Turkey arrests dozens in Thodex crypto exchange fraud probeTurkish authorities are seeking a so-called 'red notice' from Interpol that would help them track down and arrest the founder of one of the country's biggest cryptocurrency exchanges, Thodex. Faruk Fatih Ozer, who's said to have fled to Albania, abruptly stopped payments to its 390-thousand…

Turkey opens probe into cryptocurrency platform ThodexTurkish prosecutors have launched an investigation into Turkish cryptocurrency exchange platform, Thodex. That's after the exchange abruptly shut down while holding at least 2-billion dollars, leaving thousands of users unable to access their digital assets. A preliminary assessment by police su…

UAE becomes second biggest buyer of US Treasury securitiesThe United Arab Emirates surpassed China to become the second-biggest buyer of US Treasury securities in February after the UK. The oil-rich Gulf nation has added nearly 17-billion dollars' worth of US debt since January, raising its holdings to 50-point-6 billion dollars. The monthly haul w…

UK's unemployment rate falls unexpectedly to 4.9%The UK's unemployment rate fell unexpectedly in the three months through February, despite the country being in a tight lockdown. The jobless rate averaged 4-point-9 percent, edging down from 5-percent in the prior quarter. The Office for National Statistics linked the fall to a large number of peopl…

Consumers stockpile $5.4T of savings since pandemic beganMoody's has found that up to 5-point-4 trillion dollars has been stockpiled by consumers worldwide since the coronavirus pandemic began. That's as household incomes receive support from unprecedented government stimulus schemes designed to counter the economic downturn. The ratings agency exp…

Singapore's Grab to go public in $40B SPAC dealSoutheast Asia's ride-hailing giant Grab has agreed to go public in the US through a merger with special purpose acquisition company, Altimeter Growth. The largest ever SPAC merger will value Singapore- based Grab at nearly 40-billion dollars. The deal underscores the frenzy on Wall Street involving so…

Microsoft agrees to buy AI firm Nuance for about $16BMicrosoft has agreed to buy artificial intelligence and speech technology firm, Nuance Communications, for about 16 billion dollars. The deal marks the US software giant's largest acquisition since it bought LinkedIn for more than 26 billion dollars in 2016. Microsoft and Nuance partnered in 2019…

Private equity firm CVC makes $20B offer for ToshibaCVC Capital Partners has made a 20-billion dollar offer to buy-out Toshiba. The bid comes as the Japanese conglomerate faces scrutiny over a series of scandals. Luxembourg-based CVC is one of several private equity firms to submit a bid, and is reportedly planning to take Toshiba off the Tokyo Sto…

Cryptocurrency market capitalisation tops $2T for first timeThe total value of the entire cryptocurrency market has topped $2 trillion for the first time, following a recent rally in prices of bitcoin and some other tokens. Bitcoin has surged by more than 100 percent this year with a growing number of financial institutions adding it to their portf…

US court sides with Google in a copyright dispute with OracleThe US Supreme Court has handed Alphabet's Google a major victory in a long-running copyright battle with Oracle. The court said Google engaged in legitimate "fair use" when it used Oracle's Java programming language for the Android mobile operating system. Oracle had claimed at points to…

US unemployment claims fall to 684,000 last weekUS jobless claims fell more than expected last week as economic activity rebounded following weather-related disruptions. Another 684-thousand people filed for unemployment benefits, down from 781-thousand in the week prior. Claims are now at the lowest level since mid-March last year, when the corona…

Turkey's exports rose 9.6% in February, imports up 9.4%Turkey's exports rose by 9.6 percent on an annual basis to $16 billion last month, as economies around the world gradually reopen. Imports were also up 9.4 percent to $19.3 billion, bringing the foreign trade deficit to $3.3 billion. The top destination for Turkish goods during the month was Ge…

Turkey to take Saudi boycott to World Trade OrganizationTurkey's lodging a complaint with the World Trade Organisation against Saudi Arabia for forcing businesses to boycott Turkish goods. Riyadh has been ramping up pressure on Ankara after a Turkish court began hearing a case against Saudis accused of murdering journalist Jamal Khashoggi. A decisi…

J&J agrees to supply 400M vaccine doses to African countriesJohnson and Johnson has agreed to supply up to 220-million doses of its single-shot coronavirus vaccine to the African Union this year. The US drugmaker says the delivery of the jabs to the 55 AU members will begin in the third quarter of 2021. A further 180-million doses could then be del…

Pfizer begins human trials of oral COVID-19 drugPharmaceutical giant, Pfizer, has begun early-stage US trials on a coronavirus oral anti-viral drug. The pill is designed to be taken early in an infection to prevent the virus from replicating in cells before patients get very sick. The drugmaker says there haven't been any unexpected problems in the…

UK unemployment falls to 5% in three months to JanuaryUnemployment in the UK has fallen for the first time since the pandemic began, with the jobless rate slipping to 5-percent. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show the number of workers on company payrolls climbed by almost 200-thousand in the three months to February. But the ONS s…

