Author: Arabian Media staff

As China grapples with a trade war, a four-year property slowdown and lingering weakness in consumer confidence, one typical gauge of corporate distress has been conspicuous by its absence.There has been only one first-time default in China’s $4tn onshore corporate bond market so far this year, according to data from S&P Ratings. That compares with 16 in 2024 as a whole, and multiple defaults by this stage in every year since 2013. Rather than a definitive indication of corporate distress across the economy, the absence of defaults points to a marked change in tone during the recent development of China’s…

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the Pensions industry myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.One of Australia’s largest pension funds is ahead of schedule with its plans to invest billions in the UK and Europe, citing attractive investment opportunities, while the US outlook has become more uncertain.Deanne Stewart, chief executive of Aware Super, which manages A$190bn ($124bn) for more than 1.1mn savers, said she saw a “really significant opportunity for Europe and the UK”, and while there were trade challenges with the US “if you have a look at what’s going on with capital flows . . . you can see…

The idea that the business world can learn from sports is old and convenient. It means company away days can be filled with fun activities. It allows retired athletes to charge companies large sums for motivational talks, and it enables business people to meet their sporting heroes. But which sports — traditional physical activities or mind-based games — can really claim a close link to working life? Here are some contenders that are regularly championed by executives and investors. PokerAdherents: Jeff Yass, co-founder, Susquehanna International Group; Chamath Palihapitiya, venture capitalistPoker is the source of corporate phrases such as “above board” and “pass…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Allison Kirkby said advances in artificial intelligence could deepen significant job cuts under way at BT, as the chief executive of the UK telecoms group opened the door to a possible future spin-off of Openreach.Kirkby told the Financial Times that BT’s plans to cull more than 40,000 jobs and strip out £3bn of costs by the end of the decade “did not reflect the full potential of AI”.If AI presented new opportunities for BT to run the business with fewer resources, Kirkby…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The 22-year-old Wall Street graduate trainee: hot commodity, or tragic victim of artificial intelligence? At the moment, the answer is both.Earlier this week, Navid Mahmoodzadegan — incoming CEO of the boutique investment bank Moelis & Co. — intimated that AI tools could take on much of the grunt work currently done by human number crunchers and PowerPoint makers. Adopted smartly, he said, AI could rationalise “the size of our pyramid”.That sounds at odds with private equity’s frenzied recruitment of junior bankers. The…

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for freeYour guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the worldIsrael’s sudden attack on Iran has threatened to disrupt oil supplies in the Middle East, placing the Opec+ cartel’s recent decision to increase crude production into the spotlight.The Saudi Arabia-led producer group has surprised the oil market this year by fast-tracking the return of idled production even as crude prices fell. It has prompted speculation that the cartel was responding to White House pressure to boost output ahead of a confrontation with Iran. The US had held several rounds of…

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the Automobiles myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.European carmakers are in talks with western magnet and rare earths companies as they seek to secure alternative sources of the critical materials amid a shortage exacerbated by Chinese export restrictions.Rare earths are vital to car manufacturers because they are used in the permanent magnets in electric vehicle motors as well as other components found in all cars. China, which dominates the supply and processing of the materials, tightened export controls in April in response to the escalating US tariff war. Germany’s Mercedes-Benz…

Image: ADGM/ For illustrative purposes International Holding Company (IHC) officially named its new global reinsurance platform as Reinsurance Intelligence Quotient (RIQ). The new entity is headquartered in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the international financial centre in the UAE capital. The announcement follows last month’s launch of the platform and marks a key milestone in a strategic partnership between IHC, BlackRock, and Lunate aimed at reshaping the global insurance sector through innovation, scale, and collaboration. Read: IHC, BlackRock, Lunate partner to launch global reinsurance platform   RIQ is positioned as a next-generation reinsurance company, combining artificial intelligence and human expertise to advance…

Image: Getty Images Donald Trump reported more than $600m in income from crypto, golf clubs, licensing and other ventures in a public financial disclosure report released on Friday that provided a glimpse of the vast business holdings of America’s billionaire president. The annual financial disclosure form, which appeared to cover the 2024 calendar year, shows the president’s push into crypto added substantially to his wealth but he also reported large fees from developments and revenues from his other businesses. Overall, the president reported assets worth at least $1.6bn, a Reuters calculation shows. What the financial disclosures reveal While Trump has…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Metro Bank has been approached by investment firm Pollen Street Capital about a potential takeover that could see the UK high street lender taken private after a turbulent period as a listed company.The London-based private equity group, which focuses on investing in financial services, made an informal approach to Metro Bank in recent weeks, according to people familiar with the matter. They cautioned that talks were at an early stage and there is no certainty of a deal. Metro Bank, which has…