Japan’s economy flashed mixed signals in February 2026 as a surprise contraction in retail and industrial sectors offset improvements in the labor market. Retail sales unexpectedly fell 0.2% year-over-year, missing the projected 0.8% gain, while industrial production slumped 2.1% month-over-month—its first decline since November. On a monthly basis, retail trade declined 2.0%, reversing a downward...
Japan’s economy flashed mixed signals in February 2026 as a surprise contraction in retail and industrial sectors offset improvements in the labor market. Retail sales unexpectedly fell 0.2% year-over-year, missing the projected 0.8% gain, while industrial production slumped 2.1% month-over-month—its first decline since November. On a monthly basis, retail trade declined 2.0%, reversing a downwardly revised 3.0% increase in January. On an annual basis, output grew 0.3%, accelerating from a 0.7% rise in January and pointing to the third straight month of increase. However, labor conditions improved, with the unemployment rate falling to 2.6% (vs. 2.7% forecast). The number of unemployed fell by 60 thousand to 1.85 million. Meantime, employment added 10 thousand to 68.27 million, while the labor force increased 40 thousand to 70.12 million. Meanwhile, the jobs-to-applicants ratio stood at 1.19, slightly above both January’s reading and forecasts of 1.18. Separate data showed core consumer prices in Tokyo’s central wards rose 1.7% year-on-year in March 2026, down from 1.8% in February and below expectations. This is the smallest increase since April 2024, influenced by lower processed food inflation. The Nikkei 225 Index fell 2.2% to below 50,800, while the broader Topix Index dropped 1.4% to 3,492 on Tuesday, marking a fourth consecutive session of losses. The Japanese yen stabilized around 159.6 per dollar on Tuesday, holding gains from the previous session. More on Japan economy: EWJ: Why Japan Is At Risk From Surging LNG And Oil Prices EWJ: Buying An Oversold Japan How Using Moving Averages To Make Allocation Changes Can Improve Risk Adjusted Returns Asia markets in red as Middle East escalation triggers 4.5% slide in Nikkei BoJ March meeting: Rates steady at 0.75% but ready to hike ‘without delay’ if outlook holds
Repay ( RPAY ) to acquire Kubra Data Transfer for ~$372M in an all‑cash transaction. The deal will be financed through a combination of cash on hand and debt, supported by a $500M term loan commitment and a $100M revolving credit facility from Truist Bank. The acquisition is expected to close in Q2. Post-transaction, Repay ( RPAY ) anticipates net leverage of around 4.0x, with a target to reduce i...
Repay ( RPAY ) to acquire Kubra Data Transfer for ~$372M in an all‑cash transaction. The deal will be financed through a combination of cash on hand and debt, supported by a $500M term loan commitment and a $100M revolving credit facility from Truist Bank. The acquisition is expected to close in Q2. Post-transaction, Repay ( RPAY ) anticipates net leverage of around 4.0x, with a target to reduce it below 3.0x within 18 months. KUBRA’s technology already serves over 40% of households in the U.S. and Canada , giving Repay a large, embedded base for cross‑selling payments and communications services. Repay ( RPAY ) guides roughly over $15M in annual run‑rate cost synergies and over $5M in technology savings over the next three years, plus over $5M in incremental revenue opportunities by 2028 from the integrated platform and cross‑selling. Repay ( RPAY ) stock price fell 5% on Monday during after-market hours of trading. More on Repay Repay Holdings Corporation 2025 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Repay Holdings Corporation (RPAY) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript Repay targets 10–12% revenue growth in 2026 while advancing AI and AP platform integration Repay stock gains after Q4 revenue beats; issues strong full-year revenue guidance Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Repay
(RTTNews) - DXC Technology Co. (DXC), an IT services company, on Tuesday announced that the European Central Bank has selected its German unit under a single framework agreement for IT infrastructure managed services and end-user computing.
(RTTNews) - DXC Technology Co. (DXC), an IT services company, on Tuesday announced that the European Central Bank has selected its German unit under a single framework agreement for IT infrastructure managed services and end-user computing.
