Analysis: Indices

Vodacom's first-quarter service revenue rises 11.4% on Egypt growth

JOHANNESBURG -South Africa's biggest mobile operator Vodacom Group reported a rise of 11.4% in first-quarter service revenue on Wednesday compared to the same period last year, supported by growth in...

Japan vows more US rice imports within tariff-free quota

TOKYO -Japan will import more rice from the United States but within the existing tariff-free quota, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Wednesday, stressing Tokyo's success in protecting the...

Japan, US agree to keep current 50% tariff on steel, aluminium, NHK reports

TOKYO -Japan and the United States agreed to keep the current 50% tariff on steel and aluminium as part of the bilateral trade deal, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported on Wednesday. ...

Oil prices steady with trade talks in focus

NEW YORK -Oil prices were little changed on Wednesday as investors assessed trade developments between the European Union and the U.S. after President Donald Trump reached a tariff deal with Japan. ...

Indonesia to cut tariffs, non-tariff barriers in US trade deal

WASHINGTON -Indonesia has agreed to eliminate tariffs on more than 99% of U.S. goods and scrap all non-tariff barriers facing American firms, while the U.S. will drop threatened tariffs on Indonesian...

Hershey to raise chocolate prices as cocoa costs remain high

Hershey has told retailers it will be taking a double-digit price increase on average across its confection portfolio due to a surge in costs of cocoa, a company spokesperson said on Tuesday. ...

Platinum gives South Africa fiscal boost ahead of budget, says Old Mutual

JOHANNESBURG -A platinum price rally and increased mining royalties should ease the pressure on South Africa's fragile coalition government ahead of its October budget, Old Mutual Investment Group,...

Mali court rejects appeal to release four Barrick employees, judge says

BAMAKO -A court in Mali on Tuesday rejected an appeal by Barrick Mining to release four employees arrested last November, judge Samba Sarr said, the latest development in a long-running standoff...

Markets oddly serene

What matters in U.S. and global markets today By Mike Dolan, Editor-At-Large, Finance and Markets  Despite the edgy political and policy backdrop, world markets seem to be...

India-US interim trade deal prospects dim ahead of tariff deadline, sources say

NEW DELHI -The prospects of an interim trade deal between India and the United States before Washington's August 1 deadline have dimmed, as talks remain deadlocked over tariff cuts on key...

Norway's overall oil, gas output beats forecast in June

OSLO -Norway's combined oil and gas production exceeded an official forecast by 2.3% in June, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate said on Tuesday. Norway is Europe's largest supplier of...

Aluminium producer Norsk Hydro trims 2025 spending amid global trade risks

Norwegian aluminium producer Norsk Hydro cut its 2025 capital spending guidance by 1.5 billion crowns and froze external white-collar hiring on Tuesday, as input costs are volatile and demand...

Philippines set for first coal power decline in 17 years amid rising LNG use

SINGAPORE -The Philippines is on track for an annual decline in coal-fired electricity output for the first time in nearly two decades, an analysis of market and government data showed, driven by...

BHP exits $942 million Tanzania nickel project, partner Lifezone says

BHP Group has opted to sell its interest in the $942 million Kabanga nickel project in Tanzania to its partner Lifezone Metals for as much as $83 million, Lifezone said. The NYSE-listed...

Nigeria's Q1 GDP growth at 3.13% y/y - stats office

ABUJA -Nigeria's economy expanded by 3.13% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, the statistics office said on Monday, following the rebasing of its gross domestic product to better align with...

Foreign investors buy nearly 100 bln euros of euro zone debt in May, Citi says

Euro zone debt saw nearly 100 billion euros of buying from outside the bloc in May, Citi said citing European Central Bank data, the latest sign that euro assets are benefitting from a shift away...

TSX ends flat; investors await trade updates, key earnings

Canada's commodity-heavy main stock index closed flat on Monday, as investors await earnings and look for potential trade deals between the U.S. and its key trading partners. The...

Indian jeweller Titan to buy large stake in Dubai's Damas

Titan Company will buy a 67% stake in Dubai-based luxury brand Damas from Qatar's Mannai Corporation at an enterprise value of 1.04 billion dirham , potentially making it one of the largest Indian...

Inside a US guitar string maker's strategy to navigate the trade war

FARMINGDALE, NY -Once a week, executives of D'Addario & Company, a maker of strings and drumsticks for the world's top musicians, gather at the company's headquarters about 40 miles east of New York...