Passengers traveling between Vietnam and the US now have more flight options to select as United Continental Holdings and All Nippon Airways (ANA) have started expansion of its trans-Pacific joint venture. The expansion allows United Airlines and ANA to coordinate fares and schedules between the two countries, effective on April 1. This means passengers in Vietnam have more choices on flights to... 

HSBC will slash more than 10,000 jobs as part of the global banking giant’s recently announced cost-cutting drive, a report said. Broadcaster Sky News said senior executives at the bank “are close to finalising costs cuts that will result in thousands of jobs being axed across the bank’s sprawling global empire.” The report on Wednesday said London-headquartered HSBC may chop... 

Vietnam’s growing attraction to international travelers is creating a lot of opportunities for United Airlines to maintain business growth momentum in this Southeast Asian country, said the airline’s vice president for Asia Pacific. James Mueller told reporters in HCMC last week that Vietnam was emerging as a tourist destination and more travelers had been interested in this country. Moreover,... 

Asian stocks were mixed Monday as news that fewer than expected European banks failed stress tests was tempered by fears US lawmakers will not agree a budget that will help avoid a catastrophic default. Hong Kong gained 0.66 per cent and Seoul fell 0.56 per cent while Sydney, Shanghai and Taipei were all flat. Tokyo was closed for a public holiday. The European Banking Authority said on Friday that... 

Italian luxury design house Prada has issued additional shares to boost its Hong Kong initial public offering to more than $2.46 billion, after a lacklustre trading debut last month. The family-controlled firm said in a statement late Sunday that the extra shares raised HK$2.5 billion ($321 million), after its highly anticipated IPO raised a lower-than-expected $2.14 billion. The so-called over-allotment... 

Chinese manufacturing eased to a 10-month low in May, preliminary HSBC data showed Monday, fuelling fears of a slowdown in the world’s number two economy and sending Shanghai and Hong Kong shares down. The HSBC China Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) slipped to 51.1 last month — the lowest since July 2010 — from a final reading of 51.8 in April, the bank said in a statement. A reading... 

Asia shares rose from a six-week low Wednesday, led by consumer stocks, but disappointing U.S. data have made some investors reluctant to follow commodity prices higher, containing a bounce in risky assets from currencies to oil. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei average (.N225) was up 1.1 per cent and MSCI’s index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.8 per cent. Korea stocks (.KS11) rose... 

French banking giant BNP Paribas is planning to list its shares on the Hong Kong stock exchange, a report said Monday, in a bid that is likely to boost its profile in Asia, especially China. The lender has submitted an application to the southern Chinese city’s bourse, with a listing planned as early as July, the Chinese-language Ming Pao Daily News reported, quoting an unnamed source. A BNP... 

Hong Kong aims to introduce an offshore spot yuan fixing rate this year, in a move aimed at boosting growth as well as the use of the Chinese currency in one of Asia’s hottest financial markets. Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous Chinese territory which has its own currency, the Hong Kong dollar, has been acting as a test bed for turning the yuan into a global currency. While yuan-related business... 

Office rent rates in Vietnam’s biggest cities, HCM City and Hanoi, are among the highest in over 100 markets worldwide, according to an annual report released by British real estate services firm Knight Frank last week. HCM City is the 19th and Hanoi the 21st most expensive markets with prime rents at $38 and $36.5 per square metre per month respectively, the report said. The rates are more...