CEO Leon Black quits Apollo over Jeffrey Epstein scandalWall Street billionaire Leon Black has quit his leadership positions at Apollo Global Management, the investment giant he co-founded. Black's departure comes amid scrutiny over his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself while facing federal sex trafficking charges. Apo…

New Zealand's economy unexpectedly shrinks 1% in Q4New Zealand's economy suffered a surprise contraction in the fourth quarter, denting hopes of a swift recovery from the pandemic. GDP shrank by 1 percent in the final three months of 2020, following nearly 14 percent growth in the third quarter. Economists expect the economy to shrink further in th…

Four US states join Texas-led lawsuit against GoogleFour more US states have joined a Texas-led lawsuit against Alphabet's Google, bringing the number of plaintiffs to 15 states and territories. The lawsuit accuses the internet giant of breaking antitrust laws to boost its already dominant advertising business. Filed in December, the complaint is o…

Sackler family increases opioid settlement offer to $4.3BMembers of the Sackler family who own Purdue Pharma, have offered 4-point-3 billion dollars to resolve thousands of lawsuits linked to their powerful painkiller, OxyContin. Purdue is accused of fueling America's deadly opioid epidemic through the deceptive marketing of the drug. A group of ar…

China's industrial production and retail sales surgeChina's industrial output has surged sharply in the first two months of the year, underscoring the country's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Official figures show industrial production jumped 35-percent from a year ago, marking its biggest bounce in decades. Meanwhile, retail sales also ro…

OECD revises up global growth forecast for 2021The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development has revised up its forecast for global growth this year because of the relatively rapid rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. The OECD now predicts a 5.6-percent expansion, led by a recovery in the US, China and India. It has also increased its growth fo…

Microsoft hack tied to China leaves thousands vulnerableMicrosoft is blaming the Chinese- government backed hacking group, Hafnium, for an attack on its servers that has so far compromised at least 60-thousand accounts. Most of the victims are small and medium sized businesses but some government institutions have also been affected. This is the ei…

US suspends tariffs on UK goods seeking to resolve disputeThe United States has agreed to suspend retaliatory tariffs imposed on UK goods over a long-running dispute over aircraft subsidies. The tariffs on a range of products including Scotch whisky, biscuits and clotted cream will be halted for a period of four months. The UK had earlier dropped i…

Turkey's inflation rate rises to 15.6% in FebruaryTurkey's annual inflation rose to 15-point-6 percent in February, maintaining pressure for tight monetary policy. The cost of household equipment jumped the most, with prices rising 23-and- a-half percent year-on-year, followed by transportation, which rose 22-percent. In January, annual inflation s…

Two Americans extradited to Japan for allegedly aiding GhosnTwo American men have been handed over to Japanese authorities for allegedly helping the former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn flee the country. The father-and-son duo had been fighting to stop extradition proceedings in the US since their arrest last May. In 2019, Ghosn escaped from Japan to L…

France's ex-president Sarkozy given jail term for corruptionFormer French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to three years in jail, with two of them suspended, over corruption charges. The 66-year-old who led France from 2007 to 2012 was found guilty of trying to bribe a judge for information on an inquiry into his 2007 campaign. Sarkozy…

US weekly unemployment claims fall sharply to 730,000The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell more than expected amid an easing of COVID-19 infections. Another 730-thousand people lodged jobless claims last week, compared with 841-thousand in the week prior. But the number is still well above the 665-thousand peak recorded duri…

Top executives resign from Texas power grid operatorTop executives of Texas's power grid operator have stepped down after millions of homes lost electricity during a deadly winter storm last week. The chairperson of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and four other board directors have resigned with immediate effect. State lawmakers are sche…

UK unemployment hits highest level in almost five yearsUnemployment in the UK has reached its highest level in nearly five years after a coronavirus resurgence prompted tougher lockdown measures. The Office for National Statistics says the jobless rate rose to 5-point-1 percent in the final three months of 2020. The Bank of England expects the rate…

Indian court halts Future's $3.4B deal on Amazon pleaIndia's Supreme Court has blocked the 3-point-4 billion dollar sale of retailer, Future Group, to the country's largest business conglomerate, Reliance Industries. The injunction follows claims that Future Group's sale violates a contract with the online retail giant, Amazon. The freeze could shu…

Turkey's central bank keeps policy rate unchanged at 17%Turkey's central bank has left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 17-percent, in line with expectations. Under the newly appointed governor Naci Agbal, the bank has hiked its repo rate by 675 basis points since November in an attempt to reduce inflation. Tighter monetary policy has helpe…

Rio Tinto to pay record $6.5B dividend as profit soarsRio Tinto has rewarded investors with the biggest dividend in its history after higher iron ore prices boosted its full-year earnings. The Anglo-Australian miner will pay a final dividend of 6-and- a-half billion dollars to shareholders, taking its total payout for the year to 9-billion dollars.…

