DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Mitsui Fudosan shares hit record high after Elliott reportedly calls for over $6.5 billion share buyback
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Visitors in front of the Cinderella Castle at Tokyo Disneyland in Tokyo, Japan on Jan. 17, 2023. Shares of Mitsui Fudosan surged to an all-time high on Monday after a report said U.S. activist investment firm Elliott Management had demanded the company launch a massive stock buyback program. Japan's largest property developer jumped as much as 11.8% in early afternoon trading to hit a record 4,100 yen. The Financial Times reported that Elliott Management had called upon the property group to launch a 1 trillion yen ($6.74 billion) buyback plan. The report said Elliott also demanded the company sell down its $3.6 billion stake in Oriental Land , which runs Tokyo Disneyland, citing people familiar with the matter at both Elliott and Mitsui.

Persons: Mitsui Fudosan, Elliott Management, Elliott Organizations: Mitsui, Financial Times, Elliott Management, Elliott Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Oriental

☆ Exclusive-Eisai Expects 1,500 Alzheimer's Patients in China Launch, Sees ‘Huge’ Growth
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

“China is one of the fastest-aging countries in the world and is one of the most important countries in the area of Alzheimer’s disease for Eisai,” a company spokesperson said. “The potential growth for Leqembi in China is huge.”Eli Lilly, which is developing a similar treatment called donanemab, told Reuters it has filed for approval in China. The Indianapolis-based company is now testing its drug in a 1,500-person trial with volunteers in China, Taiwan, South Korea and the EU, a spokesperson said. Leqembi, which works by removing a toxic protein called beta amyloid from the brain, is the first Alzheimer's treatment proven to alter the course of the fatal, brain-wasting disease. Once on treatment, suitable patients undergo a series of MRI scans to monitor for potentially fatal swelling and bleeding in the brain.

Persons: Julie Steenhuysen, Andrew Silver CHICAGO, ” Eli Lilly, Biogen, Liu Zhou, Eisai, ”, Hidemaru Yamaguchi, Soeren Mattke, Mattke, Andrew Silver, Caroline Humer, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Reuters, EU, Leqembi, Guangdong Medical University, ” Citi, Psychiatry, Siemens Healthineers, University of Southern, University of Southern California Brain Health Locations: SHANGHAI, China, ”, Leqembi, The Indianapolis, Taiwan, South Korea, Eisai, United States, Japan, Europe, U.S, University of Southern California, Chicago, Shanghai

☆ The world’s best beaches, according to Lonely Planet
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The dim sum capital of the worldLegacy House: Legacy House's fantastic dim sum set includes steamed spotted garoupa dumplings with salted lemon. Courtesy Legacy House Forum: This three-Michelin-star restaurant, which serves classic Cantonese dim sum dishes, is famed for its impeccable attention to detail. Tai Wai Dining Room Veggie Kingdom: Veggie Kingdom serves high-quality meat-free versions of classic dim sum dishes. Maggie Wong/CNN Spring Moon: In addition to serving delicious, classic dim sum dishes, Spring Moon's cinematic interior is an attraction in its own right. Courtesy Peninsula Hong Kong Hong Kong’s best dim sum Prev NextThis is our essential guide to Hong Kong’s best dim sum: Where to find it and how to eat it, from classic no-frills joints to Michelin-starred adventures.

Persons: Cabo San Juan del Guía, “, ”, Heen, King Heen, Nicholas Wong, Maggie Wong, Emperor, Fook Lam, Hong Kong Hong, Hong, they’ve, Amelia Earhart’s Organizations: CNN, d’Argent, JetBlue, Japan, Port, Royal, Carnival Corporation, MSC Cruise, Cunard Cruise, CDC, Hong Kong, Hong, Golden Valley, Son Locations: Rio, Sarakiniko, Greece, Baltic, Danish, Bornholm, Cabo San Juan, Seychelles, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima prefecture, Tomonoura, Port of Miami, Hong, Hong Kong, Veggie, Golden, Spain

