Money - Frontal Report

Featured News

Binance users withdraw $3.6bn after largest-ever crypto hack

Nov 2, 2026

The exchange froze transactions following the incident which has been linked to a North Korean group.

Christmas donations gift demand up, charities say

Nov 2, 2026

Christmas shoebox appeal launches to help children

Nov 2, 2026

FIFA Quietly Paid Millions in Gianni Infantino’s Taxes

Nov 2, 2026

Canada, US working towards a new trade deal after Carney, Trump call

Nov 2, 2026

YOUR NEWS, OUR NETWORK.

Do you have Great News you want to tell the world?

Be it updates about your business or your community, you can make sure that it’s heard by submitting your story to our network reaching hundreds of news sites across 6 verticals.

Latest News

Nov 2, 2026

After Tech Sell-Off, Investors Brace for More Market Volatility

Futures on the S&P 500, which allow investors to bet on the market before the official start of trading, rose slightly on Sunday night.

Nov 1, 2026

Don't get caught out by new Buy Now Pay Later rules

Nov 1, 2026

'I've had people eating cat food': Rising cost of living top of mind for US voters

Nov 1, 2026

Binance Reports $3.64 Billion in Outflows as It Resumes Normal Transactions

Nov 1, 2026

Virgin Media O2 set to cut thousands of jobs to reduce costs

Interesting Read

HKMA eyes next level for Fintech 2030 with AI push

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has set out the next phase of its Fintech 2030 strategy, which will pair new technology initiatives with a renewed emphasis on governance and risk management. Speaking at Hong Kong Fintech Week on Monday, authority chief executive Eddie Yue said the HKMA is launching Project Sage to examine the application and governance of "agentic finance" – artificial intelligence systems that can execute tasks on behalf of users. "The main purpose of the Sage project is to hope that, under agentic finance, we can both promote application and pay attention to governance," he said. Yue said a cross-sector expert panel would bring together finance, payments, professional services, technology and academic representatives to explore use cases, sandbox testing, interoperability standards and governance safeguards. The HKMA is also issuing a discussion paper on banks’ use of agentic AI, seeking views on governance models, responsibility arrangements and a possible central register of trusted agents. Yue said the aim is to set rules that allow innovation while managing risks. He also said the authority would launch a post-quantum cryptography toolbox with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology to help banks prepare for the challenges stemming from breakthroughs in quantum computing. On tokenisation, Yue said the HKMA is introducing tokenised central bank money to enable 24/7 settlement of interbank tokenised deposits and would expand the number of participating banks to support cross-lender transfers around the clock. "The benefit is that, for example, quite a number of enterprises with global liquidity to manage can, if round-the-clock tokenised deposit transfers are achieved, make payments at any time and anywhere, across different accounts and even cross-border," he said. "And for retail investors, if in the future they want to invest in different retail tokenised financial products, they can also more flexibly do their investments 24/7, strengthening the flexibility and security of their asset allocation." Yue said the HKMA would further pilot tokenised Exchange Fund Bills in the secondary market and explore whether regulated stablecoins could serve as a payment channel. He stressed that innovation must be matched by governance and risk management so it can go further, land better and benefit more people. Edited by Tony Sabine

