China’s growth slows to 4.6%, raising productivity concerns

China’s economy is facing a slowdown, with growth dropping from 6.5 per cent before the pandemic to just 4.6 per cent now, and there are concerns that even that number is seriously overstated. As the economy continues to stagnate, living standards remain far below those of developed nations, further highlighting the nation’s economic struggles, Asia … Read more

Hundreds of current and former OpenAI employees stand to earn up to $10 million each in a private stock sale

Just in time for the holidays, around 400 current and former OpenAI employees are set to receive multi-million dollar payouts through a special stock sale arranged by the privately held San Francisco company and Japan’s SoftBank Group. The tender offer enables select OpenAI employees and ex-staff to sell their stock to SoftBank at $210 per … Read more

Honda and Nissan are in merger discussions

Honda and Nissan are believed to have engaged in preliminary discussions about a possible merger to strengthen their position against electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers, especially in China. In March, the two Japanese automakers agreed to explore a strategic EV partnership. The companies issued identical responses to the BBC, stating, “As announced in March of this … Read more

Apple announces retail expansion in Saudi Arabia

Apple announced today that it will expand in Saudi Arabia, starting with the launch of the Apple Store online in summer 2025. The online store will provide customers across the country with new shopping options for Apple’s full product range, featuring exceptional service and support in Arabic for the first time. Beginning in 2026, Apple … Read more

China’s consumer inflation drops to five-month low, missing expectations

In November, China’s consumer inflation dropped to a five-month low, rising 0.2% year-on-year, below expectations, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics released Monday. Analysts surveyed by Reuters had predicted a slight increase in retail inflation to 0.5% in November from a year earlier, up from 0.3% in October. Core inflation, excluding volatile … Read more

Bezos praises Trump and Musk, criticizes WaPo staff

Jeff Bezos showered Donald Trump with praise on Wednesday, stirring controversy ahead of the 2024 election by blocking The Washington Post, which he owns, from endorsing Kamala Harris. “I’m proud of the decision we made, and it was far from cowardly, because we knew there would be blowback, and we did the right thing anyway,” … Read more

Rate cut bets lift stocks as Bitcoin surpasses $100,000

On Thursday, Bitcoin surpassed $100,000 as investors anticipated a positive regulatory change in the U.S., while Asian stocks remained steady following record highs on Wall Street, fueled by increasing optimism over potential U.S. interest rate cuts. Bitcoin reached $100,000 in the morning in Asia, later rising to $103,400. “At the end of the day, it’s … Read more