As demand for the fuel improves in the infrastructure, construction, mining and oil and gas exploration sectors, Asian refiners' profit margins from producing diesel in 2017 may rise for the first time in four years.   Analysts and traders said that higher margins would be spurred by a...

The U.S. equity strategists got one thing right about 2016: where the S&P 500 Index would end up, even though they didn’t exactly nail every detail.   In fact, comparing Bloomberg data going back to 2000, their accuracy in predicting the annual gain of 9.5 percent is unprecedented. as...

The head of the Trades Union Congress has urged that the tide in an increasingly precarious jobs market would be turned if the working people in Britain were to get a “new bargain” in 2017 that gives them a fairer share of the country’s economic gains.   In her new year’s message, Frances...

Virtual reality (VR)   startups are now hoping it will transform their market in the same manner that the development of serialized content had transformed traditional entertainment media.   The so called first animated science-fiction VR series is being developed by Warrior9, a...

U.S. politics would significantly decide on whether the emerging markets can be good investment opportunities next year.   Citing stronger growth in some of the countries, relative political stability and positive company earnings, analysts have said they foresee an improvement in emerging...

Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL) poised to go from hometown hero to national champion, and beyond in China even as a dusty village on the outskirts of Ningde, a third-tier city in China's southeast, seems an unlikely place for the headquarters of such a potential company.   This...

An initial public offering that could value the unit at up to $5 billion was being planned by Chinese internet giant Baidu Inc. for its video-streaming site iQiyi.com, the media reported quoting people familiar with the matter.   The sources reportedly said that next year, Baidu is...

According to data from JP Morgan Asset Management, since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008, the top 50 central banks around the world have seen a total of 690 interest rate cuts.   Analysts have warned that central banks may start to run out of ammunition soon while this...

Striking back at Apple Inc.’s legal action targeting the one-time cellphone industry leader a day earlier, Nokia Corp said that it had filed a number of lawsuits against the iPhone maker for violating 32 technology patents.   Patents for displays, user interfaces, software, antennas,...

Bypassing banks or venture capital firms as intermediaries and are outside the reach of financial regulators are a small, but rapidly growing number of digital technology start-ups which are raising cash by creating and selling their own currencies in offerings.   On hopes that such "initial...

Some functions of Japanese financial institutions would be moved from London within six months if they are not given clarity on the UK's future relationship with the EU, they have warned.   The media quoted two people with knowledge of the issues saying that their position at a “frank”...