
Iris Barker
Business & Finance
BASF Germany’s net profit grows in 2021
Net profit of German chemical concern BASF SE for 2021 amounted to โฌ5.523 billion against a loss of โฌ1.06 billion a year earlier, according to the company's financial statements.
Published on February 25, 2022
By Iris Barker
Economics
Biden: US to release some of its strategic oil reserves
In an attempt to curb the rise in energy prices, the U.S. intends to conduct commodity interventions at the expense of the strategic reserve of oil.
Published on February 25, 2022
By Iris Barker
Economics
Analysts expect U.S. GDP growth estimate to remain unchanged in Q4
U.S. GDP rose 6.9 percent year-over-year last quarter and according to the second estimate (if GDP had grown at the same rate for four consecutive quarters), according to analysts polledโฆ
Published on February 24, 2022
By Iris Barker
Economics
Global oil prices accelerate to 5% growth
According to trading statistics, global oil prices advanced to 5% on Thursday, with April Brent futures topping $102 a barrel for the first time since September 5, 2014, and Mayโฆ
Published on February 24, 2022
By Iris Barker
Economics
Global steel production falls in January
Global steel production in January stood at 155 million tonnes, down 6.1% year-on-year, according to World Steel Association (WSA) data.
Published on February 23, 2022
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Bitcoin falls to two-week low
On reports that Russia has recognized the Luhansk and Donetsk Peoples Republics, Bitcoin plummeted to a two-week low of $36,350. Bitcoin has long been seen as a safe haven assetโฆ
Published on February 22, 2022
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Australian AGL Energy refuses to sell its business for $3.54B
According to Reuters, Australian energy provider AGL Energy has rejected a $3.54 billion bid from Canadian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes and the Brookfield Foundation to buy the company.
Published on February 22, 2022
By Iris Barker
Science & Technology
NFT marketplace OpenSea reports phishing theft of user tokens
Marketplace for NFT trading OpenSea has launched an investigation into an attack on the site's users that resulted in the theft of non-exchangeable tokens from them.
Published on February 22, 2022
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Walmart reports net profit for fiscal year 2021-22
The consolidated net profit of the world's largest retailer, US-based Walmart, rose 1.2% to $13.673 billion for fiscal year 2021-2022 (ended 28 January), the company said in a press release.
Published on February 17, 2022
By Iris Barker
Economics
UNCTAD: Global trade grows by 25% in 2021
The volume of global trade in 2021 increased by 25% from 2020 to around $28.5 trillion, according to UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report.
Published on February 17, 2022
By Iris Barker
Management
Goldman Sachs to reopen Monaco office for wealthy clients
Goldman Sachs, the investment bank serving the world's wealthiest people, will return to Monaco after six years.
Published on February 17, 2022
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
Wales to experiment with paying young people $2,000 basic income
Welsh residents who turn 18 will be receiving ยฃ1,600 each a month for two years as part of an experiment in basic income payments. Authorities hope it will help supportโฆ
Published on February 17, 2022
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
French Engie reports net profit in 2021
French Engie, one of the largest energy companies in Europe, last year made a net profit of โฌ3.7 billion against a loss of โฌ1.5 billion a year earlier, the companyโฆ
Published on February 16, 2022
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
Romance scammers steal over $139M in cryptocurrency in 2021
According to a U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report, romance scammers stole $547 million from victims in 2021.
Published on February 16, 2022
By Iris Barker
Management
Microsoft cancels mandatory remote working for employees
Microsoft will open its offices in Washington state beginning in late February and allow employees to return to work, according to the company's official blog.
Published on February 15, 2022
By Iris Barker
Economics
Japan’s GDP grows worse than forecast in Q4
Japan's GDP in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to a preliminary estimate, grew 5.4 percent year over year (if GDP had grown at the same rate for four consecutiveโฆ
Published on February 15, 2022
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
JTI’s net income grows in 2021
Japan Tobacco International (JTI), one of the world's largest tobacco manufacturers, posted a 9.1% increase to 338.5 billion yen ($2.93 billion) in net income for 2021, the company said inโฆ
Published on February 14, 2022
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Saudi Prince transfers $80B worth of Saudi Aramco shares to the country’s sovereign wealth fund
The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia has transferred shares of the world's largest oil company Saudi Aramco worth $80 billion to the country's sovereign wealth fund. The fund was createdโฆ
Published on February 14, 2022
By Iris Barker
Science & Technology
McDonald’s to open a restaurant in metaverse
McDonald's has filed for ten new trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. This includes one for a restaurant in the meta-universe that will provide home-delivered meals.
