German Chancellor Angela Merkel started her unprecedented political career with a risky act by breaking ranks with her supporter and former leader Helmut Kohl. And she might also end her career in politics with a risky act by now preferring snap elections over a minority government. “I don’t have a minority government in my plans, […]

European equities are expected to open mostly lower on Tuesday morning with investor sentiment curbed by a political impasse in Germany. The FTSE 100 is seen up by 3 points at 7,389; the DAX is set to open lower by 9 points at 12,053 and the CAC 40 is expected to start lower by 5 […]

A new financial plan for the U.K. is due Wednesday, with the announcement seen as a proxy vote on Theresa May’s leadership and pivotal for the embattled Conservative party. Finance Minister Philip Hammond will reveal the U.K. government’s official Autumn Budget, at a time when he’s under pressure from all sides. Euroskeptics have criticized him […]

Personal shopping is becoming increasing popular and a key tool for retailers seeking to know more about how people shop. The trend is global and there is now a wave of new businesses seeking to take advantage of personal fashion advice. “H&M, for example, could produce a dress and not know why it’s not selling. […]

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday that she would prefer new elections to leading a minority government after talks about forming a three-way coalition collapsed overnight. “My point of view is that new elections would be the better path,” Merkel told ARD television in an interview to be broadcast later in the evening. She […]

Technology, in particular artificial intelligence (AI), is set for a substantial injection of funding from the U.K. government, as Downing Street pursues the aggressive development of driverless vehicles. The country’s annual budget, to be officially announced Wednesday, will allocate £75 million ($99.4 million) for AI research and development, £400 million for electric car charging stations, […]

The European Union wants to negotiate an ambitious trading partnership with Britain after Brexit, but will only do so once divorce issues are settled and on the basis of fair competition, including on tax, food safety and environment standards. “If we manage to negotiate an orderly withdrawal, to fully respect the integrity of the single […]

Billionaire investor George Soros has denounced a propaganda campaign waged against him by the Hungarian government. Soros — a Hungarian by birth whose political views are in stark contrast to Budapest’s ruling Fidesz party — said Monday he had been targeted by an administration “stoking anti-Muslim sentiment and employing anti-Semitic tropes reminiscent of the 1930s.” […]

Gold prices are likely to be buoyed by the “new normal” of elevated geopolitical tensions over the coming years, Citi analysts said Monday. The geopolitical case for gold investment has been emboldened in recent months and it seems as strong today than at any point over the last four decades, Citi analysts said. As a […]

Political analysts have been contemplating what could happen next in Europe’s largest economy after coalition talks collapsed at the weekend, potentially putting German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s leadership in doubt. Talks between Merkel’s CDU (Christian Democratic Union), the pro-business FDP (Free Democratic Party) and the environmentalist Greens fell apart with lawmakers citing irreconcilable differences. This would […]