After a prolonged recovery that culminated in two years of record sales, the American auto industry is slowing down, with fewer buyers in dealer showrooms and fewer workers on the factory floor. Automakers said this week that sales dropped in June for a sixth consecutive month, falling by 3 percent from a year ago, a […]
Read moreA coalition of Arab countries are poised to announce whether to escalate or abandon sanctions against Qatar on Wednesday, a month after they severed ties with the Gulf state. Foreign ministers representing Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain met in Cairo on Wednesday, a day after the deadline expired for Qatar […]
Read moreAmazon is bringing back its Alexa voice deals for Prime Day this year. The company is enabling more than 100 special deals for Alexa users that use their voice to shop on Prime Day. Amazon’s annual Prime Day sale begins on July 11th this year, and voice shoppers will also get access to special deals […]
Read moreChinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has jumped into the smart home speaker space. The company on Wednesday launched a device called the Tianmao JinglingX1 (Tmall Genie X1). It’s Alibaba’s version of Amazon’s popular Echo device. The X1 is available only in China and speaks only Mandarin. It was only a matter of time, as voice-activated personal […]
Read moreCheck out which companies are making headlines before the bell: Vantiv – U.S. credit card processing firm Vantiv announced plans to acquire Worldpay, the U.K.’s largest payment processing firm, in a cash and stock deal worth £7.7 billion ($9.94 billion). Worldpay has said it was approached by both Vantiv and JPMorgan Chase about a possible […]
Read moreNorth Korea’s claims that it successfully launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Tuesday are the latest instance of political posturing to emerge from President Kim Jong-Un’s totalitarian regime, but they also bring the likelihood of an attack on the U.S. squarely into focus. Though most experts agree that the closed state does not yet […]
Read moreWe might be in for a big surprise when it comes to second quarter earnings. It’s early — only two dozen companies (about 5 percent of the S&P 500) have posted earnings for the period, but the results from the early reporters like Nike, Oracle and Darden have been surprisingly strong. Profits from those 23 […]
Read moreCurrency, United States Finance
Shell director says refining business fundamental to paying off debt, maintaining dividends
Oil and gas giant Royal Dutch Shell has delivered far more cash from its downstream business than its upstream recently, Downstream Director John Abbott told CNBC on Wednesday, with the firm positioned to use the extra funds to pay off debt and maintain its dividends. “I have seen times in my 36 years in Shell […]
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Germany is admired for a stable economy and holding on to blue-collar jobs but derided for its persistent trade surpluses. Our economics editor John O’Sullivan examines what Chancellor Merkel’s government might do next. Also, how “total immersion” could drive the masses to virtual reality. And why banks are de-risking to avoid penalties. Hosted by Simon […]
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BNP PARIBAS, France’s biggest bank, pleaded guilty in America three years ago to assisting a monstrous regime in east Africa. In 2006, it had helped to finance Sudan’s government, which in turn supported militias that massacred tens of thousands of civilians in Darfur. The firm thereby abetted in genocide and circumvented American sanctions on Sudan. […]
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