Nov 2, 2026

HK, mainland rise as tech fears weigh on Nikkei, Kospi

Asian share markets mostly slipped on Monday as worries about the sustainability of the AI investment boom loomed over the tech sector, while the high price of oil limited the safe-haven appeal of sovereign bonds. In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index opened up seven points, or 0.03 percent, at 23,301. The tech index rose 20 points, or 0.55 percent, to 3,775 while the China enterprises index edged up 14 points, or 0.18 percent, to 7,876. The Shanghai Composite Index opened 15 points, or 0.4 percent, higher at 3,614. The Shenzhen Component Index was 63 points, or 0.59 percent, up at 10,897 while the ChiNext Index rose 25 points, or 1.05 percent, to 2,439. In Tokyo, the Nikkei opened 318 points, or 0.51 percent, lower at 62,972, moved up into positive territory before slipping again to be 215 points lower at one stage before lunch. In Seoul, the Kospi opened 92 points, or 1.62 percent, down at 5,637 before regaining ground to be 87 points higher at one stage before noon. The mixed openings came as concerns about negative cash flow and the sheer scale of AI capex saw the cost of insuring against corporate defaults blow out last week, while gold hit a one-year low amid talk stressed investors were selling to raise money for margin calls. An added wrinkle is the US midterms, with a win by Democrats in either or both houses may result in more political hurdles for data centres. Adding to the air of unease were withdrawals from Binance as the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchange went back online on Sunday after hackers stole billions from the platform last week. All of which raises the stakes for earnings this week with Apple, AMD and Palantir set to report in the wake of Intel's near 29 percent tumble on Friday. Analysts at Goldman Sachs expect capex by hyperscalers to almost double to US$800 billion this year, and rise further to US$1.2 trillion in 2027. At the same time, they see S&P 500 earnings per share growth of nearly 30 percent in 2026, slowing to 18 percent next year. "Earnings results have underscored the fundamental challenge facing equity investors – earnings growth is strong, but it is no longer accelerating," wrote Ben Snider, Goldman's chief US equity strategist, in a note. "Similarly, Q3 results support our view that AI investment spending will continue to grow but that the growth rate of AI capex is peaking." The recent retreat in equities provided a reprieve for safe-haven bonds, with investors wondering if a sustained selloff in the stock market could deter the Federal Reserve from hiking interest rates in December. Futures still imply a 72 percent chance of a quarter-point rate rise, but now only have 55 basis points of total tightening priced in compared to more than 70 basis points a month ago. (Reuters/Xinhua) Edited by Tony Sabine

Nov 2, 2026

How a Little-Known Company Dominated the Persian Gulf Oil Trade

South Korea’s Sinokor controls about half the tanker transits through the Strait of Hormuz, benefiting from a big bet just before the war in Iran started.

Nov 1, 2026

What’s New at the Museum? Stargazing, Escape Rooms, Bachelorette Parties and More

Museums are pitching themselves as date-night destinations — and finding a generation of takers.

Nov 1, 2026

F.D.A. Warns of Tractor Wheels Snack Bar Linked to Choking Hazard

Once Upon a Farm has recalled its Tractor Wheels soft-baked bars after reports that toddlers could not breathe while eating them.

Oct 31, 2026

What Does Running the N.Y.C. Marathon Sound Like?

Mike Dang, a 10-time marathoner and New York Times business editor, relives the unique sonic experience of running the New York City Marathon.

Oct 31, 2026

US markets hit by big tech sell-off

The sell-off for tech stocks on Wall Street worsened on Friday on fears that the frenzy around AI has sent prices too high. The S&P 500 dropped 140.32 points, or 1.8 percent, to 7,580.07, for its worst day since June. The Nasdaq composite fell 747.72 points, or 2.9 percent, to 25,437.00, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 572.25 points, or 1.1 percent, to 51,770.31. Intel sank almost 29 percent for its worst day since 1974 after its profit forecast was below analysts’ expectations. Amazon’s latest profit report raised more worries about how much companies are spending on their AI Investments. Treasury yields sank as investors searched for safer things to own, even though oil prices rose. (AP) Edited by Robert Kemp

Oct 31, 2026

Why the Markets Don’t Care About the Midterms

Factors like inflation, interest rates, A.I. and the war with Iran are far more important, our columnist says.