Bitcoin briefly tops $50,000 for the first timeBitcoin has briefly crossed the 50-thousand dollar mark for the first time, as the world's most popular cryptocurrency extends its rally. The digital token climbed as much as 4 -percent to hit 50,400 dollars on Tuesday, before retreating to 49,500. Bitcoin was up around 25 percent last week, driven by …

Japan economy grows 12.7% year-on-year in fourth quarterJapan's economy has recorded another quarter of double-digit growth thanks to a surge in exports. GDP grew an annualised 12.7-percent from October through December.. following a record 22.9-percent expansion in the prior quarter. But for the full year, the world's third largest economy shrank …

US weekly unemployment claims dip slightly to 793,000The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits has fallen slightly as authorities begin easing coronavirus restrictions. Another 793,000 people lodged jobless claims last week, down 19,000 from the week before. But the number is still above the 665,000 peak recorded during the recession…

Reddit's valuation doubles to $6B after funding roundReddit has raised more than 250 million dollars in a new round of funding, that doubled its valuation to six- billion dollars. The funding came after the social media platform gained attention for its role in the recent Wall Street trading mania. The company also said, it's planning to double the…

Elon Musk's electric carmaker Tesla invests $1.5B in bitcoinTesla has announced it bought 1-and-a-half billion dollars worth of Bitcoin in January as part of its efforts to diversify its investments. In a regulatory filing, the electric carmaker also said it will start accepting the cryptocurrency as a form of payment for its products. The news sen…

US economy adds 49,000 jobs in JanuaryUS jobs growth rebounded in the first month of 2021 as authorities began easing coronavirus restrictions on businesses. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 49-thousand in January, following a decline of 140-thousand in December. The unemployment rate also fell to 6-point-3 percent, but it's still well above the 3-and…

UK, EU to probe Nvidia’s $40B acquisition of Arm HoldingsThe UK and EU will open a probe into Nvidia's 40-billion- dollar acquisition of British chip designer, Arm Holdings, from Softbank. Regulators will consider whether Arm has an incentive to withdraw or reduce the quality of its services to Nvidia's rivals. The deal was part of Softbank's strat…

Tencent blacklists 37 firms, fires more than 100 staffTencent has blacklisted and terminated relations with 37 partner companies over embezzlement and bribery incidents. The Chinese social media and gaming giant has also fired more than 100 staff following a series of anti-graft investigations over the past year. Tencent said it would stick to a "z…

Robinhood raises another $2.4B amid surge in tradingRobinhood Markets has raised 2-point-4 billion dollars from shareholders in a bid to shore up its finances strained by turbulent trading. That's on the top of the 1 billion dollars it raised last week. The online brokerage has been at the centre of the boom in day trading, as retail investors bet …

Turkey's manufacturing activity expands in JanuaryTurkey's manufacturing activity expanded at a strong pace in January with sharp upticks in orders and output. The Purchasing Managers' Index for manufacturers rose to 54-point-4 last month, well above the 50-point mark that separates growth from contraction. The Turkish lira rose around 2-percent on…

France's economy shrinks 1.3% in fourth quarterFrance's economy fared better than expected in the fourth quarter despite the resurgence of coronavirus cases. Gross domestic product shrank by 1-point-3 percent in the final three months of last year, as new restrictions weighed on consumer and business activity. For the full year, the euro zone's sec…

Kenya's economy enters first recession in 20 yearsKenya's economy has slipped into recession for the first time in 20 years as measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 hit industrial output. GDP contracted by 1.1-percent in the third quarter, after sliding five-and- a-half percent in the prior period. The country's education, tourism and food bus…

South Korea's economy expands 1.1% in fourth quarterSouth Korea's economy grew at a faster-than- expected pace in the fourth quarter, as surging exports helped offset sagging domestic demand. GDP expanded 1-point-1 percent in the final three months of 2020 compared with the prior quarter. But for the whole of last year, Asia's fourth-largest econom…

Deutsche Bank probes sales of investment banking productsDeutsche Bank says it's conducting an internal probe into the alleged mis-selling of investment bank products. The investigation codenamed Project Teal has been launched in response to client complaints last year and initially focused on a desk in Spain. The move comes as part of the German l…

Volkswagen reports operating profit of $12.2B in 2020Volkswagen has defied the pandemic to report an annual operating profit of 12-point-2 billion dollars. That's as a late Chinese-led sales recovery helped to mitigate the impact of a widespread shutdown of global car production. The German carmaker has also emerged with a small gain in market shar…

Norwegian Air gets state backing for restructuring planNorwegian Air has won state backing for its restructuring plan to exit bankruptcy protection. The government says it will help to fund a hybrid loan, provided the airline raises at least 530-million- dollars from investors, and the proposal receives court approval. The struggling carrier has gr…

International Energy Agency cuts outlook for oil demandThe International Energy Agency has cut its global oil demand forecast for the year. That's due to a coronavirus resurgence that's prompted the return of lockdown measures around the world. The Paris-based agency now expects daily demand for oil to recover by 5.5-million barrels per day, down 3…