Posts by Mark Darwin
Qatar Airways posts 28% jump in net profit to record US$2.1 billion
Published Mon, May 19, 2025 · 03:13 PM [DOHA] Qatar Airways posted a 28 per cent jump in annual net profit to a record US$2.1 billion, according to a preliminary statement issued by the airline on Monday (May 19). “We have also successfully implemented strategic partnerships throughout the industry, in order for the Group to…
Read MoreXiaomi to invest at least US$6.9 billion in chip design: founder
Published Mon, May 19, 2025 · 01:17 PM [BEIJING] Chinese smartphone and electric vehicle maker Xiaomi plans to invest at least 50 billion yuan (S$9 billion) in chip design over at least 10 years starting from 2021, its founder Lei Jun said on Monday in a post on social media platform Weibo. Xiaomi has invested 13.5 billion yuan…
Read MoreNvidia CEO unveils new tech to keep global AI expansion going
[SAN FRANCISCO] Nvidia unveiled the latest raft of technologies aimed at sustaining the boom in demand for artificial intelligence (AI) computing – and ensuring that its products stay at the centre of the action. Chief executive officer Jensen Huang on Monday (May 19) kicked off Computex in Taiwan, Asia’s biggest electronics forum, touting new products…
Read MoreJapan’s Yoshinoya bets big on ramen noodles for next phase of expansion
Published Mon, May 19, 2025 · 12:17 PM [TOKYO] Japan’s Yoshinoya said on Monday it was betting on ramen noodles for its next phase of growth, looking to turn it into a third business pillar along with ‘gyudon’ beef bowls and udon noodles. Announcing a growth plan for the next five years, the fast-food chain…
Read MoreBank of Japan to keep hiking rates if economy rebounds from tariff hit: deputy governor
Published Mon, May 19, 2025 · 11:10 AM [TOKYO] The Bank of Japan will continue to raise interest rates if the economy rebounds from an expected hit from higher US tariffs, the central bank’s deputy governor Shinichi Uchida said, while warning of a highly uncertain outlook. Japan’s underlying inflation will stay around the BOJ’s 2…
Read MoreMicrosoft wants AI ‘agents’ to work together and remember things
[REDMOND, Washington] Microsoft envisions a future where any company’s artificial intelligence agents can work together with agents from other firms and have better memories of their interactions, its chief technologist said on Sunday ahead of the company’s annual software developer conference. Microsoft is holding its Build conference in Seattle on May 19, where analysts expect…
Read MoreGoldman Sachs leads in a patchy year for foreign banks in Japan
[TOKYO] Goldman Sachs was among the major global banks to post a lower profit in Japan last year, pulling back from a bumper 2023. Net income at Goldman Sachs’s local securities arm fell 30 per cent in the year ended Dec 31 to 27.6 billion yen (S$247 million), down from a 14-year high marked…
Read MoreMorningstar eyes growth through AI and public-private market convergence
[SINGAPORE] Investment research and management company Morningstar is strategically positioning itself to capture opportunities arising from the convergence of public and private markets. Having embarked nearly 10 years ago on a mission to bring transparency to public markets, the Nasdaq-listed multi-asset data analytics and research provider now seeks to replicate that success in the private…
Read MoreParis airport chaos to enter second day after air traffic breakdown
[ORLY, France] An air traffic control breakdown at Paris-Orly airport caused the cancellation and delay of hundreds of flights and the aviation aviation authority said the chaos would extend into Monday. The breakdown hit on Sunday and has affected thousands of passengers with some already sat in planes at the French capital’s second biggest airport…
Read MoreGreenback rises to fourth straight weekly gain on latest US economic data
THE dollar strengthened on Friday (May 16) after the latest round of economic data showed a rebound in import prices while consumer sentiment remained subdued as tariff worries jumped, putting it on pace for a fourth straight weekly advance. The US Labor Department said import prices gained 0.1 per cent last month after dropping 0.4…
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