☆ Japan's Aozora Bank hits near 3-year lows as bad U.S. property loans prompt loss forecast
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The bank's Tokyo-listed shares fell for a second day, tracking losses in U.S. regional lenders overnight. Aozora Bank shares hit near three-year lows Friday, as investors continued to hammer the Japanese commercial lender after it downgraded its annual outlook to a loss on bad U.S. commercial real estate loans. "U.S. real estate lending for around 10% of (its) total lending with a CET1 ratio of below 7% due to unrealized losses on securities has no precedent." Aozora's update came shortly after U.S. regional bank New York Community Bancorp announced a surprise net loss of $252 million for the fourth quarter. "However, higher losses tied to commercial real estate office exposure, increase in criticized loans tied to multi-family CRE [commercial real estate] are a reminder of ongoing credit normalization that we are likely to witness across the industry," Bank of America U.S. banking analysts wrote.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Aozora, Masahiko Sato, Sato, NYCB, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Aozora Bank, Japan's Aozora Bank, Nikkei, Equity, SMBC Nikko Securities, New, New York Community Bancorp, Signature Bank, Bank of America, Bank of America U.S Locations: Tokyo Japan, Tokyo, U.S, New York

☆ What’s really going on with bank stocks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Word quickly spread on Wall Street that the regional bank was under pressure, igniting a bout of selling of other bank stocks over fears of contagion. The KBW Regional Banking Index closed down 6% on Wednesday. Unlike many fellow regional banks, it held on to the vast majority of its deposits. He also highlighted that the banks’ losses were tied to faulty office building loans. The selloff that hit other regional bank stocks is “likely overdone given idiosyncratic factors tied to NYCB,” Bank of America analysts said in a note on Thursday.

Persons: Zions, NYCB, Thomas Cangemi, Chris Marinac, Janney Montgomery Scott, CNN he’s, ”, ” NYCB, That’s, It’s, isn’t, ” Marinac, “ Organizations: New, New York CNN, Federal Reserve, New York Community Bancorp, Western Alliance Bancorp, York Community Bancorp, Bank, CNN, ” Bank of America, Aozora Bank, First Republic, Valley Bank Locations: New York, ZION, York

☆ I'm a Canadian snowboarder and just went to Niseko for the first time. The Japanese ski town was fantastic but didn't compare to Whistler.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Tammy Kwan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Even Whistler Blackcomb ski resort was only a two-hour drive from home — where the diverse terrain and charming village are world-famous and Winter Olympics-worthy for good reason. The ride in a private taxi to Niseko, Hokkaido took around two hours. Here are five reasons Niseko offered a better experience than Whistler, but why I would still choose the North American ski resort over the Japanese ski destination. Even if the snow in Whistler isn't as consistent, it surpasses the Japanese ski town for many reasons. We will probably make our way back to a different ski resort in Japan while living in Asia.

Persons: —, Niseko, Tammy Kwan, tempura, Sanga House Chalet Tammy Kwan, shabu, Tammy Kwan Onsens, Tammy Kwan I'm, Whistler Organizations: Service, Business, Tokyu, Niseko Tokyu, Sanga House Chalet, homecooking, Lucky Locations: Vancouver . Local, Singapore, Japan, Tokyo, Sapporo, Niseko, Hokkaido, Whistler, British Columbia, Sanga, Kutchan, Yotei, Asia, Vancouver, it's

☆ Dollar poised for weekly decline; US jobs data up next
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The dollar index was last at 103.02 and on track for its first weekly decline for the year. The New Zealand dollar rose 0.07% to $0.6149 and was on track for a weekly rise of nearly 1%, its best performance in over a month. It was poised for a weekly gain of nearly 1.3%, its best week in over a month. That highlighted a growing view within the board that conditions were falling in place to soon pull short-term interest rates out of negative territory, which would be Japan's first interest rate hike since 2007. Data on Thursday showed euro zone inflation eased as expected last month but underlying price pressures fell less than forecast, likely boosting the European Central Bank's argument that rate cuts should not be rushed.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Ray Attrill, Raf Choudhury, BoE, Thierry Wizman Organizations: Federal Reserve, New Zealand, National Australia Bank, Friday's, Analysts, Bank of Japan's, Bank of England, Monetary, European Locations: Abrdn, U.S

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly rose Friday, helped by optimism about technology shares following a Wall Street rally led by big tech stocks. On Wall Street, U.S. stocks bounced back in a widespread rally following their worst day since September. Such data could give the Federal Reserve more of the evidence it wants of a slowdown in inflation before it will deliver the cuts to interest rates that investors crave. Traders are increasingly betting the Federal Reserve will begin cutting interest rates in May, after pushing back expectations from March. High interest rates intentionally slow the economy, and they undercut prices for investments.

