Reuters Asia Business

HONG KONG (Reuters) -China’s state regulator and planning council published a new version of its “negative list” that relaxes barriers to entering the world’s second-largest economy, reducing the number of restricted industries to 106 from 117. The so-called negative list specifies industries where activities by foreign investors are either restricted or prohibited. It was first …

China to allow overseas investors access to more sectors Read More »

By Katya Golubkova, Yuka Obayashi and Emily Chow TOKYO/SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Gas importers in Japan are watching nervously as Australia heads to the polls on May 3 in a closely contested election, worried that whatever the outcome, their long-time supplier of liquefied natural gas could become less reliable and more costly. Energy has emerged as …

Japan LNG buyers on edge over Australia policy shifts as election looms Read More »

By Yoshifumi Takemoto and Takaya Yamaguchi TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan’s tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa is making final arrangements to visit the United States from April 30 to hold a second round of talks with his counterpart, two sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Public broadcaster NHK reported, without citing sources, that the talks would …

Japan tariff negotiator plans to visit US from April 30, sources say Read More »

By Cynthia Kim SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s economy unexpectedly contracted in the first quarter as exports and consumption stalled amid fears over the impact of Washington’s aggressive tariffs, fanning expectations of more interest rate cuts. Gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 0.2% from a quarter earlier on a seasonally adjusted basis, shrinking for the first …

South Korea Q1 GDP unexpectedly contracts, reinforcing rate cut chances Read More »

By Sam Nussey TOKYO (Reuters) -Nintendo said on Wednesday it has received 2.2 million applications in the lottery for its Switch 2 gaming device in Japan but cannot fulfil all the demand, indicating significant consumer enthusiasm for the more powerful gaming device. There were far more applications on the My Nintendo Store than expected and …

Nintendo’s robust lottery applications indicate pent-up Switch 2 demand Read More »

(Reuters) -Singapore’s Keppel Ltd reported a 25% rise in first-quarter net profit on Thursday, excluding its legacy offshore and marine assets, driven by strong performance in both its infrastructure segment and asset management. Keppel, which was founded more than half a century ago as a shipbuilding yard, said the rise in net profit was driven …

Singapore’s Keppel first-quarter profit jumps on infrastructure boost Read More »

By Leika Kihara WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Bank of Japan is likely to push back the timing of further interest rate hikes as uncertainty triggered by U.S. tariffs has heightened downside risks to growth and inflation, a senior International Monetary Fund official said on Wednesday. The huge uncertainty surrounding U.S. tariffs and the response of other …

IMF expects BOJ to delay further rate hikes due to tariff uncertainty Read More »