Lifeline buys Aston Martin time as SUV hits road

London: Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll and investors have rescued Aston Martin with a 500 million pound cash injection that analysts say will help stabilise the British carmaker whose first sport utility vehicle (SUV) is set to hit the road. Stroll agreed to buy up to 20 per cent of the 107-year-old company and will become […]

Coronavirus outbreak: China Q1 growth may dip below 5% as infection spreads

Beijing: China’s economic growth may drop to 5% or even lower in the first quarter as the coronavirus hits more sectors, possibly leading policymakers to introduce more stimulus measures, a government economist said in remarks published on Wednesday. The outbreak could cut first-quarter GDP growth by about 1 percentage point, Zhang Ming, an economist at […]

Microsoft gets lift from rise in earnings

Washington: Microsoft said Wednesday that its profits rose sharply in the past quarter, boosted by improving sales across a range of consumer products and business services, sending its shares higher. Overall profit for the quarter ending December 31 rose 38 per cent from a year ago to $11.6 billion (Dh42.6 billion), while revenues jumped 14 […]

Swatch Group sees no quick rebound in key Hong Kong market

ZURICH: Swiss watchmaker Swatch Group said on Thursday it expected its key Hong Kong market to remain challenging this year after a marked drop in sales there for the world’s biggest watchmaker in 2019. Swiss watch sales have underperformed other luxury goods as political protests shook Hong Kong, smartwatches took market share from similarly priced […]

M V Kunhu Mohamed, Jaleel Holdings: Story of a driver who became UAE billionaire

Dubai: M V Kunhu Mohamed came to the UAE way back in the 1960s as a driver. Now, 73, Kunhu Mohamed is a billionaire businessman and his tale is a true real rags to riches story. We at Gulf News headed out to meet the man behind the success of Jaleel Holdings – one of the largest wholesale […]

Royal Dutch Shell net profit slides 32%

LONDON: Royal Dutch Shell on Thursday said its net profit slid by almost one third last year, hit by lower oil prices. Profit after tax slumped 32 percent to $15.8 billion in 2019 compared with a year earlier, the Anglo-Dutch giant said. Royal Dutch Shell Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden said 2019 witnessed “challenging […]