A demonstrator carries an Iraqi flag during ongoing anti-government protests in Baghdad, Iraq November 4, 2019. Some 300 people have been killed and more than 2,000 injured as protests rocking the country of 38 million draw a harsh response from state security forces and other unidentified entities. Some 5,000 American troops remain in the country, providing training and security assistance and supporting a U.S.-led coalition fighting what remains of ISIS. Demonstrators run as Iraqi security for

Saudi Arabia needs the initial public offering (IPO) of its state oil company to be successful as it needs to attract outside investment and, frankly, it needs the money, the former chief of the CIA David Petraeus told CNBC Thursday. “The bottom line is that they need the money, they need that outside investment that is crucial to delivering ‘Vision 2030’ which cannot be realized without outside investment, this is just one component of a number of different initiatives that they’re pursuing to

Markets search for direction ahead of the open1 Hour AgoU.S. stock index futures suggested a flat to lower open on Thursday morning. Market focus is largely attuned to global trade developments, as investors closely monitor the extent of progress between the world’s two largest economies. CNBC’s Rahel Solomon reports.

DETROIT – Ford Motor is expanding its iconic Mustang franchise to include the automaker’s first-ever, all-electric SUV: the Mustang Mach-E. Ford, prior to announcing the name on Thursday, had been referring to the Mach-E as a “Mustang-inspired” SUV rather than a product that would bear the name and logo. The automaker declined to provide additional details regarding the decision to make the all-electric SUV a Mustang. It’s likely a play for the vehicle to stand out in an increasingly crowded EV

Deval Patrick is joining the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, expanding an already jammed field less than three months before nominating contests start. Some Democrats have worried about the ability of contenders Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders to defeat President Donald Trump next November. Patrick, who was the governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015, carries his own baggage into presidential race as he was a managing director at investment firm Bain Capital. He aims to

“The trade war was begun with adding tariffs, and should be ended by canceling these additional tariffs. Gao did not specifically address a comment from Trump last Friday that he had not agreed to remove tariffs on Chinese products. The Commerce Ministry spokesperson also did not directly comment on news reports that a challenge to reaching a trade agreement is China’s unwillingness to put specific amounts of U.S. farm purchases into writing. In the meantime, data and anecdotal evidence indicate

A strong grocery business helped Walmart’s online sales grow 41% in the third quarter, the company said on Thursday, fueling an earnings beat. But Walmart raised its annual earnings outlook ahead of the holiday season. Sales online and at Walmart stores operating for at least 12 months in the U.S. were up 3.2%, topping estimates for growth of 3.1%. Looking to the full year, Walmart now expects adjusted earnings per share for fiscal 2020 to “increase slightly” compared with last year. The retaile

Yahoo Japan, which last month changed its name to Z Holdings, said on Thursday discussions were underway with Line but nothing had been decided. SoftBank, which owns almost half of Z Holdings, also acknowledged the talks. Shares in Z Holdings, which had a stock market value of about $17 billion at Wednesday’s close, jumped 16% in Thursday trading. SoftBank’s PayPay recently hit 19 million users through aggressive marketing, while Line Pay can tap the 82 million Japanese users of the Line app. Z

Secondary school students attend a rally at Edinburgh Place in Hong Kong on August 22, 2019. Anthony Wallace | AFP | Getty ImagesEven after months of protests and escalating violence, Hong Kong is still a “very good proxy” for foreign investors wanting to access the vast China market, an economist said on Wednesday. “Since 1997, (Hong Kong) has really evolved from quite a broad-based international financial center to now, a more China-centric offshore center. So if we take that into consideratio

European stocks traded slightly lower Thursday morning as trade negotiations between the U.S. and China are understood to have hit a roadblock. The pan-European Stoxx 600 edged 0.15% below the flatline, with autos slipping 1.5% to lead losses while food and beverages added 0.4%. Just one month after agreeing in principle on the so-called phase one of a trade deal, the world’s two largest economies have reached a stalemate in negotiations. Asian stocks were mixed during Thursday afternoon trade a

