Browsing: Business

Remittances from Egyptians working abroad totaled about $29.7 billion from January through July 2026. The Central Bank of Egypt said the figure rose 28.1% from about $23.2 billion a year earlier. The seven-month increase added roughly $6.5 billion compared with the same period of 2025. The data cover funds sent home by Egyptians employed overseas. The January-to-July gain followed the record level reported for calendar 2025.

China left its benchmark lending rates unchanged in September, extending a period of stable borrowing costs. The one-year loan prime rate remained at 3.0%, while the over-five-year rate stayed at 3.5%. Banks commonly use the longer-term benchmark when pricing mortgages. The September fixing kept both rates at the same levels seen in August. The figures remain central to loan pricing across China’s banking system.

Bullion faced renewed selling pressure across international trading desks as global commodity markets digested a quarter-point interest rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Spot gold declined 1 percent to $4,249 per ounce, hitting multi-session lows under the weight of higher sovereign yields and restrictive monetary policy. Higher interest rates have increased the opportunity cost of holding physical bullion, prompting institutional portfolios to reallocate capital into fixed-income assets.

Gold prices edged higher on Thursday as a softer U.S. dollar supported bullion before fresh U.S. inflation data. Spot gold rose 0.3% to $4,414.28 an ounce by 0419 GMT. U.S. gold futures for December delivery slipped 0.1% to $4,457.20. The early gain kept spot gold above $4,400 after a sharp reversal during Wednesday’s trading. Gold had initially moved lower before finishing that session more than 1% higher.

Egypt’s net international reserves rose to a record $57.2145 billion at the end of August 2026. Reserves stood at $56.2939 billion at the end of July. That means the total increased by about $920.6 million during August, or roughly 1.6%. The latest reading extends a series of monthly gains in 2026 and takes Egypt’s official foreign reserves above $57 billion for the first time.

The canal also changed booking and auction rules as available capacity tightened. Daily auction slots now group vessels by cargo type, including gas carriers, bulk ships, container vessels and tankers. Full container ships with the highest carrying capacity receive priority in Neopanamax allocation when other conditions are met.

German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen AG agreed on Monday to sell its Osnabrück assembly plant to Israeli private equity firm Aurelius Capital and the German state of Lower Saxony. Under the preliminary agreement, the new owners will convert the vehicle manufacturing site into a dedicated security and defense production facility. The strategic transaction marks the first major industrial conversion of a German car factory to supply military hardware amid ongoing structural reorganization across Europe’s automotive sector. Israel Aurelius German state to take over VWs Osnabrueck plant defense projects to supply air defense equipment for European security markets.

The ministerial summit, running from September 8 to 11, operates under the theme of leveraging artificial intelligence and communications networks for African structural transformation. South Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook is scheduled to deliver opening addresses alongside leadership delegations from the African Development Bank Group. Delegations will focus on combining South Korean technological manufacturing expertise with African human capital and critical mineral reserves. Korea Africa chart new course AI digital infrastructure strategies as continental planners seek to bridge an estimated $400 billion annual development financing deficit.

South Korea’s consumer prices rose 3.1% in August from a year earlier, official data showed. Fuel costs remained a major source of price pressure during the month, with petroleum product prices climbing 14.2% from a year earlier. Mobile phone service charges also recorded a sharp annual increase of 26.7%, reflecting an unusually low comparison base. Core consumer prices, excluding food and energy, rose 3.4% from a year earlier, marking the strongest annual core reading since May 2023.

Semiconductor exports, the primary driver of national trade performance, soared 209% year-on-year to an all-time high of $46.65 billion. Growth in chip shipments was fueled by sustained capital expenditure programs among major global technology operators expanding data center networks and enterprise AI hardware deployments. The performance marks the third consecutive month in which semiconductor export volumes exceeded the $40 billion threshold. Additional information distributed by the Yonhap News Agency highlighted that computer product exports expanded 419.5% to $6.24 billion amid elevated global NAND memory pricing.