Business
Asian stocks today: Markets trade mixed following Wall Street’s drop; Nikkei climbs over 700 points, HSI falls 0.89% – The Times of India
Asian shares are trading mixed on Friday after the Wall Street sank from record heights despite United States’s trade truce with China and profits of Big Tech giants exceeded expectations.Taiwan’s benchmark added 104 points or 0.37% to reach 28,392 at 10:31 AM IST. Japan’s Nikkei led the gains, jumping over 790 points to reach 52,118.Kospi also traded in green, up 25 points at 4,112.In Chinese markets, Hong Kong’s HSI fell 232 points reaching 26,050.08. Shanghai and Shenzhen also dropped 0.63% and 0.62%, respectively. Fresh data showed that China’s factory sector shrank again in October, marking the seventh consecutive month of contraction. The official NBS Manufacturing PMI slipped to 49.0, down from September’s 49.8.US futures edged higher on Friday, while oil prices slipped. President Donald Trump praised his Thursday conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, though key disputes between the world’s two largest economies continue to hang over the talks.Global stock markets turned mixed after a closely watched meeting between the leaders of the world’s two biggest economies. Trump described his meeting with Xi Jinping as a “12” on a scale of zero to 10 and said he planned to cut tariffs. However, shares had already climbed to record levels on expectations of even bigger progress in easing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. Big Tech earnings also struggled under the weight of lofty expectations. Meta Platforms tumbled 11.3%, erasing part of its 28.4% gain earlier in the year and becoming the biggest drag on the S&P 500. In early trading, US benchmark crude slipped 42 cents to $60.15 a barrel, while Brent crude, the global benchmark, also declined 42 cents, to $63.95. On the currency front, the US dollar eased to 153.95 yen from 154.14 yen, and the euro inched up to $1.1573 from $1.1566.
Getty ImagesInsurers need to do more to improve how they handle claims and make it clearer to customers what their policies cover, the UK’s finance regulator has said.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) was responding to a “super-complaint” by consumer group Which? about the home and travel insurance sectors.
The regulator acknowledged some problems needed addressing, and said it would expand its scrutiny of how claims are processed and how clear policies are to customers.
Consumer groups said the FCA must follow this up with strong action and see it as a first step to fundamental reform.
A super-complaint is rare, and only used by consumer groups when they believe a large number of people are being significantly harmed by practices across a particular sector.
Consumer group Which? had argued that the home and travel insurance sectors were “broken”. It said that in some cases making a claim to an insurance company could be a worse experience than the distress of the original incident.
The super-complaint was based on three areas of concern. The first was the way that claims are handled, with many being outsourced by insurers to specialists.
The second was the sales practices of insurers, which the consumer group argued were inappropriate and led to widespread confusion over what was covered in a policy.
Finally, it accused the FCA, as the regulator, of failing to provide an appropriate degree of protection for consumers.
Getty ImagesMillions of people across the UK take out insurance policies they hope they will never need to draw on.
Some 22 million home insurance policies were in force last year, with consumers paying more than £7bn in premiums. During the year, consumers made almost 900,000 claims, with insurers paying out a total of £3.2bn.
There were more than 6.8 million travel insurance policies, with premiums of £1.2bn paid last year. Some 600,000 claims led to payouts of more £400m.
But Which? highlighted that acceptance of claims and subsequent payouts were much less likely among home and travel insurance than motor and pet policies.
The FCA found that in 2024, 99% of motor claims were accepted, compared with 80% of standalone single trip travel claims and 74% of home content-only claims.
The regulator said that this, in part, reflected the lower levels of understanding among consumers of what their insurance policy covered.
Graeme Reynolds, director of competition at the FCA, said the regulator would “expand our existing workplan” to ensure improvements to the claims process and consumer understanding of their cover.
“We will continue to hold firms and their senior leaders to account for making improvements, to help build trust and make sure people get fair value insurance,” he said.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI), which represents companies, said the improvements demanded by the FCA were “a top priority” for the sector.
