Headlines

China's producer prices fell more than expected in July, while consumer prices were unchanged, underscoring the impact of sluggish domestic demand and persistent trade uncertainty on consumer and business sentiment, Reuters reported. Factory-gate prices have been declining for more than two years, and Saturday's data suggest early-stage efforts to tackle price competition have yet to yield significant results. Deflationary pressures have prompted Chinese authorities to address overcapacity in key industries.

Chinese automakers are shipping cars to Europe through the Red Sea and Suez Canal, nearly two years after the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen started attacking vessels in the critical Middle East transit route, the New York Times reported. Other automakers are still shipping cars from Asia by way of a much longer, and expensive, trip around Africa. Last month, at least 14 car-carrier ships traveled from Chinese ports to Europe through the Red Sea and Suez Canal, according to a new analysis by Lloyd’s List Intelligence, a British maritime information service.

The collapse of China South City Holdings Ltd. into potential liquidation is not just a cautionary tale for a single developer but a microcosm of the broader challenges facing China's real estate sector, according to a Bloomberg News reported. As the company's creditors weigh whether to accelerate its wind-up hearing in August 2025, the case underscores the fragility of a property market that has long relied on speculative growth and opaque financing structures. Yet, the implications extend far beyond one firm.

Bankrupt Swedish battery maker Northvolt had stepped up production of high-quality battery cells at its Skellefteå plant before operations were halted, a former executive said on Friday, a major factor in sealing a deal to sell the company, Reuters reported. Northvolt, once seen as Europe's answer to dominant Chinese battery manufacturers, filed for bankruptcy in March and ceased production in June after failing to secure a buyer in time. U.S. battery startup Lyten said on Thursday it would buy most of Northvolt's assets, reviving hopes of a European battery champion.

The scene looked hopeful at first glance. A social media post by President Karin Keller-Sutter of Switzerland showed her smiling and shaking hands with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday, at a hastily arranged meeting after President Trump had blindsided Switzerland with a punishingly high tariff, the New York Times reported. “We discussed bilateral cooperation, the tariff situation and international issues,” Ms. Keller-Sutter said of the meeting with Mr. Rubio. But what she didn’t have was a trade deal.

India’s growth outlook has been weighed by President Trump’s punitive tariff on the South Asian economy but there’s still hope negotiations will ease the impact, the Wall Street Journal reported. Trump on Wednesday said that Indian imports would be hit with an extra 25% levy as punishment for buying Russian oil, on top of a 25% tariff that had been previously announced. Indian exports to the U.S. now face a hefty 50% tariff, jolting longstanding efforts by both Washington and New Delhi to deepen ties in a bid to counter China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific.

The US is working to finalize an announcement that would end the stacking of universal tariffs on Japanese goods, a senior Trump administration official said Friday, Bloomberg News reported. The plans, detailed on the condition of anonymity, would resolve prolonged confusion over how US President Donald Trump intended to impose levies on a key trading partner after striking a deal, and match public comments made by Ryosei Akazawa, Tokyo’s top trade negotiator, after a meeting on Thursday with his counterparts in Washington.

The state-owned National Oil Corporation of Kenya entered its March “rescue” deal with French energy firm RUBiS Energy already in a condition that the Auditor General regarded as terminal, the Kenyan Wall Street reported. The French firm agreed to inject KSh 3 billion in working capital and KSh 3 billion to revamp the outlets, in exchange for 30% of profits from fuel sales. The state retained ownership of upstream and strategic stock holding units. However, behind the transaction lies a corporation rotting from within.

Germany’s goods exports to the U.S. slid further in June, as the impact of tariffs on the country’s export-oriented economy continued to bite, while industrial production also took an unexpectedly strong hit, the Wall Street Journal reported. Exports from Europe’s largest economy to the U.S. slid 2.1% to 11.8 billion euros ($13.76 billion), the third consecutive monthly decrease to the lowest value since February 2022, according to adjusted figures published by Germany’s statistics agency Destatis on Thursday. They were 8.4% lower than the same month last year.

Consumer prices in Chile rose more than expected in July, data from statistics agency INE showed on Friday, triggering questions about the likelihood of the central bank delivering fresh interest rate cuts in the very near term, Reuters reported. Prices in the world's largest copper producer were up 0.9% last month, INE said in a report. The annual inflation rate hit 4.3%, the agency added, up from 4.1% in the previous month and the central bank's target range of 2% to 4%.