China will apply provisional import tariff rates lower than the most-favored-nation rates on 935 items starting on Jan 1, a move market observers and company executives said will further unleash domestic purchasing potential and create wider opportunities for global businesses.

Competition in public procurement has intensified after amending the government procurement rules, with the number of bids per tender rising to 8.5 by the end of last year from just 2.7 three months earlier, according to government data.

Venezuela is unlikely to see any meaningful boost to crude output for years even if US oil majors do invest the billions of dollars in the country that President Donald Trump promised just hours following Nicolás Maduro’s capture by US forces.

2025 will mark the first time that global trade flows surpass US$35 trillion

Washington has not made such a direct intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama in 1989

Venezuela would also have to reform its laws to allow for larger investment by foreign oil companies

German exporters should prepare for continued weakness in 2026 in their two largest markets, the United States and China, with little prospect of recovery, the BGA trade association said on Friday.

The US dollar began 2026 stronger on Friday, snapping last year’s slump against most currencies as investors look ahead to a critical week of economic data that could steer Federal Reserve policy and global markets.

Dreams about the vast potential of artificial intelligence will collide with cold, hard reality as the Consumer Electronics Show kicks off in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Euro zone manufacturing activity shrank further in December but Asia’s factory powerhouses closed 2025 on a firmer footing backed by a rebound in export orders and growing demand for artificial intelligence, private surveys showed.

In 2026, US battery supply will outstrip demand, ending dependency on imports.

Spot gold was steady at $4,313.29 per ounce

Trump said HieFo was "controlled by a citizen of the People's Republic of China"

BYD said that it sold 2.26 million EVs last year

The number of price increases for 2026 is up from the same point last year

The dollar typically falls when the Fed cuts rates as lower US interest rates make dollar-denominated assets less attractive to investors

Sri Lanka has been slowly emerging from its worst economic meltdown in 2022

Officials voted 9-3 to lower rates by a quarter percentage point this month

A key measure of industrial health, the manufacturing purchasing managers' index came in at 50.1 this month

Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill also gives companies a range of credits and tax breaks