The FCA said it had already addressed various areas of concern in the sector, but consumer groups – including Which? – said more action was needed.
Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said the FCA must now bring about meaningful change for consumers.
“These issues have been allowed to fester for years, so the FCA must now seize the opportunity to take strong action to stamp out widespread bad practice and issues with how the markets are working,” she said.
James Daley, managing director of consumer group Fairer Finance, said: “The [FCA] response is unlikely to be sufficient to get to grips with the many and growing problems in this sector.
“The insurance market is caught in a race to the bottom on price – leading to the hollowing out of products, as well as poorer claims experiences.”
Mahindra’s New Tata Sierra Rival SUV: Mahindra has several new models lined up, including petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric SUVs across various segments. One of the most talked-about upcoming products is a new midsize SUV that will take on the Hyundai Creta and Tata Sierra. Mahindra has not officially shared product details yet. Still, this new SUV is expected to carry the XUV badge. It will likely be built on Mahindra’s new NU_IQ modular platform. This platform supports ICE, hybrid and electric powertrains. That gives the brand a lot of flexibility for future models.
Reports suggest this Sierra rival could be the production version of the Vision S concept. Mahindra showcased this concept on Independence Day earlier this year. Some reports also hint that the final model might join the Scorpio family lineup.
The Vision S concept has a bold design. At the front, it gets Mahindra’s Twin Peaks logo and triple vertical LED lights on either side. The headlamps have an inverted L shape. The bumper looks sporty and houses radar and parking sensors. A raised bonnet and pixel-style fog lamps add to the tough look.
From the side, the SUV looks off-road ready. It has a tall stance, massive cladding and wheel arches, and large 19-inch wheels with red brake calipers. The concept even shows a jerry can and a side ladder. Some of these features may not make it to the final version or could be offered as accessories.
At the rear, the concept gets inverted L-shaped tail-lamps, pixel lighting on the bumper and a spare wheel mounted on the tailgate. Inside, the Vision S shows a modern cabin. It has a new steering wheel with Vision S branding, a large touchscreen with NU UX software, wireless phone connectivity and a panoramic sunroof.
The cabin uses dual-tone upholstery across seats, doors and dashboard. The visible fuel cap suggests an ICE setup. The production version is expected to come with petrol and diesel engine options. Mahindra’s new Sierra rival is likely to hit the market around 2027.
AI technology and gaming launches have helped drive higher sales for electronics retailer Currys, which also hailed a recovery of its Nordics arm.
The company said its financial performance was improving despite a “muted” consumer environment and “unhelpful” cost pressures.
It reported revenues totalling £4.2 billion for the six months to November, up 4% when compared like-for-like with the same period last year.
Adjusted pre-tax profits more than doubled to £22 million year-on-year.
In the UK and Ireland, where Currys has almost 300 shops, computing was the strongest category for sales with AI technology and new games leading the charge.
It also highlighted surging demand for smaller categories like gaming accessories, emerging technology like health and beauty innovations, and a 12% jump in the sale of Windows laptops.
Mobile products sold well over the half-year, with its mobile network brand iD increasing its share of the wider market, the firm said.
But it reported a dip in the sale of consumer electronics, including TVs and speakers, which the retailer attributed to there being a spike in demand last year during the men’s Euro 2024 football tournament.
Chief executive Alex Baldock said it was “pleasing that strong top-line growth is translating into improved profitability”.
But he added: “In the UK and Ireland, the consumer environment is more muted, and cost headwinds are unhelpful.”
Currys said profits in the UK were being weighed down by increases to the national minimum wage and employer national insurance contributions, from last year’s autumn budget.
These cost increases were not being fully offset by savings it has been striving to make across the business.
Nevertheless, Currys hailed an improved performance for its Nordics arm after launching a turnaround for the struggling business.
Revenues increased by 4% on a like-for-like basis for the region, which has more than 400 stores both owned and franchised, and earnings grew.
Shares in Currys jumped by about a 10th in early trading on Thursday.
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