Persons: Australia's, Korea's Kospi, Merck, Etsy Organizations: TOKYO, Nikkei, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Microsoft, Big Tech, Apple, Meta, Facebook, Federal, crave, Elliott Investment Management, , New York Community Bancorp, Valley Bank, Signature Bank, New York Community Bancorp, Institute for Supply Management, Traders, Federal Reserve, Fed, New York Mercantile Exchange, Brent, U.S . Locations: Shanghai, U.S, ,

☆ Banks are being rocked again as real estate losses mount
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The regional lender set aside $552 million in the fourth quarter to absorb loan losses, up from $62 million in the previous quarter. The increase was driven partly by expected losses on a loan used to finance an office building, it said. ET as shares in NYCB, as well as other regional banks, suffered sharp losses. Much bigger players are girding themselves for losses linked to commercial real estate. Europe’s benchmark Stoxx Europe 600 Banks index, which tracks 42 big EU and UK banks, is up 23% since a low in late March.

Persons: Thomas Cangemi, Brendan McDermid, Julius Baer, Philipp Rickenbacher, Arnd Wiegmann, Reuters Philip Lawlor, ”, “, ” Lawlor, CNN’s Matt Egan Organizations: London CNN, Credit Suisse, New York Community Bancorp, New York Stock Exchange, Japan’s Aozora Bank, Federal Reserve, ”, CNN, Signa Group, Chrysler, Reuters, Deutsche Bank, Bank, Suisse —, UBS, Wilshire Indexes, KBW Locations: Europe, New York, Tokyo, Zurich, California, Republic, NYCB, Banc, Swiss, Austrian, Switzerland

☆ Dollar hovers near 7-week high as Fed cut bets shift to May
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In this photo illustration, a person seen holding a 100 US dollar bill in his hand. The dollar has been buoyed by U.S. economic data suggesting the Fed can wait longer before cutting interest rates. Powell gave the currency another push overnight by calling a cut in March "not the base case." Traders are now pricing in a 38% probability the Fed will cut rates in March, down from 59% ahead of the Fed decision. Against Japan's currency, the dollar drifted 0.06% lower to 146.81 yen , adding to Wednesday's 0.47% decline.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Powell, Hogan, Riley, Sean Callow Organizations: Federal, Treasury, U.S, New, Bancorp, Fed, Traders, New York Community Bancorp, Investors, UST, Westpac, U.S . Locations: U.S, New York

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mixed on Thursday after Wall Street fell to its worst loss since September as the Federal Reserve indicated cuts to interest rates are not imminent. On Wednesday, Big Tech stocks burned by the downside of high expectations triggered a sharp slide. The slide for Big Tech stocks dragged the Nasdaq composite to a market-leading loss of 2.2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which has less of an emphasis on tech, fell a more modest 0.8%, to 38,150.30. Three more Big Tech stocks will report results on Thursday: Amazon, Apple and Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.

Persons: Dan Ives, ” Tesla, Elon Musk, “ We’re, ”, Jerome Powell, “ It’s, Powell Organizations: Federal Reserve, Nikkei, Big Tech, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Microsoft, Wedbush Securities, ”, Apple, Facebook, Fed, Wednesday, Treasury, ADP Research, U.S, New York Mercantile Exchange, Brent Locations: BANGKOK, U.S, Shanghai, Seoul, Australia, India, Louvre, Delaware

☆ Japanese bank tanks over 20% after flagging losses tied to U.S. commercial property
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A pedestrian walks past a sign for Aozora Bank Ltd. at the company's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, May 14, 2010. The Tokyo-based commercial lender said it now expects to post a net loss of 28 billion Japanese yen ($191 million) for the fiscal year ending Mar. 31, a swing from its previous forecast for a net profit of 24 billion yen. Shares o f Aozora Bank tumbled to their lowest level in eight months Thursday after the Japanese bank warned of a fiscal-year net loss due to its exposure to U.S. office loans. That purchase raised their total assets to $100 billion, placing them in a category that subjects the bank to more stringent liquidity standards.

