Browsing: Business

WASHINGTON, November 19, 2025: The United States has approved the sale of F-35 Lightning II fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, marking a significant shift in American defense exports and signaling closer strategic ties between Washington and Riyadh. President Donald Trump confirmed the decision this week following months of discussions with U.S. defense officials and Saudi representatives. The proposed sale includes up to 48 F-35A aircraft, the conventional takeoff and landing variant used by the U.S. Air Force, along with a package of maintenance support, weapons systems, and pilot training. The agreement forms part of a broader U.S.-Saudi Strategic Defense Framework that also includes the planned…

Washington, D.C. | November 16, 2025: The United States has announced a major revision to its reciprocal tariff policy, exempting a broad range of agricultural and processed-food products from additional import duties. The move, signed into effect by President Donald Trump on November 14, 2025, effectively reduces import tariffs from as high as 50% to zero on several key commodities, including coffee, tea, fruits, nuts, spices, and essential oils. The exemptions took effect on November 13 and are expected to ease trade pressures on several partner economies, including India. In an executive order released from Washington, President Trump said the decision was made following “additional information and recommendations” from trade and…

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 11, 2025: The United States Department of Commerce has announced preliminary anti-dumping duties on pasta imported from Italy that could raise total tariffs to more than 100 percent, significantly impacting one of the largest categories of Italian food exports to the U.S. market. According to the Department’s findings, Italian producers have been selling pasta in the United States at prices below fair market value. The investigation covers 13 companies, including major exporters such as La Molisana and Pasta Garofalo, during the review period from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. The preliminary rate of 91.74 percent is set to apply to…

NEW YORK, November 10, 2025: U.S. stock markets experienced notable declines this week as concerns over elevated valuations in artificial-intelligence linked stocks and a broader technology pull-back weighed on investor sentiment. On Thursday the S&P 500 fell 1.1 % to 6,720.32, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.8 % to 46,912.30 and the Nasdaq Composite slid 1.9 % to 23,053.99. Technology and semiconductor stocks, including major players linked to artificial-intelligence applications, led the losses. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index, used as a key gauge for the chip sector, declined around 2.4 %. Market commentators noted that the S&P 500’s technology weighting is now about 36 %,…

Global stocks advanced as tech shares rebounded and the US Senate moved to end the shutdown, lifting investor sentiment worldwide.

SEATTLE, Nov. 4: U.S. coffee chain Starbucks Corporation has agreed to sell a majority stake of its China operations to Chinese investment firm Boyu Capital in a deal valued at approximately US $4 billion. Under the agreement announced Monday, Boyu will acquire up to a 60 percent interest in Starbucks’ retail operations in China. Starbucks will retain the remaining 40 percent and will continue to own and license its brand and intellectual property to the newly formed venture. The agreement formalises the creation of a joint venture to operate Starbucks stores in mainland China. The enterprise value of the portion being acquired by Boyu is based…

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4, 2025: A striking divergence between the U.S. labour market and financial markets is drawing attention from economists analyzing recent data. According to figures compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and market-trackers, job-vacancy levels peaked at approximately 11.5 million in March 2022 and have since fallen to about 7.18 million by August 2025, representing a decline of nearly 30 %. At the same time the S&P 500 index rose from roughly 3,840 to nearly 6,700 a gain of about 70 %. Economist Derek Thompson has identified this unfolding pattern as “the scariest chart in the world”. He writes that this…

NEW YORK, Nov. 4, 2025: Pfizer Inc. reported third-quarter earnings that exceeded market expectations and raised its full-year profit forecast despite continued declines in sales from its COVID-19 products. The results reflected solid cost management and stronger performance from key non-COVID medicines, which helped offset falling pandemic-related revenue. For the quarter ended September 30, Pfizer posted total revenues of US$16.65 billion, a 6 percent decrease from US$17.70 billion in the same period a year earlier. The company said the operational revenue decline, excluding foreign exchange effects, was approximately 7 percent. Reported net income for the quarter was US$3.54 billion, compared with US$4.47 billion in…

Amazon hits record high as OpenAI signs $38B deal to use AWS cloud computing power for advanced AI infrastructure.

OMAHA, Nebraska, November 1, 2025: Berkshire Hathaway Inc. on Saturday reported a 34 % increase in operating earnings for the third quarter of 2025, raising the figure to approximately $13.5 billion. The results reflect growth across the company’s wholly-owned businesses, including insurance, railroads and manufacturing. The underwriting profit in the insurance segment climbed sharply to about $2.37 billion, an increase of more than 200 % from the same period a year earlier. This boost came amid fewer catastrophe losses and strong claims performance across the insurance operations. Meanwhile, the company disclosed that it did not repurchase any of its own Class A or Class B…