 to HK$2.62 million for urban or red cabs and HK$1.45 million for green or New Territories taxis as of May this year,...

Deportation camps in the USA: Anger over US deportation policy erupts in New Jersey

Protest is simmering at a US deportation center - activists report a hunger strike, authorities deny it. What's happening here highlights a conflict that could cost Trump power.

Shangri-La Dialogue live: US defence chief Pete Hegseth to address regional security forum

This live article is freely available to our registered users. Please log in or create an account below. Get real-time updates and exclusive reporting. Subscribe now with great savings to stay ahead. Defence ministers, military chiefs, diplomats and analysts have gathered in Singapore this weekend for the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, where regional security challenges will be discussed and a flurry of bilateral meetings held. It is expected to provide the first indication of US policy direction..

Trump ordered to address fraud claims in IRS case that led to ‘slush fund’ for allies

A federal judge ordered US President Donald Trump to respond to “grievous allegations” that his deal with the government to create a US$1.8 billion fund to resolve his lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service was the result of a “fraud” on the court. In an order on Friday, US District Judge Kathleen Williams gave the president’s personal lawyers until June 12 to respond to a request by a group of former federal judges that she reopen the proceedings to investigate conduct by the president...

Tariffs, war and broken trust: Southeast Asia’s Trump problem

The goodbye emails started arriving on a Monday. By Friday, Sheila’s inbox told the story of an organisation coming apart at the seams, one farewell at a time. Sheila* had spent nearly a decade helping run US-funded development projects in the Philippines. She had watched them grow, hire staff and take root in local communities. When Washington ordered a freeze on foreign aid in January 2025, she told herself it was just a pause – a bureaucratic blip pending a review by the new...

China drone maker DJI turns to independent audit in fight against US ban

Japan hotel rates hit high on US, Europe tourists as China visitors fall

Japan beef bowl purveyors scramble for meat as US prices climb

South Korean election campaign sparks US alliance questions

Asia security summit opens with US strategy in focus amid Iran war

Japan on tenterhooks over naphtha, even as US supply ramps up

US rate hike on the table as inflation persists: Chicago Fed chief

How Vinfast's billion-dollar bet on a US factory backfired

Why the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation isn’t Nato for Iran

Central Asia is tilting more decisively towards China as geopolitical uncertainty deepens, with Beijing’s expanding influence recasting the former Soviet states’ strategic orientation. In the final instalment of a three-part series, Cao Jiaxuan examines how Central Asian members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation have shaped the bloc’s response to the US-Iran conflict. Read the first part here and the second part here. As Kyrgyzstan gears up to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation...

Why the Philippines walks a delicate balance as Asean chair

When Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr accepted the Asean gavel from Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur last October, the script was already written: a packed agenda, South China Sea diplomacy in the spotlight and a regional digital economy deal to clinch. Then the world changed. On February 28, US and Israeli forces struck Iran. The Strait of Hormuz, an artery of global shipping through which 98 per cent of the Philippines’ crude oil imports travel, became a war zone...

Ex-California mayor Eileen Wang pleads guilty to acting as China agent

A former Southern California mayor pleaded guilty on Friday to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government. Eileen Wang, who stepped down as the mayor of Arcadia earlier this month, was charged in April with one count of acting in the US as an illegal agent of a foreign government. She pleaded guilty to doing the bidding of Chinese officials by sharing articles favourable to Beijing, without prior notification to the US government as required by law. The 56-year-old was elected in...