Organizations: Aozora Bank, Nikkei, COVID, New, New York Community Bancorp, Signature Bank Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S, New York

☆ Dollar holds firm before Fed rates decision
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

On the day, the dollar index was up 0.1% to 103.51, just below Monday's 103.82 which matched last week's seven-week high. The Federal Reserve meanwhile is expected to hold U.S. interest rates steady on Wednesday but flag cuts are coming by dropping language indicating it is weighing further hikes. Interest rate futures price a roughly 43% chance of a Fed rate cut in March, down from 73% at the start of the year. A slowdown in Germany would foreshadow the same in Eurozone numbers due on Thursday and reinforce market expectations that European policymakers could start rate cuts earlier than the ECB has signalled. Expectations of interest rate cuts in China have driven a strong rally in the bond market this month while the yuan has been squeezed by flight from China's crumbling equity markets.

Persons: Jerome, Powell, Dane Cekov Organizations: Bank of Japan, Federal Reserve, Federal, U.S, French EU, ECB, Bank of Locations: U.S, Germany, China

☆ Dollar eyes monthly gain as markets look to Fed
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A Japanese 10,000 yen and a U.S. 100 dollar banknote juxtaposed against each other in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday, June 20, 2016. Later, the Federal Reserve is expected to hold U.S. interest rates steady but flag cuts are coming by dropping language indicating it is weighing further hikes. Interest rate futures price a roughly 43% chance of a Fed rate cut in March, down from 73% at the start of the year. "A 100% probability of a rate cut would point to euro/dollar at $1.1080, while a rate cut that is fully ruled out for March would point the way to euro/dollar at $1.0660," he said. Expectations of interest rate cuts in China have driven a strong rally in the bond market this month while the yuan has been squeezed by flight from China's crumbling equity markets.

Persons: Sterling, Alan Ruskin Organizations: Bank of Japan's, Federal Reserve, New Zealand Locations: U.S, Tokyo, Japan, Asia, China

HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks were mixed Wednesday as markets awaited a decision on interest rates by the Federal Reserve, while China reported manufacturing contracted in January for a fourth straight month. South Korea’s Kospi shed 0.1% to 2,497.09 after Samsung Electronics reported reported an annual 34% decline in operating profit for the last quarter. Its revenue fell short of Wall Street’s estimates, and it also gave a forecast for full-year revenue in 2024 that was weaker than expected. Treasury yields were also mixed in the bond market following reports that showed the economy remains stronger than expected. The Federal Reserve began its latest policy meeting on interest rates Tuesday, but virtually no one expects it to cut rates this time.

Persons: Seng, India’s Sensex Organizations: Federal Reserve, Nikkei, Samsung Electronics, PMI, Reserve Bank, Dow Jones Industrial, Nasdaq, Whirlpool, General Motors, Treasury, Traders, New York Mercantile Exchange, Brent, U.S Locations: HONG KONG, China, Shanghai, U.S

☆ A government employee bought a wildly expensive sex doll to promote kimonos to tourists. Now the scandal's blowing up.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewAuditors have rapped the Tokushima Prefectural Government for purchasing an "extremely expensive" sex doll to promote the city's tourism. The exhibition was meant to promote the prefecture's traditional indigo-dyeing art, so the doll was clad in an indigo-dyed summer kimono, per the Mainichi. Officials initially used a pair of cheaper mannequins — not the sex doll — at the exhibition in June 2017. AdvertisementBut in July, an unnamed male official decided to replace the mannequins with the sex doll. The auditors dismissed the prefecture's claims that the sex doll was more effective at drawing tourists than the mannequins.

Persons: —, he'd, Masazumi Gotoda Organizations: Service, Tokushima Prefectural Government, Business, Tokushima Awaodori Airport, Mainichi Shimbun, Mainichi . Officials, Mainichi, COVID, Yahoo Japan Locations: Tokushima Prefectural, Tokushima, Noto

☆ Foreign-born residents in Japan sue the government for alleged racial profiling
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Saki Toi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Tokyo CNN —Three foreign-born residents in Japan are suing the country’s government over alleged racial profiling, highlighting an ongoing debate about Japanese identity and nationality. The three plaintiffs, all residents of Tokyo, filed the lawsuit in the Tokyo National Court and held a news conference with their lawyers on Monday, according to public broadcaster NHK. One plaintiff came to Japan from India after marrying his wife, and has lived there for more than 20 years, NHK reported. Since then, he has been repeatedly stopped and questioned by police officers on the street, sometimes twice a day. The third plaintiff is an American-born man who said he hoped to raise awareness of the issue among the Japanese population, according to Reuters.

