News
Demand for minerals to power technology could triple by 2030, UN political chief says
4+ hour, 31+ min ago (585+ words) A decade ago, minerals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel had limited strategic importance," Undersecretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo said. Today, they underpin the technologies powering the digital economy and the energy transition." She spoke at a signature event chosen by the…...
Asia shares are mixed following Wall Street's losses, as oil edges lower
6+ hour, 36+ min ago (494+ words) U.S. futures edged higher as the war with Iran entered its seventh day, with Israeli airstrikes pounding the capitals of Iran and Lebanon. The future for the S&P 500 gained 0.2% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.3%. In…...
Key takeaways from China's new 5-year economic blueprint and growth target
20+ hour, 41+ min ago (624+ words) Beijing also released the full draft of its five-year plan up to 2030 outlining its economic and political policy priorities, with a focus on boosting self-reliance in areas like artificial intelligence, robotics and other advanced technologies as China's rivalry with the…...
China sets a lower economic growth target of 4.5% to 5% for 2026 as challenges loom
1+ day, 5+ hour ago (378+ words) Premier Li Qiang announced a target of 4.5% to 5% annual growth in his annual report presented to the opening session of this year's meeting of the National People's Congress. That compares to actual growth of 5% last year and a target of…...
Asian shares jump after US stocks rebound, but oil prices resume their climb
1+ day, 6+ hour ago (652+ words) However, U.S. futures fell back, with the contract for the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing 0.3%, while that for the S&P 500 edged 0.1% lower. In Seoul, the Kospi shot up 10.1% to 5,607.71 and the government announced emergency measures for the economy. The Kospi…...
White House formally nominates Warsh to be Federal Reserve chair
1+ day, 16+ hour ago (222+ words) Warsh's nomination, which was initially announced Jan. 30, was forwarded to the Senate Wednesday, where it will be taken up by the Senate Banking Committee. Yet the nomination could stall there. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican on the committee,…...
China's factory activity contracts for a second month
2+ day, 8+ hour ago (456+ words) Workers labor at a ceramic ware factory, in Handan in north China's Hebei province on Nov. 4, 2025. (Chinatopix Via AP, File) The official manufacturing purchasing managers index, or PMI, slipped to 49 from 49.3 in January, a four-month low, the National Bureau of…...
Iran war casts a pall over UK economic update
3+ day, 1+ hour ago (305+ words) Reeves had hoped her statement to the House of Commons would be a relatively low-key affair, with the forecasts showing the key economic numbers broadly heading in the right direction. However, economists are warning that the Iran war could upend…...
Iran attacks threaten US economy with more uncertainty around inflation, growth
3+ day, 2+ hour ago (761+ words) The war has already raised oil prices and could lift prices at the pump as early as this week, but the ultimate impact on the economy and inflation will depend on the length and severity of the conflict, economists say....
China's economic ambitions hit limits to growth as its national congress meets
3+ day, 6+ hour ago (1024+ words) The gap between Chinese leader Xi Jinping's high-tech, artificial intelligence-driven ambitions and the hard realities of slowing growth is the backdrop for the annual meeting of the country's largely ceremonial national legislature, the National People's Congress, which begins Thursday. During…...