Published on February 11, 2022
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Equinor: Norway’s ability to increase gas supplies for Europe is exhausted
Norway has no opportunities to further increase gas supplies to Europe, said the head of the Norwegian oil and gas group Equinor Anders Opedal.
Published on February 10, 2022
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
UNESCO: 10M creative industry workers lost their jobs during the pandemic
UNESCO conducted a study on the state of the creative industries during the pandemic.
Published on February 10, 2022
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
U.S. prosecutors seize a record $5B worth of bitcoins
The U.S. Justice Department reported a record seizure of bitcoins worth $5 billion. The cryptocurrency was stolen in 2016. Then, hackers hacked the Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange and stole 120,000 bitcoins.
Published on February 9, 2022
By Iris Barker
Science & Technology
Sotheby’s and artist Kevin McCoy are being sued for selling the “first” NFT
Free Holdings has filed a lawsuit against artist Kevin McCoy and auction house Sotheby's over the sale of the "world's first" NFT painting called Quantum.
Published on February 9, 2022
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
U.S. Cheniere announces readiness of Sabine Pass LNG’s sixth line
The Sabine Pass LNG liquefaction project's sixth production line has been completed and commissioned, according to U.S. Cheniere Energy Inc., the country's largest LNG producer.
Published on February 8, 2022
By Iris Barker
Economics
U.S., Japan reach agreement to lift duties on Japanese steel imports
The U.S. and Japanese governments reached an agreement to reduce tariffs on imports of a limited amount of Japanese steel in order to expand trade between the countries and counterโฆ
Published on February 8, 2022
By Iris Barker
Economics
China faces shortage of goods depicting the Olympic mascot
The organizers of the Beijing Olympics faced a shortage of goods with the image of the mascot of the Games - the panda Bing Dwen Dwen. Demand for them increasedโฆ
Published on February 7, 2022
By Iris Barker
Economics
Saudi Aramco raises oil prices for Asia and the US
The world's largest oil exporter, Saudi Aramco, raised prices for its key markets. The decision comes days after OPEC+ countries announced a 400,000 bpd increase in oil production in March.
Published on February 7, 2022
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
UK energy authority to raise energy price threshold for consumers
UK energy authority Ofgem will raise the price threshold for gas and electricity for consumers from April 1 due to a sharp increase in global natural gas prices, the organizationโฆ
Published on February 4, 2022
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Meta sets a record for one-day stock market collapse
Collapse of shares of Meta (Facebook) became the largest one-day drop in the value of a company in the history of the U.S. stock market.
Published on February 4, 2022
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
Bloomberg: US is discussing possible increase in gas production
According to Bloomberg, which cited sources, the US and Qatar, as well as Nigeria, Egypt, and Libya, are exploring the prospect of expanding gas supply in the event that Ukraineโฆ
Published on February 3, 2022
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
De Beers nearly doubles its diamond sales
International diamond corporation De Beers almost doubled its diamond sales in the first business cycle this year (from January 17 to February 1) from the previous cycle to $660 million,โฆ
Published on February 3, 2022
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Alphabet’s net profit jumps 1.8 times in 2021
American holding company Alphabet Inc, which owns Google, increased net profit by 1.8 times in 2021 compared to the previous year - up to 76.033 billion dollars, the holding companyโฆ
Published on February 2, 2022
By Iris Barker
Science & Technology
India announces launch of its digital currency from 1 April
India has announced that it will launch its digital currency from 1 April. The digital rupee will be treated like banknotes. The authorities hope that its proliferation will give aโฆ
Published on February 2, 2022
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
FTX crypto exchange raises $400M investment at $32B valuation
Forbes richest crypto-billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried's cryptocurrency exchange FTX has increased its valuation to $32bn, a valuation it received in a new $400m funding round. FTX has raised almost $2bn inโฆ
Published on February 1, 2022
By Iris Barker
Economics
Microchip manufacturers hit record highs, expect annual sales to rise
Microchip manufacturers have reported record annual sales amid global shortages and sharply increased demand for semiconductors. However, industry executives expect this figure to double further in less than a decade.