Anthony Anderson, star of ABC sitcom “Black-ish,” and Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Danny Green have a new beer commercial with a message that might seem counterintuitive: Drink water between beers. The new two-minute spot encourages viewers to “hydrate between Buds,” and features Anderson becoming a hotshot basketball coach thanks to the powers of water — even double-fisting during a post-game celebration with a Budweiser and a water bottle. The new spot, part of Anheuser-Busch InBev-owned

Market players are largely focused on U.S.-China trade talks, after reports suggested that there is an impasse over issues such as agricultural products and intellectual property. ET, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note , which moves inversely to price, was higher at around 1.8704%, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was also higher at around 2.3509%. ET, New York Fed President John Williams will be speaking in San Francisco at 09:00 a.m. ET and Chicago Fed President Charl

China’s securities regulator is investigating one of the country’s richest men for alleged violation of disclosure rules as a director of surveillance camera giant Hikvision, the company said. Directors Gong Hongjia and Hu Yangzhong had been named as suspects and would cooperate with the investigation by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), the firm said in a filing to the stock exchange on Wednesday. Gong is a Hikvision vice chairman and the firm’s largest individual shareholder w

Indicators showed other sectors also slowing significantly and missing forecasts with retail sales growth back near a 16-year trough and fixed asset investment growth the weakest on record. Other data on Thursday showed China’s property investment growth in the first 10 months of the 2019 slowing year-on-year. Thursday’s data also showed fixed asset investment, a key driver of economic growth, grew 5.2% from January-October, against expected growth of 5.4%. On Wednesday, China’s State Council sa

Anti-government protesters set up a barricade on the No.2 bridge at Chinese University of Hong Kong on November 13, 2019 in Hong Kong, China. Black-clad protesters and university students maintained their blockades of major roads, including the entrance to the Cross-Harbour Tunnel that links Hong Kong island to the Kowloon area, and a highway between Kowloon and the rural New Territories. Thousands of students barricaded themselves inside campuses at several universities overnight, preparing sto

The Chinese yuan could strengthen against the greenback if China and the U.S. sign a so-called phase one trade agreement, according to an economist from Credit Agricole. “There are of course doubts about this phase one deal. Chinese currency traded both onshore and offshore have been hovering around 7.0 yuan per dollar for the past month. Movements in the yuan have largely depended on developments in the U.S.-China trade war, now in its second year. That’s one reason why the currency could appre

Rather than slowing down, nomadic retirees quit work to travel the world. When it comes to the planning, big events like this year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan are anchored in first, Gail explained. The rules to retiring earlySo you’re probably wondering: As relatively ordinary salaried people, how were they able to retire so young and afford this lifestyle of extensive travel? “If you want to retire early,” Neil joked, “don’t have kids and don’t get divorced!” To retire early, don’t fall into the

Min-Liang Tan, Co-founder & CEO, Razer, on Centre Stage during day one of RISE 2019 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Hong Kong. Gaming hardware firm Razer has seen “great growth” both in the periods before and after its public debut in Hong Kong two years ago, according to the company’s co-founder and CEO, Min-Liang Tan. But Razer has said it plans to expand its services, which are typically higher margin businesses than hardware, its core revenue stream. As of Wednesday’s cl

Germany has narrowly avoided a technical recession, after the latest figures showed the country’s economy grew by 0.1% in the third quarter. Second-quarter growth was revised down from -0.1% to -0.2% and two consecutive periods of negative growth would have constituted an official recession. Today’s data confirm that the German economy has now stalled, but the headlines are probably not dire enough to prompt an immediate and aggressive fiscal response from Berlin.” Meanwhile, the German Economy

Alibaba founder Jack Ma attends the 5th World Zhejiang Entrepreneurs Convention at Hangzhou International Expo Centre on November 13, 2019 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province of China. Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma said the company’s Singles Day performance missed expectations and blamed the hot weather and the fact the huge shopping event fell on a weekday. Singles Day, which is also known as “Double 11” because it falls on November 11, is a huge 24-hour shopping event in which thousands of products re