Reuters - Before the Bell

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Friday, August 4, 2017

Daimler defends use of German auto industry committees

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German carmaker Daimler defended industry committees on Friday, as cartel authorities examine allegations of collusion between BMW , Mercedes, Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen .

Toyota and Mazda link up to build $1.6 billion U.S. plant, develop electric cars

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp and Mazda Motor Corp plan to build a $1.6 billion U.S. assembly plant, the two said on Friday, as part of an alliance that will also see the Japanese automakers jointly develop electric vehicle technologies.

Mazda could expand alliance with Toyota: executive

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese carmaker Mazda Motor Corp could expand its alliance with Toyota Motor Corp , announced earlier on Friday, on condition that "its autonomy is assured", a senior Mazda executive said on Friday.

Exclusive: China regulators plan to crack down further on overseas deals

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China plans to further tighten the screws on overseas acquisitions by Chinese companies and borrowing to fund those transactions, and has started closely scrutinizing the commercial aspects of the deals, three people familiar with the move said.

Payrolls for starter, trade war for main?

LONDON (Reuters) - Stocks, gold and most metals headed for a fourth week of gains on Friday, as fresh political woes for U.S. President Donald Trump and the prospect of a trade war with China kept the dollar depressed ahead of U.S. payrolls figures.

VW to offer incentives soon for diesel owners to adopt cleaner models

BERLIN (Reuters) - Volkswagen will offer incentives to drivers of older diesel models of its five main passenger-car brands to switch to cleaner vehicles in a bid to help cut pollution, it said.

Global refiners brace themselves as China cements its oil market dominance

SINGAPORE/BEIJING (Reuters) - China is on pace to overtake the United States as the world's biggest oil importer this year, cementing its status as Asia's most pivotal oil market actor that will increasingly dominate the region's fuel trade.

Uber knowingly rented out faulty cars, WSJ says; firm says it's fixed the problem

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc knowingly rented its drivers defective cars at risk of catching fire, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, and the ride-hailing firm said it moved to fix the problem after one of the vehicles suffered a fire.

Nothing cold about sub-zero rates, IMF researchers find

LONDON (Reuters) - Negative interest rates imposed by central banks have generally worked as a tool to boost inflation, pulling down yields and sometimes weakening currencies, International Monetary Fund research has concluded.

Critics of Wisconsin's proposed Foxconn plant voice concerns

MADISON, Wis. (Reuters) - Wisconsin's proposed $3 billion incentive package for a new LCD screen plant by Taiwan's Foxconn is in danger of being pushed through the state's Republican-controlled legislature too quickly, Democratic critics said on Thursday.