Published on February 1, 2022
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Samsung to buy Biogen’s stake in JV for $2.3B
Samsung Biologics will buy US manufacturer Biogen's stake in the Samsung Bioepis joint venture for $2.3bn. The company is expected to pay the money over two years, but will takeโฆ
Published on January 31, 2022
By Iris Barker
Economics
Business activity in China slows down
Business activity has slowed down in China, official statistics shows. Experts attribute this to coronavirus restrictions as well as the authorities' order to limit production to reduce air pollution aheadโฆ
Published on January 31, 2022
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
LVMH net profit jumps 2.6 times in 2021
French LVMH Moet Hennessy - Louis Vuitton's net profit attributable to the group increased 2.6-fold to โฌ12.036 billion in 2021, the company said in a statement.
Published on January 28, 2022
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Visa’s net profit up by a quarter
U.S.-based Visa Inc., one of the world's largest bank card companies, posted a 26 percent increase in net profit to $3.959 billion for the first quarter of fiscal 2021-2022 thatโฆ
Published on January 28, 2022
By Iris Barker
Economics
Fed expects persistent semiconductor shortage
The US has failed to make meaningful progress in fixing supply chain problems created by the coronavirus pandemic.
Published on January 27, 2022
By Iris Barker
Economics
Samsung’s net profit 2021 grows by 1.5 times
South Korean electronics maker Samsung Electronics' net profit attributable to shareholders rose by half last year in annual terms to 39.244 trillion won (about $32.7 billion), the company said.
Published on January 27, 2022
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
Financial watchdog urges El Salvador to abandon Bitcoin as legal tender
The International Monetary Fund's board of directors has urged El Salvador to reject Bitcoin as legal cash. The fund's board of directors highlighted the legal status of Bitcoin in theโฆ
Published on January 26, 2022
By Iris Barker
Economics
IMF forecasts global economic slowdown
The International Monetary Fund has revised down the growth expectations for the global economy: the forecast for 2022 has been lowered to 4.4% from the previous 4.9%; in contrast, theโฆ
Published on January 26, 2022
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Analysts estimate short-selling gains in January at $114B
Companies specialising in short-selling stocks have earned $114bn since the start of the year, an 11.6% increase on the full year last year. The most lucrative short-selling bets on theโฆ
Published on January 25, 2022
By Iris Barker
Economics
South Korea’s GDP growth hits 11-year high in 2021
South Korea's economy grew by 4% in 2021, the highest in 11 years, the Bank of Korea said.
Published on January 25, 2022
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
International charities call on World Bank to unfreeze money for Afghanistan
The World Bank is being urged to unblock monies from the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund.
Published on January 24, 2022
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
Bloomberg learns of US-Qatar talks on gas supplies to Europe
The US presidential administration is in talks with Qatar on possible deliveries of liquefied gas to Europe, Bloomberg has reported, citing knowledgeable sources.
Published on January 24, 2022
By Iris Barker
Economics
EC: Gas consumption in Europe is falling
Gas consumption in the European Union fell by 10% in the third quarter of 2021 amid rising prices, according to a report from the European Commission.
Published on January 21, 2022
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Mexican company acquires US refinery in Houston
Mexican oil and gas corporation Pemex has completed its acquisition of a 50.005% stake in the Deer Park refinery complex in Houston from Shell, becoming the sole owner of theโฆ
Published on January 21, 2022
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
Global vaccine alliance requests $5.2 billion for drug development
According to a news statement from the Global Alliance for Vaccinations and Immunization (GAVI), the organization has sought an additional $5.2 billion to develop and distribute at least 600 millionโฆ
Published on January 20, 2022
By Iris Barker