TOKYO (Reuters) – Asian factory activity expanded moderately in December thanks to robust demand in regional giant China, business surveys showed on Monday, but the prospect of tougher coronavirus curbs clouded the outlook for the recovering sector.FILE PHOTO: Employees wearing face masks work at a factory of the component maker SMC during a government-organized tour of its facility following the […]

BENGALURU (Reuters) – Indian shares scaled new peaks on Monday to kick off the first trading week of the new year, as investor sentiment was upbeat after the country gave emergency use approvals to two coronavirus vaccines over the weekend.FILE PHOTO: A man walks out of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building in Mumbai, India, February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Hemanshi Kamani/File […]

TOKYO (Reuters) – Bitcoin traded at $33,365 in Asia on Monday, after soaring to a record high of $34,800 on Sunday as investors continue to bet the digital currency is on its way to becoming a mainstream asset.FILE PHOTO: A representation of virtual currency Bitcoin is seen in front of a stock graph in this illustration taken November 19, 2020. […]

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s most populous state New South Wales (NSW) on Monday reported zero local coronavirus cases for the first time in nearly three weeks, as Sydney battled multiple outbreaks and authorities urged tens of thousands of people to get tested.FILE PHOTO: A public health warning message is posted amidst the tightening of regulations to curb the spread of […]

SINGHU, India (Reuters) – In a standoff between farmers from India’s northern breadbasket and the government that has convulsed the country, the farmers have a 21st-century ally: a handful of supporters scattered around the world running a Twitter handle.FILE PHOTO: A view of a crowded highway as farmers protest against new farm laws at a state border in Shahjahanpur, in […]

BAGHDAD (Reuters) -Tens of thousands of supporters of Iranian-backed Iraqi paramilitary groups chanted anti-American slogans in central Baghdad on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the U.S. killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and an Iraqi militia commander. The gathering coincided with increasing tensions between Iran and the United States in the last days of President Donald Trump’s administration, and […]

A version of this story first appeared in CNN Business’ Before the Bell newsletter. Not a subscriber? You can sign up right here. New York (CNN Business)We’re hoping to shelve the word ‘unprecedented’ for a while as 2021 gets underway — but first, one final look at a 2020. The Dow and the S&P 500 ended the year at record […]

Slideshow ( 5 images )SEOUL (Reuters) – Dressed in South Korea’s traditional costume ‘Hanbok’, two divers at a Seoul aquarium make New Year bows to visitors from underwater. Under mysterious yellow and blue lights in the country’s largest 2,200-ton water tank called ‘The Ocean’, the divers swam alongside stingrays, sharks and other fish. “It was a new and fun experience […]