China central bank pledges to support economy amid crippling COVID outbreaks

BOAO, China (Reuters) -China's central bank chief pledged on Friday to keep policy accommodative to support the slowing economy, with steps such as helping small firms and sectors hit by COVID-19 outbreaks, reinforcing expectations it will roll out more modest easing steps.

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22-04-2022

Japan's draft relief measures include higher fuel aid, extra budget

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan's government will raise the cap for gasoline subsidies and replenish state reserves by compiling an extra budget to cushion the economic blow from rising raw material costs, a draft of its planned relief package obtained by Reuters showed on Friday.

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22-04-2022

China ready to support small firms amid COVID outbreaks - central bank governor

BOAO, China (Reuters) -People's Bank of China Governor Yi Gang vowed on Friday to maintain price stability amid high global inflationary pressure and said monetary policy will focus on supporting small firms and vulnerable groups hit by COVID-19 outbreaks.

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22-04-2022

S.Korea first-quarter growth likely slowed sharply by COVID curbs

BENGALURU (Reuters) -South Korea's economic growth likely slowed significantly in the first quarter as restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 slammed the brakes on consumer spending, a Reuters poll found.

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22-04-2022

Bank of Canada not ruling out larger rate increases to fight inflation

TORONTO (Reuters) -The Bank of Canada could consider a larger rate increase than the half-point move it made last week, as the central bank grapples with reining in inflation which is at a 31-year high, Governor Tiff Macklem said on Thursday.

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22-04-2022

Oil prices on track for near 4% weekly decline on demand concerns

Oil prices fell on Friday, heading for a drop of nearly 4% for the week, burdened by the prospect of rate hikes, weaker global growth and COVID-19 lockdowns in China hurting demand, even as the European Union weighed a ban on Russian oil.

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22-04-2022

Japan March consumer prices rise at fastest pace in over 2 years

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan's core consumer prices rose at the fastest pace in more than two years in March, raising worries higher energy and food costs could increasingly take a toll on households' purchasing power.

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22-04-2022

Honda developing three new electric vehicle platforms by 2030 -executive

Honda Motor Co plans to build millions of electric vehicles (EV) by 2030 using three new dedicated platforms, with one to be jointly developed with U.S. partner General Motors Co, a top executive at the Japanese automaker said.

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22-04-2022

Toshiba shares jump after Japanese conglomerate opens door to buyout

Shares of Toshiba Corp jumped more than 3% on Friday, after the Japanese conglomerate said it would solicit deal offers, including on a potential buyout, bolstering hopes of a lucrative exit for its hedge fund investors.

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22-04-2022