Persons: “, ”, Philip Fong, Nissin, Naomi Osaka –, Karolina Shiino Organizations: Tokyo CNN —, Tokyo National Court, NHK, Aichi, Reuters, Court, Getty, CNN, Pew Locations: Japan, Tokyo, India, Pakistani, American, AFP, Aichi, Nagoya

☆ A group of Japanese citizens launches a lawsuit against the police to stop alleged racial profiling
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A group of Japanese citizens, including a man of Pakistani descent, launched a civil lawsuit against the country's police on Monday, accusing the authorities of racial profiling and discrimination and demanding an end to the alleged practice. The case, to be heard in Tokyo District Court, comes as Japan in recent years has seen an influx of workers from abroad. One of the three plaintiffs, Syed Zain, a 26-year-old Japanese citizen of Pakistani descent, says he has been repeatedly stopped by police, including getting searched in front of his home. He has lived in Japan for two decades, attended Japanese schools and is fluent in the language, he said. "Racial profiling is nothing but discrimination on the basis of race, nationality and color," their claim alleges.

Persons: Matthew, Syed Zain, Maurice Organizations: Court Locations: Islander, Tokyo, Japan

☆ Dollar keeps tight ranges ahead of Fed, jobs data
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A Chinese 100 yuan banknote, a 1 U.S. dollar bill and a 50 euro banknote are lying on a table. The dollar was steady in the Asian morning, with market participants moving cautiously ahead of the two-day FOMC meeting that kicks off on Tuesday. "I suspect that the FOMC meeting will not be as dovish as current market pricing suggests," said Matt Simpson, senior market analyst at City Index. The data will give another indication of whether the world's largest economy remains strong after the Fed's aggressive hiking campaign. Sterling was last trading at $1.2716, holding firm ahead of the Bank of England's monetary policy meeting this week.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Matt Simpson, hasn't, Sterling, Wei Liang Chang Organizations: U.S . Department of Labor, U.S ., Central Bank, Bank, DBS, Fed Locations: U.S

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mixed on Tuesday, with Hong Kong and Shanghai leading declines, ahead of a decision by the Federal Reserve this week on interest rates. But shares in China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group gained 7% as they resumed trading after they also were suspended on Monday. Other property companies led the decline in Hong Kong, where the benchmark Hang Seng index sank 2.4% to 15,694.69. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesTechnology companies also retreated, with food delivery company Meituan down 2.8% and e-commerce giant Alibaba falling 1.9%. On Monday, U.S. stocks gained as they kicked off a week where Wall Street’s most influential stocks may show whether the huge expectations built up for them are justified.

Persons: ” Stephen Innes, Australia's, Archer Daniels, Brent Organizations: Federal Reserve, China Evergrande Group, Energy Vehicle Group, Evergrande, Services, Sunac China Holdings, F, Technology, Management, Nikkei, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Big Tech, Microsoft, Traders, Fed, Archer Daniels Midland, Amazon, New York Mercantile Exchange, U.S Locations: BANGKOK, Hong Kong, Shanghai, China, Guangzhou, Asia, South Korea, U.S, Wall, iRobot

☆ Dollar steady in cautious start to busy data, Fed week
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. one hundred dollar bills are being shown in this picture illustration taken in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 15, 2023. The dollar started the week on a steady footing as investors took stock of U.S. economic data ahead of the Federal Reserve policy meeting this week, while escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East kept risk sentiment in check. But since then, strong economic data and pushback from central bankers have prompted traders to adjust expectations. Beyond the Fed, investors will also watch for a slew of economic data including a U.S. payrolls report that will help gauge the strength of labor market. Elsewhere, the Australian dollar rose 0.21% to $0.659, while the New Zealand dollar gained 0.18% to$0.610.

