Category: Business

Business

Can Gold Hit US$5,000? Wall Street Turns Bullish Even as Strong US Jobs Revive Rate-Hike Fears

NEW YORK — Gold is facing a major test. After an extraordinary rally that pushed the precious metal into historically high territory, Wall Street is increasingly debating whether gold could climb to US$5,000 an ounce. But the path higher has suddenly become more complicated. A stronger-than-expected US jobs report has revived fears that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates again, pushing Treasury yields higher and putting pressure on gold. On Monday, spot gold fell to around US$4,40

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Business

Hong Kong Pitches Itself as a ‘Trusted Partner’ to Power Central Asia’s Next Growth Wave

ASTANA, Kazakhstan — Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has positioned the city as a “trusted partner” and strategic gateway for Central Asia, saying Hong Kong is ready to help businesses tap into one of the world's fastest-emerging regions for trade, investment and cross-border growth. Speaking virtually at the South China Morning Post China Conference: Central Asia 2026 in Astana on Sunday, Lee said the region offered enormous potential and that Hong Kong could provide the financial, legal an

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Business

China Has 1.4 Billion Mouths to Feed. How Vulnerable Is It to a Global Food Crisis?

BEIJING — China has spent years preparing for a question that could become increasingly urgent in an unstable world: Can the country reliably feed its 1.4 billion people if a major global food crisis disrupts trade, production and supply chains? The answer is complicated. China produces enormous quantities of food and has repeatedly broken grain production records. Beijing also maintains strategic reserves, invests heavily in farmland and agricultural technology, and treats food security as a

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Business

China’s Green-Tech Push Is Challenging Trump’s ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Energy Strategy in Africa

AFRICA — A new energy battle is unfolding across Africa, where the United States is promoting fossil fuels while China is rapidly expanding its influence through cheap solar panels, batteries, electric vehicles and renewable-energy infrastructure. For many African governments, however, the choice may have less to do with geopolitics or ideology than with one simple question: Which energy source is cheaper, faster and more reliable? That calculation is increasingly working in China's favour.

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Business

China’s Tesla Imitators Have a New Mission: Build Humanoid Robots Cheap Enough for Consumers

BEIJING — China’s electric vehicle revolution produced a generation of companies often compared with Tesla. Now, many of those same manufacturers are chasing a far more ambitious goal: building humanoid robots cheap enough to move beyond factories and research labs and into the hands of ordinary consumers. The race is accelerating as Chinese companies leverage expertise developed in electric vehicles — including batteries, motors, sensors, artificial intelligence and mass manufacturing — to cut

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Business

5 Filipino Photographers Changing the Way We See Architecture and Interiors

MANILA, Philippines — A striking photograph can make a building feel alive. It can reveal how sunlight moves through a room, transform an ordinary hallway into a dramatic composition or capture the personality hidden within a carefully designed interior. But behind every powerful architectural image is far more than a camera and a beautiful space. For five Filipino photographers featured by Tatler Asia, architecture and interior photography is a craft shaped by intuition, technical discipline

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Business

Why Restaurant Design Is About More Than Just Looking Good, According to Polygon

Why Restaurant Design Is About More Than Just Looking Good, According to Polygon MANILA, Philippines — A beautiful restaurant may attract diners for the first time. But according to architectural design consultancy Polygon, beauty alone is never enough to make people want to return. For Polygon co-founder Tim Wong, one of the biggest misconceptions about design is that it is primarily about appearance. “Making the space look nice is the easy part,” Wong says. The real challenge is creating a

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Business

Philippine Design Takes Centre Stage at Tatler Homes Design Awards 2026

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine architecture and design took centre stage at the Tatler Homes Design Awards 2026, where some of the country's most creative architects, interior designers and furniture makers were recognised for projects that blended innovation with a distinctly Filipino sense of place. Now in its fifth year in the Philippines, the awards celebrated work ranging from coastal homes in Cebu and sustainable urban spaces in Makati to children's museum exhibits, luxury resorts and l

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Business

Robinsons Land Lands Major KMC Solutions Deal—Why This 9,800-Sqm Expansion Matters for Philippine Offices

MANILA, Philippines — Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC) is strengthening its position in the Philippine office market after securing a major lease deal with flexible-workspace and business-services provider KMC Solutions. KMC Solutions is set to occupy 9,800 square meters across four floors at GBF Center 1, further expanding its presence within Robinsons Land's office portfolio. Business Inquirer reported the agreement as a significant addition to KMC's footprint in the developer's properties. But th

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Business

Thailand’s Inflation Jumps to 2.53% in August, Beating Forecasts as Fuel and Food Prices Rise

BANGKOK, Thailand — Thailand’s headline inflation accelerated sharply in August, rising 2.53% from a year earlier and exceeding market expectations as higher fuel and food prices added fresh pressure to household budgets. The August reading marked a significant increase from 1.95% in July and came in above the 2.37% median forecast in a Reuters poll. Despite the acceleration, inflation remained within the Bank of Thailand’s target range of 1% to 3%. The latest figures signal that Thailand's pe

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