Top Democrats on the Senate Commerce Committee reportedly challenged the head of the Federal Communications Commission in a Monday letter, criticizing his approval of Nexstar Media Group’s merger with Tegna without a full commission vote. Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, and Senator Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat, jointly told FCC Chairman Brendan Carr that he improperly allowed agency...
Top Democrats on the Senate Commerce Committee reportedly challenged the head of the Federal Communications Commission in a Monday letter, criticizing his approval of Nexstar Media Group’s merger with Tegna without a full commission vote. Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, and Senator Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat, jointly told FCC Chairman Brendan Carr that he improperly allowed agency staff to green-light the merger even though it involved waiving major anti-consolidation rules, according to a copy of the letter reviewed by Bloomberg . Significant questions of policy must be addressed by the full FCC in a vote, the senators said. A federal judge in California has ordered Nexstar ( NXST ) to pause its integration with rival broadcast station group Tegna after TPG ( TPG )-owned DirecTV filed a lawsuit challenging the deal on antitrust grounds. “The FCC’s decision is baseless and blatantly political — and will have disastrous consequences for consumers across the country. For Colorado, it will likely result in even greater consolidation of local news coverage, further depriving Coloradans of access to a healthy and competitive news market. That is why we’ve opposed this merger every step of the way,” Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and Congressman Joe Neguse said in a statement earlier this month. “As the appropriations process begins for the next fiscal year, it is critical for the Congress to utilize every tool to rein in the lawlessness of this regulatory agency, among others. We intend to do so.” More on Nexstar Media Nexstar Media's Aim For Scale Drives Instant Value, But Shares No Longer Cheap Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NXST) Presents at Deutsche Bank 34th Annual Media, Internet & Telecom Conference Transcript Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NXST) Presents at Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference 2026 Transcript Nexstar ordered by court to pause Tegna merger after DirecTV suit Eight states ask judge to temporarily block Nexstar, Tegna...
A company overseen by a prominent Abu Dhabi royal has agreed to buy a US gas infrastructure firm for $2.25 billion, the latest sign that Gulf firms are pressing ahead with overseas dealmaking even as the regional conflict enters its second month. 2PointZero Group PJSC , part of a business empire overseen by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan , said it will acquire a 100% stake in Traverse Midstrea...
A company overseen by a prominent Abu Dhabi royal has agreed to buy a US gas infrastructure firm for $2.25 billion, the latest sign that Gulf firms are pressing ahead with overseas dealmaking even as the regional conflict enters its second month. 2PointZero Group PJSC , part of a business empire overseen by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan , said it will acquire a 100% stake in Traverse Midstream Partners LLC . The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals, the firm said in a statement late on Monday. Traverse Midstream Partners is a portfolio company of The Energy & Minerals Group and owns minority stakes in US natural gas infrastructure assets, including the Rover Pipeline and Ohio River System. The assets help move gas from the Utica and Marcellus shale regions to demand centres in the Midwest, the Gulf Coast and eastern Canada. The deal is among the biggest forays by 2PointZero, which was created from a restructuring of Abu Dhabi’s corporate landscape last year. International Holding Company PJSC , the emirate’s largest listed firm and also chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon, combined Multiply Group PJSC, 2PointZero Group PJSC and Ghitha Holding PJSC in October to form the new investment platform with about $33 billion in assets. At inception, 2PointZero joined a constellation of sovereign and private investment firms in Abu Dhabi that together control more than $2 trillion and have been prolific dealmakers in their own right. Many of them are overseen by Sheikh Tahnoon, one of Abu Dhabi’s two deputy rulers and a brother to the country’s president. The deal comes just days after the UAE’s ambassador to the US said the Gulf nation’s $1.4 trillion investment and economic framework with America remained on track . The top official at Saudi Arabia’s wealth fund has also confirmed it remains committed to investments around the world despite growing concerns over the mounting economic costs of the war. Read More: Dealmaking Persists Despite Iran War Uncertainty: Mideast...
(RTTNews) - Lenovo announced a global partnership with David Beckham, reinforcing its growing influence in the world of football. This collaboration builds on Lenovo's role as the Official Technology Partner of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027, and repr
(RTTNews) - Lenovo announced a global partnership with David Beckham, reinforcing its growing influence in the world of football. This collaboration builds on Lenovo's role as the Official Technology Partner of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027, and repr