Reuters

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's economy contracted at an annualised clip of 2.0% in January-March from the previous quarter, weighed by sluggish private consumption and exports, government data showed on Thursday.

The gross domestic product (GDP) figure translated into a quarterly decrease of 0.5%, slightly worse than a median estimate of a 0.4% drop in a Reuters poll of 17 economists.

Private consumption, which makes up more than half of the... (continue reading...)

By Carolina Mandl

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hedge fund Coatue Management dissolved its stake in Apple Inc in the first quarter while Viking Global Investors built a sizeable new position, securities filings showed on Wednesday. Coatue, founded by Philippe Laffont, had 2.4 million shares of Apple in December, worth $470.6 million. Regulatory filings showed it had dissolved that stake entirely by the end of March.

Apple's shares plunged... (continue reading...)

By Andrew MacAskill

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer will set out six priorities for his party if it wins power, including economic stability and fixing the health service, in a challenge to the governing Conservatives ahead of an election later this year.

Starmer, who has dragged his party towards the centre ground of British politics after it pursued left-wing policies under his predecessor, is offering... (continue reading...)

DUBLIN (Reuters) - IBM plans to hire up to 800 more people in Ireland to help build advanced software underpinned by AI technology, the biggest job announcement in the country's multinational sector this year, state investment agency IDA Ireland said on Thursday.

The U.S. IT software and consultancy services provider, which is one of the largest multinational employers in Ireland with 3,000 staff, will add the roles in research and development, digital... (continue reading...)

(Reuters) - Grab Holdings raised its full-year profit forecast on Wednesday, underscoring gains from recent cost reduction measures and growth in its ride-share and food delivery businesses.

A significant restructuring at Grab, which included reducing 1,000 jobs and slashing some technology costs in 2023, is helping the company push ahead in its goal to deliver positive free cash flow this year.

The company now expects adjusted core... (continue reading...)