Persons: Marc Chandler, Chandler, Jerome Powell, Paul Mackel, Sterling, Joe Biden, bitcoin Organizations: Federal Reserve, Fed, Federal, HSBC, Bank of England, U.S, New Zealand Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, U.S, Bannockburn, Jordan, Syrian, Iran, Israel

☆ Foreign-Born Residents File Suit in Japan Over Alleged Racial Profiling
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Chris GallagherTOKYO - Three foreign-born residents of Japan filed a lawsuit on Monday against the national and local governments over alleged illegal questioning by police based on racial profiling. It also comes amid a renewed debate over what it means to be and look Japanese, after a Ukrainian-born, naturalised Japanese citizen was crowned Miss Japan last week. The plaintiffs say they have suffered distress from repeated police questioning based on their appearance and ethnicity, which they say is a violation of the constitution. They and their legal team arrived at Tokyo District Court around midday and spoke to media outside before heading in to file their case. "I never knew what social withdrawal was until recently," he said, declining to provide his surname for fear of harassment.

Persons: Chris Gallagher TOKYO, Matthew, Syed Zain, Maurice, Chris Gallagher, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Miss Japan, Court, Tokyo Metropolitan, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Aichi, Aichi Prefectural Government, National Police Agency, Ministry, Justice Locations: Japan, Ukrainian, Tokyo, Aichi, Aichi Prefectural, Pakistan, American

The latest craze in Japan: The pig café. Very relaxing and enjoyable,” said Brad Loomis, a software engineer from Pullman, Washington, after visiting Tokyo’s Mipig Café with his 21-year-old daughter, Paige. Customers pay 2,200 yen ($15) for the first 30 minutes in the company of the pigs. The Mipig Café in fashionable Harajuku is among 10 such pig cafes the operator has opened around Japan. The animals, known as “micro pigs,” don’t get bigger than a corgi dog, even as adults.

Persons: cafés, lattes, ”, Brad Loomis, Tokyo’s Mipig, Paige, Shiho Kitagawa, Ben Russell, Sophie Mo’unga, Sachiko Azuma, Azuma, Bruce Kornreich, I’m, Kornreich, ” Paige Loomis, ___ Yuri Kageyama Organizations: TOKYO, —, corgi, Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell Feline Health Center Locations: Japan, Pullman , Washington, Tokyo, Mipig, Kyoto, New Zealand, Ithaca, N.Y

HONG KONG (AP) — Asian markets opened the week on a positive note, with Chinese regulators announcing measures to support the country’s teetering stock markets while heavily indebted property developer China Evergrande was ordered to undergo liquidation. China's securities regulator announced on Sunday that beginning Monday, China will suspend the lending of specific shares for short selling, a move to support the country’s declining stock markets. The Federal Reserve’s meeting this week will likely end with no change to interest rates, but traders are split on whether it could begin cutting rates in March. It's trying to slow the economy and hurt investment prices enough through high interest rates to get inflation fully under control. Traders are betting the Fed will cut interest rates as many as six times this year, according to data from CME Group.

Persons: China Evergrande, Evergrande, Australia’s, It's Organizations: China Evergrande, Hong, Hong Kong High Court, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Intel, Fed, Treasury, Traders, CME Group, New York Mercantile Exchange, Brent, U.S Locations: HONG KONG, China, Hong Kong, Shanghai, South Korea, Bangkok

Thursday on Wall Street, the S&P 500 added 0.4% to 4,894.16 and set a record for a fifth straight day. IBM helped lead the market with a gain of 9.5% after it reported a better profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The electric-vehicle maker reported earnings and revenue that fell short of forecasts and warned of lower sales growth this year. Such a resilient economy should drive profits for companies, which are one of the main inputs that set stock prices. On the losing end of Wall Street, Humana tumbled 11.7% after the insurer reported worse results for the end of 2023 than expected.

Persons: ” Robert Carnell, Seng, Tesla, ”, Jamie Cox Organizations: TOKYO, Nikkei, Bank of Japan, ING, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, IBM, U.S ., Federal Reserve, Harris Financial, Treasury, . American Airlines, Humana, New York Mercantile Exchange, Brent Locations: U.S, Asia, Pacific, Shanghai, Australia, Wall

Search resuls for: "YEN"

25 mentions found