Markets
NZX 50 down 1.2% in wake of Iranian missile strikes
Iran has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Wall Street closed higher yesterday: The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 0.6 per cent higher at 28,745, the S&P 500 gained 0.5 per cent to 3,253 and the NASDAQ climbed 0.7 per cent to 9,129. [Full Article...]
Carlos Ghosn: Reports of my escape are inaccurate
Earlier, he said the allegations against him were concocted by Nissan, Japanese authorities and others who wanted to block efforts toward a fuller merger between Nissan and its French alliance partner Renault SA. He named successive (and since-ousted) Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa, former Executive Vice President Hitoshi Kawaguchi, and current Outside Director Masakazu Toyoda as chief conspirato... [Full Article...]
Bosses who fail to pay minimum wage 'should face harsher punishments'
New analysis by the think tank has found that a year ago one quarter of low-paid workers aged 25 and over were not paid the minimum wage. "Raise the Wage Virginia" has launched its campaign to raise the Commonwealth's minimum wage. "The number of workers covered by the minimum wage is set to double", said the TUC's general secretary, Frances O'Grady. "All businesses, irrespective of size or bu... [Full Article...]
'Millions' of Indians strike in protest against gov't policies
Rail and road traffic also was disrupted in Assam, West Bengal and Kerala states where workers held street protests and blocked railroads, the Press Trust of India news agency said. The widespread action was in opposition to what unions called the "anti-worker and anti-people policies" of right-wing Prime Minister Narendra Modi. [Full Article...]
S&P 500, Dow open slightly lower, chips support Nasdaq
At 11:25 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 23.62 points or 0.08% at 28,679.76; the S&P 500 was down 1.99 points or 0.06% at 3,244.29; and the Nasdaq Composite was up 16.94 points or 0.19% at 9,088.40. Dow futures lost more than 400 points overnight. WTI crude futures were up more than 4% at one point, but were last down more than 4%. Helping the tech-heavy Nasdaq outperform ... [Full Article...]
Private Payrolls Soar: 202,000 Jobs Added In December
In addition to the solid December growth, ADP revised the initial November count of 67,000 up to 124,000. On Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, payroll processor ADP reports on how many jobs its survey estimates USA companies added in December. Across company size, businesses employing between 50 and 499 workers led the way with 88,000 new jobs, while small firms added 69,000 and large companies rose by 4... [Full Article...]
PM Modi, Donald Trump review regional security
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that action against a few corrupt entities should not be seen as the government crackdown on the corporate sector. External affairs minister S Jaishankar had earlier spoken to USA secretary of state Mike Pompeo and voiced India's concerns over escalating tensions in the Gulf region after Suleimani's killing. [Full Article...]
Iran retaliates with missile attack on numerous Iraqi bases housing USA troops
These are either cruise missiles or short-range ballistic missiles. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said the White House is aware of the reports . The message from Tehran in the wake of the strikes has been that more will follow - but only if the US retaliates. The IRGC confirmed early Wednesday morning to Press TV that Ayn al-Asad Air Base was hit after tens of missiles were f... [Full Article...]