Reuters Asia Business

By Anton Bridge TOKYO (Reuters) -U.S. private equity firm KKR has sweetened its offer for Japan’s Fuji Soft by 4%, the latest salvo in its protracted and messy bidding war with Bain Capital for the $4 billion IT firm. The saga underscores an increasingly competitive dealmaking environment in Japan, as global investment firms target Japanese …

KKR sweetens offer for Fuji Soft as bidding war with Bain goes another round Read More »

By Michael Erman and Mariam Sunny (Reuters) -Merck said on Tuesday it would not ship its HPV vaccine Gardasil in China until at least the middle of this year due to weak discretionary spending, a move that dented its full-year forecast and sent shares tumbling 11% in early trading. Gardasil, which prevents cancers caused by …

Merck stops Gardasil shipments to China, hitting 2025 outlook; shares tumble Read More »

LONDON/SYDNEY (Reuters) -HSBC’s deputy global head of equities Selene Chong is taking a leave of absence from her role, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, the latest change in senior leadership at the Asia-focused lender. Chong, who is also head of equities for HSBC in the Asia Pacific region and is based …

HSBC deputy global equities chief takes leave of absence, sources say Read More »

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Southeast Asian ride-hailing and food delivery company Grab is in advanced talks to merge with its smaller Indonesian rival GoTo as the firms seek to stem years of losses, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. A new round of merger talks, which were last held in 2024, resumed in December, with …

Grab and GoTo in advanced merger talks, sources say Read More »

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan’s Sumitomo Corp on Tuesday raised its net profit forecast by 6% for the fiscal year through March as stronger earnings in overseas power generation and higher aluminium prices offset a loss in its nickel project in Madagascar. The trading house now predicts a net profit of 560 billion yen ($3.61 billion) for …

Japan’s Sumitomo raises annual profit forecast despite Ambatovy loss Read More »

By Sam Nussey TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan’s Nintendo cut its full-year sales Switch forecast by 12% to 11 million units as the aging console loses momentum ahead of the launch of a successor device this year. Nintendo remains dependent on its console business even as it has opened stores and its roster of characters feature in …

Nintendo cuts Switch sales forecast ahead of successor device launch Read More »

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump will speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping as soon as this week, Trump’s spokesperson said, setting up a major diplomatic exchange as the world’s two largest economies seek a deal that could avert a broader trade war. Trump on Saturday ordered sweeping …

Trump to speak with China’s Xi after hiking tariffs, White House says Read More »