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Pfizer profits drop on lower Covid-19 product sales
Pfizer profits drop on lower Covid-19 product sales
by  AFP

Pfizer reported a drop in profits on lower sales of Covid-19 related profits Wednesday as it steers investments to other pharmaceutical areas and implements previously announced cost cuts. Much lower sales of Covid-19 vaccine Comirnaty and therapeutic Paxlovid accounted for a 20 percent drop in first-quarter revenues to $14.9 billion compared with the year-ago period.

GSK profit drops in first quarter on higher costs
GSK profit drops in first quarter on higher costs
by  AFP

British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline on Wednesday said its net profit fell 23 percent in the first quarter as the company faced higher exceptional costs compared with a year earlier. Following the update, the group's share price edged up 0.1 percent in early trading on London's top-tier FTSE 100 index, as the group also upgraded its full-year outlook for sales.

US Fed likely to keep rates steady as hopes of early cuts fade
US Fed likely to keep rates steady as hopes of early cuts fade
by  AFP

The US Federal Reserve is expected to hold interest rates steady for a sixth straight meeting Wednesday, with a summer start to cuts looking less likely owing to stubborn inflation. Analysts broadly expect an announcement on runoff to come this week or at the next interest rate meeting in June. bys/sst/dan

Weak yen boosts tourist wallets in Japan
Weak yen boosts tourist wallets in Japan
by  AFP

Foreign tourists are flocking to Japan in record numbers and thanks to a sliding yen many are living like kings, splashing out on everything from kimonos to knives and slap-up meals. "Thanks to the weak yen, foreign customers are buying a lot of handmade knives, even as prices rise," said Yuki Suzuki, 21, who works in a shop selling knives, another tourist favourite.

Asian markets track Wall St down ahead of Fed decision
Asian markets track Wall St down ahead of Fed decision
by  AFP

Asian stocks sank in holiday-thinned trade Wednesday, tracking a sharp sell-off on Wall Street after fresh US data dealt another blow to hopes the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this year. That provided another hammer blow to hopes the Fed will cut rates this year, with bets already reduced to just one by January -- compared with an expected six at the start of 2024.

Starbucks points to weaker consumer as profit falls
Starbucks points to weaker consumer as profit falls
by  AFP

Starbucks reported lower profits on falling sales on Tuesday as the coffee giant pointed to weakening consumer sentiment and lackluster conditions in China as factors behind an earnings miss. Starbucks has taken note of a large number of cases where consumers begin digital orders and do not follow through with a transaction.

US lawmakers accuses oil giants of climate 'doublespeak'
US lawmakers accuses oil giants of climate 'doublespeak'
by  AFP

The oil industry's public relations strategy has evolved from climate science denial to "disinformation and doublespeak" to counter meaningful environmental policies, US congressional Democrats said in a report Tuesday.

Tesla to cut hundreds more jobs in Musk cost push: report
Tesla to cut hundreds more jobs in Musk cost push: report
by  AFP

Tesla plans hundreds of additional job cuts beyond a recent company-wide layoff as it cracks down on costs in a tough electric vehicle market, according to a US media report. Tesla last week reported a 55 percent drop in quarterly earnings to $1.1 billion, reflecting a decline in EV sales in a market with intensifying competition.