Oct 30, 2026

Amid fuel tax cut, German inflation slows

German inflation slowed more than expected in October, the first month of a government fuel tax cut, adding to evidence that Europe's largest economy could prove more resilient than anticipated despite disruptions linked to the war in Iran. Gross domestic product increased slightly more than expected in the third quarter, though economists warned the expansion remained heavily reliant on government spending. Inflation eased to 2.8 percent year-on-year in October from 3.3 percent the month before, preliminary data from the statistics office showed on Friday, below forecasts for 3.1 percent. Easing energy price rises drove the slowdown, increasing by 12.2 percent in October versus 14.9 percent the month before, and indicated that the fuel tax cut that runs to year-end is having an effect. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, fell to 2.1 percent from 2.4 percent the month before. The German data comes ahead of a euro zone inflation update due on Wednesday. Inflation in the bloc is expected to come in at 3.9 percent in October, slightly above September's 3.8 percent, according to economists polled by Reuters. German GDP increased by 0.2 percent in the third quarter compared with the previous three-month period, according to preliminary data from the statistics office, slightly above a rise of 0.1 percent forecast by analysts polled by Reuters. The data pointed to a fourth straight quarter of recovery in Europe's largest economy, helped by increased public spending, even as private sector momentum remained subdued. Under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, government funding has surged since Berlin last year approved a €500 billion infrastructure fund and exempted much defence spending from its debt brake rules. The economy grew by 0.3 percent in the second quarter and 0.4 percent in the first quarter, according to the office. The fuel tax cut, which aims to cushion households from the surge in oil prices caused by the Iran war, will likely help the economy hold up in the fourth quarter as well, said Deutsche Bank analyst Marc Schattenberg. However, with no sign of a lasting de-escalation in the Middle East, energy prices are unlikely to drop noticeably and will continue to stoke inflation in coming months, say analysts. "It is clear that the inflation rate will hover around 3 percent for some time to come," said Alexander Krueger, chief economist at Bethmann HAL bank. "Given this backdrop, an interest rate hike by the ECB cannot be ruled out." The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged on Thursday but clearly hinted at another hike in December. While analysts broadly agree Germany is emerging from a prolonged slowdown, many stop short of calling the recovery self-sustaining because private investment remains weak. A lack of sweeping reforms means Germany's attractiveness as a place to do business will remain impaired, preventing a significant recovery in private investment, Commerzbank chief economist Joerg Kraemer said. Analysts pointed to the increased government spending on infrastructure and defence as the main driver of the recovery. "Without this artificially initiated impulse, economic output would probably have stagnated," said Krueger. Jens-Oliver Niklasch, economist at LBBW bank, said that next year would reveal whether the economic revival is sustainable or just a flash in the pan. "For sustained, higher growth, investment would need to pick up more substantially, which, to date, has not been the case," he said. The German government expects the economy to grow by 1.3 percent in 2026 and 1.1 percent in 2027, with the economy ministry saying earlier this month that the Iran war, and resulting high energy prices, is not hurting the economy as much as feared. In a further positive sign, the Ifo economic institute's closely watched business climate index rose for a sixth straight month in October. (Reuters) Edited by Edmond Fong

Oct 30, 2026

As Political Ad Spending Skyrockets, Broadcast TV Remains King

Nov 1, 2026

Featured News

Binance users withdraw $3.6bn after largest-ever crypto hack

Christmas donations gift demand up, charities say

Christmas shoebox appeal launches to help children

FIFA Quietly Paid Millions in Gianni Infantino’s Taxes

Canada, US working towards a new trade deal after Carney, Trump call

Latest News

After Tech Sell-Off, Investors Brace for More Market Volatility

Don't get caught out by new Buy Now Pay Later rules

'I've had people eating cat food': Rising cost of living top of mind for US voters

Binance Reports $3.64 Billion in Outflows as It Resumes Normal Transactions

Virgin Media O2 set to cut thousands of jobs to reduce costs

Interesting Read

As Political Ad Spending Skyrockets, Broadcast TV Remains King

Chinese, German auto companies boost cooperation amid industry shift

Crypto firm Binance covers 90% of losses after $6.3bn hack

How Chinese private enterprises thrive in high-quality development

Business News

Stock Market News

Economy News

Shops looted as German cost-of-living protests turn violent

China's draft financial law takes aim at cross-border risks

ACLU’s Anthony Romero Says CEOs Are ‘Ducking the Hard Issues’

Newsletter

More Categories

Search