Bank of Japan keeps rates steady, cuts growth forecasts

Bank of Japan keeps rates steady, cuts growth forecasts

[TOKYO] The Bank of Japan (BOJ) kept interest rates steady and cut its growth forecasts on Thursday (May 1), as uncertainty surrounding US tariffs clouds the outlook for the world’s fourth-largest economy. But the central bank projected inflation would stay roughly on course to hit its 2 per cent target in coming years, a sign…

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Couche-Tard clinches deal to deepen Seven & i Takeover talks

Couche-Tard clinches deal to deepen Seven & i Takeover talks

[TOKYO] Alimentation Couche-Tard and Seven & i Holdings have signed a non-disclosure agreement that will give the Canadian company access to the 7-eleven operator’s financial data as it seeks to formalise a buyout offer, the companies said. They also agreed to a standstill provision, Seven & i said on Thursday (May 1), adding that the…

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Visa, Bridge partner to launch stablecoin-linked cards

Visa, Bridge partner to launch stablecoin-linked cards

[NEW YORK] Visa and stablecoin infrastructure provider startup Bridge are partnering to offer stablecoin-linked Visa cards to customers across multiple countries in Latin America, which the companies say will allow users to make everyday purchases in cryptocurrency tokens. The move comes as the US Congress appears likely to pass a bill creating stablecoin rules for…

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Meta quarterly profit climbs despite big cloud spending

Meta quarterly profit climbs despite big cloud spending

[SAN FRANCISCO] Tech giant Meta on Wednesday (Apr 30) reported quarterly profits that were well above expectations, brushing aside market worries that its heavy investments in cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) would hamper growth. The company reported a US$16.6 billion profit in the first three months of the year on revenue of US$42.3 billion,…

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Trump should revise rules for AI chip exports, says Nvidia CEO

Trump should revise rules for AI chip exports, says Nvidia CEO

Huang says policies and support from the administration are crucial to accelerating the global diffusion of American AI technology Published Wed, Apr 30, 2025 · 11:22 PM [WASHINGTON] Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang said he would like the Trump administration to change regulations for exporting artificial intelligence technology from the US to the rest…

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TikTok plans to build 1b euro data centre in Finland

TikTok plans to build 1b euro data centre in Finland

[HELSINKI] TikTok plans to invest 1 billion euros (S$1.48 billion) to build its first data centre in Finland as it moves data storage for European users to the continent, a TikTok spokesman confirmed on Wednesday (Apr 30). The spokesman declined to give further details as he confirmed the plan revealed to Reuters by two sources…

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Miu Miu’s momentum powers Prada sales growth

Miu Miu’s momentum powers Prada sales growth

Published Wed, Apr 30, 2025 · 08:03 PM [MILAN] Net revenues at Italian luxury group Prada rose 12.5 per cent at constant exchange rates in the first quarter, slightly above analysts expectations, thanks to a 60 per cent jump in retail sales at its smaller brand Miu Miu. The group, which this month struck a…

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