Reuters - Before the Bell

Click to View in Browser

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Diplomatic spat casts long shadow over Hyundai factory town in China

BEIJING (Reuters) - In the industrial outskirts of Beijing, a local community in the shadow of a giant Hyundai Motor Co manufacturing complex is feeling the fallout from a fierce diplomatic standoff between China and South Korea.

Goldman plots return to banking growth mode through hires, investments

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc plans to add about half a dozen senior bankers over the next six months or so and invest more in Asia using its balance sheet as the Wall Street firm seeks to switch to a growth mode in investment banking, a top executive said.

Toshiba misses target date for chip unit sale, increasing business risks

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp failed to seal a deal to sell its prized chip business by an internal deadline of Thursday, raising doubts about whether it can plug a balance sheet hole in time to avoid a delisting and keep the unit competitive.

U.S. oil prices set for worst month in over a year as floods hit demand

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil prices are on track to post the steepest monthly losses in more than a year on Thursday as concerns spread over falling demand in the world's top oil-consuming country after storm Harvey knocked out almost a quarter of its refineries.

Dollar, commodities cheered by China, U.S. economic news

LONDON (Reuters) - Investors rediscovered a taste for the dollar and commodities on Thursday as upbeat Chinese and U.S. economic news whetted appetite for riskier assets globally, even as tensions over North Korea simmered in the background.

Noble Group's treasury head quits; most high profile exit in over a year

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Noble Group's treasury head has quit the company, at a time when the Singapore-listed commodities trader is slimming down drastically to its core Asian coal-trading business.

German carmakers may face 'very high' cartel fines: EU's Vestager

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German carmakers could face "very high" fines if suspicions of collusion prove true in court, European Union Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told Business Insider.

BAT restructures as e-cigarettes go mainstream

(Reuters) - British American Tobacco said on Thursday it has reorganized its regional management structure following the acquisition of Reynolds American to bring its vaping and heated tobacco products into the main business.

U.S. house prices to keep rising on supply constraints: Reuters poll

BENGALURU (Reuters) - U.S. house prices are forecast to rise by a cumulative 10 percent over this year and next, driven by a scarcity of new homes, low interest rates and steadily-increasing demand, a Reuters poll of property market analysts showed.

Blow to South Korean carmakers as Kia loses landmark wage dispute

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's Kia Motors said it expects to pay about 1 trillion won (686.67 million pounds) in additional wages and would post a third-quarter operating loss after a court ruled in favour of workers in a landmark labour dispute on Thursday.