Town Hall News

By Iain Withers and Lawrence White LONDON (Reuters) -British bank NatWest posted better than expected profit for the first three months of 2023 as income soared 37%, even as inflation hammered households and fierce pricing competition squeezed the bank’s customer deposits. NatWest reported pretax profit of 1.8 billion pounds ($2.25 billion) for the first quarter, above the 1.6 billion pound average of analyst forecasts compiled by the bank and the […]

By Richa Naidu and Jessica DiNapoli LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Sudan’s eruption into conflict has left international consumer goods makers racing to shore up supplies of gum arabic, one of the country’s most sought-after products and a key ingredient in everything from fizzy drinks to candy and cosmetics. About 70% of the world’s supply of gum arabic, for which there are few substitutes, comes from the acacia trees in the […]

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Industrial technology group Hexagon on Friday reported a bigger than expected rise in first-quarter adjusted profit as the company’s sales increased and it managed to soften the effects of cost inflation and currency swings. The maker of measurement and positioning systems and software said adjusted operating profit came in at 372 million euros ($410 million) against a year-earlier 335 million, on organic sales growth of 8%. Analysts polled […]

LONDON (Reuters) – NatWest posted better than expected profit for the first three months of 2023, demonstrating resilience despite unease about Britain’s economic outlook amid persistent inflation. NatWest reported pretax profit of 1.8 billion pounds ($2.25 billion) for the first quarter, above the 1.6 billion pound average of analyst forecasts compiled by the bank and up on 1.2 billion pounds the prior year. The results chime with rival Barclays, which […]

By Makiko Yamazaki and Ritsuko Shimizu TOKYO (Reuters) -Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC said on Friday it would buy a portfolio of six logistics assets in Japan for more than $800 million from Blackstone Inc, reflecting strong appetite for logistics real estate. The transaction, comprising 4 million square feet of warehouses located across Japan, is the largest real estate deal in Japan this year in terms of value, according to […]

By Krishn Kaushik NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India’s defence minister told his Chinese counterpart on Thursday that improved relations depend on “peace and tranquillity” returning to their frontier disturbed by military tensions, the Indian government said. Relations between the nuclear-armed Asian giants have deteriorated since mid-2020, when Chinese and Indian troops clashed on their disputed Himalayan frontier and 24 people were killed. The situation has largely calmed after military and diplomatic […]

By Rae Wee SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The Japanese yen fell on Friday after the Bank of Japan (BOJ) left its ultra-easy monetary policy unchanged even as it scrapped a pledge to keep interest rates low, while the U.S. dollar was on track for a second straight monthly loss. The outcome of the new BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda’s first policy meeting was closely watched. As expected, the BOJ said it would […]

By Ankur Banerjee SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Asian stocks rose on Friday as strong corporate earnings lifted sentiment despite lingering worries over economic weakness, while the yen dipped after the Bank of Japan kept rates ultra-low even as it announced a broad review of monetary policy. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was 0.51% higher but remained on course to end the month lower. Japan’s Nikkei jumped 1% while […]

KYIV (Reuters) – Russia attacked cities in a wide arc across Ukraine early on Friday, from the capital, Kyiv, through central and southern regions and at least five people were killed, according to media and officials. The attacks come as Ukrainian forces are expected to soon launch an offensive with new military equipment, including tanks, from its Western allies after Russian forces made little headway in a winter offensive. In […]