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JAPAN’S ECONOMIC RECOVERY STILL A YEAR AWAY, ANALYSTS SAY

On 12 April, Japan will begin vaccinating citizens age 65 and older, the largest segment of the country’s population. At the expected pace of inoculation, the nation’s economic recovery will be “stop and go” until herd immunity is achieved around the end of this year, according to economists at Japan’s Norinchukin Research Institute. Most economists...

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COMPETITORS MULL PURCHASE OF CHIP-MAKER KIOXIA

Micron Technology Inc. and Western Digital Corp. are considering buying rival chip-maker Kioxia Holdings in a deal worth as much as $30 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported. No agreements have been made about price or the sale’s possible structure, people familiar with the discussions told the WSJ. Kioxia, based in Tokyo, is controlled by...

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EUROZONE INFLATION RATE HIGHEST IN A YEAR

In March, prices in the European Union rose 1.3 percent, compared to 0.9 percent in February. March’s rate was inflation’s fastest pace since February 2020. The core inflation rate, which excludes food and energy prices, actually fell during the month, edging down from February’s 1.1 percent to 0.9 percent in March. The inflation rate remains...

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POOR NATIONS FACE DISMAL FUTURE

With the dollar unexpectedly growing stronger, interest rates rising in the U.S., and China’s economy humming, developing nations are seeing investors beginning to send their money to safer, more lucrative nations. The loss of capital may well leave emerging economies starved for cash at a time when global interest rates rise, making it harder for...

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EMERGING NATIONS’ RECOVERY LAGGING

Powered by China’s strength and at least 6-percent growth in the U.S., the world’s economy will expand by 6 percent this year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a 12 April prediction. But many of the world’s poor countries will not share in that growth, the agency warned. Emerging markets are not receiving needed...

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FIRST-QUARTER M&As SET RECORD

During 2021’s first quarter, about $1.3 trillion in mergers and acquisitions were booked worldwide, the Financial Times reported, buoyed significantly by Wall Street’s infatuation with special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs). (See related story.)  The deals’ value topped every other year’s first-quarter total since at least 1980, according to data firm Refinitiv. In the U.S., the volume...

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FED CHAIR: SLOW VAX ROLLOUT COULD THREATEN GLOBAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY

Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, said Friday that the slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in countries outside the U.S. could hamper the prospects of a swift global recovery.  The Wall Street Journal reported that despite the vaccination progress in the U.S., some emerging economies are having difficulty vaccinating their populations. UBS estimated that these...

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AUTONOMOUS CAR TECH FIRMS PREPARE TO GO PUBLIC

TuSimple, an automated driving system for long-distance trucks, has filed papers to make an initial public stock offering in late March, despite its meager revenues and hefty expenses. Argo AI, which makes automated taxis and has cadged investments from Ford and Volkswagen, may go public late this year or early next, the company’s CEO told...

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NEW COALITION WILL PRESS FOR STRICTER ANTITRUST MEASURES

A new national coalition of business groups representing thousands of retailers will press the U.S. government for stricter antitrust laws, including measures that might force Amazon to spin off some of its business lines. The group, called Small Business Rising, announced itself on 6 April and includes the National Grocers Association, the American Booksellers Association,...