Seven & i's North American business IPO to fund more aggressive growth, says CEO
The listing, billed for the second half of 2026, would allow for faster store rollouts in the U.S. and additional bolt-on M&As, CEO Stephen Dacus said at a strategy briefing for analysts and media in Tokyo.
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The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Major mobile brand apologises amid fears its closing down after 33 years – and all phones are sold out
BOSSES for a huge tech brand have spoken out amid fears that its phone business could be winding down. The firm has a long history of pioneering everything from TVs to game consoles, as well as 33 years making mobiles. 2 But shoppers grew suspicious after spotting that all of Sony's phones were mysteriously sold out last month. And they remain that way today despite chiefs now insisting they're not giving up. Lin Tao, Sony's chief financial officer, said its Xperia brand remains "an extremely important business for us". But she also suggested that the division could go in another direction, saying that "communication technology is used in areas other than smartphones". "Communication technology is a very important technology that Sony has cultivated for a long time," Tao said during an earnings call. CNET Japan reports that she also apologised for inconvenience caused by a major software glitch that affected its latest model, the Xperia 1 VII. Sony 's mobiles were once one of the must-have brands to have in your pocket, with a peak 9 per cent market share globally during its heyday as Sony Ericsson. Today, Sony's mobile market share is thought to be only about 1 per cent in some countries. Big names that were huge in the early 2000s have been dwarfed by the popularity of iPhone and Samsung, as well as cheaper new rivals. LG withdrew from the smartphone industry in 2021 and put out its final software update to existing handset owners just a few weeks ago. Paolo Pescatore, an analyst from PP Foresight, recently told The Sun: "It seems that the company is retrenching from some markets given the ongoing challenges in the handset business and changing market dynamics. "Once a powerhouse, it was one of the few companies to boast a strong a presence in consumer electronics glass-to-glass from content creation with professional cameras through to smartphones and TVs. "Ultimately with lacklustre sales, stepping back makes sense given the competitive nature of the industry. "However, the company under Sony still seems to remain committed to smartphones under its premium brand which resonates in other markets. "Moving forward it will still be faced with tough decisions on whether pulling the plug should be made as it currently pivots towards a leaner and more agile business model. "There's also pride at stake for a company that is rich in consumer electronics." A Sony spokesperson told The Sun previously: "Withdrawal from the mobile business is not being considered at this time."
Finextra
2 hours ago
- Finextra
UK retail investors favour index trackers
Investment Association (IA) data reveals that index trackers attracted £1.1 billion in inflows in June 2025 marking a strong continuation of momentum for passive investing, particularly in equity exposures across Europe and North America. 0 This content has been selected, created and edited by the Finextra editorial team based upon its relevance and interest to our community. This surge in tracker fund activity reflects a growing appetite for algorithm-driven portfolio management, as investors seek cost-effective, transparent, and rules-based exposure to global markets. Alongside this, while UK equity tracker activity remained muted, European and North American strategies saw robust demand, suggesting a shift in geographic preference amid geopolitical uncertainty. It is evident that investors are leaning into the reliability and efficiency of passive strategies. Index trackers offer a tech-powered way to stay invested without the emotional swings of active management, especially in volatile conditions. This trend aligns with broader investor behaviour in the first half of 2025, which saw a total of £2.9 billion in net inflows despite a turbulent Q1. The second quarter alone brought in £4.8 billion, reversing earlier losses and underscoring investor resilience. Also notable is the resurgence of mixed asset funds, which brought in £2.6 billion in H1, their first consistent period of inflows since 2021. These funds, often supported by automated asset allocation models, allow investors to delegate decision-making to professional managers, a strategy that has gained appeal amid market uncertainty. June saw particularly strong flows into the 40-85% equity range, indicating that investors are not shying away from risk but are instead seeking diversified, tech-enhanced investment solutions that balance growth potential with downside protection. As digital platforms and data-driven strategies continue to reshape retail investing, the IA's latest figures suggest that UK investors are embracing technology not just in how they invest, but in what they invest in. Miranda Seath, director, market insight and fund sectors at the Investment Association, comments: "sustained inflows into mixed assets funds uncover an interesting trend as investors come back to 'investment solutions' - we had seen persistent outflows from the mixed asset class between 2022 and 2024. In the face of heightened uncertainty, investors are now opting for strategies where investment managers calibrate allocations to equities and bonds on their behalf." Seath continues: "IA research suggests that a level of home bias continues to exist amongst end investors and attracting more people to investing could be a boost to UK equities in the long-term. However, as June data suggests, the current crop of investors is keeping a close eye on the UK economy - the Chancellor's plans for this year's Autumn Budget will be significant and investors will wait to see the impact of potential tax rises and if the economic outlook will improve."
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Economy expected to maintain steady pace
China's economy is expected to maintain steady momentum in the second half of the year amid continuous policy support, with international institutions' raised growth forecasts reflecting strengthened confidence in the world's second-largest economy, economists and analysts said. With the country's top leadership having clearly signaled consistent macro policy support to sustain the economic rally, they said that measures in the pipeline may include more consumption subsidies, additional public investment in urban renewal and accelerated reduction of housing market inventory. Their comments came as the International Monetary Fund significantly raised its forecast for China's full-year economic growth to 4.8 per cent in its World Economic Outlook Update report on 29 July, up 0.8 percentage point compared with its forecast in April. The revision reflects the Chinese economy's stronger-than-expected activity in the first half of the year and the significant reductions in tariffs between China and the United States, the IMF report said, as China received the largest upgrade in forecast among major economies. The IMF, which nudged the full-year global growth forecast for 2025 from 2.8 per cent to 3 per cent, also revised China's growth forecast for 2026 upward by 0.2 percentage point to 4.2 per cent, due in part to lower effective tariff rates than previously assumed in the April forecast. More signs of de-escalation in Sino-US trade tensions emerged on 29 July. Based on the consensus achieved during the third round of China-US economic and trade talks in Stockholm, Sweden, both sides will continue pushing for a continued extension by 90 days of the pause on 24 per cent reciprocal tariffs of the US, as well as countermeasures by China. The IMF's upward revision follows major international financial institutions, such as Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, UBS and Nomura, which raised their expectations for China's economic growth, thanks to a 5.3 per cent year-on-year expansion in the first half. Citing factors such as China's robust GDP growth of 5.2 per cent in the second quarter, Goldman Sachs said in a report on 28 July that it retains its overweight stance on Chinese equities in a regional context, while revising its 12-month target for the MSCI China Index to 90 from 85. The MSCI China Index is a stock market index that tracks the performance of large and mid-cap Chinese companies listed in both China and abroad. Zhang Bin, a nonresident senior fellow at the China Finance 40 Forum and a national political adviser, said that China's economic growth has been resilient this year, as industrial production maintained solid momentum while exports to other regions offset the decline of exports to the US. With 5.3 per cent first-half growth, Zhang said that China's full-year GDP growth target of about 5 per cent should be well within reach. However, he noted that the challenge of insufficient demand — and, therefore, pressures on the labour and capital markets — may intensify in the second half amid lingering property market weakness and the unfolding impact of US tariffs on exports. This has necessitated further macro policy support, said Zhang, who suggested the issuance of additional government bonds in the second half to boost public investment in urban renewal. The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee held a tone-setting meeting on 30 July that made arrangements for economic work in the second half of the year. The meeting emphasised that macro policies should continue to exert force and be strengthened at an appropriate time, calling for efforts to expand consumer demand by ensuring and improving people's living standards, carrying out high-quality urban renewal, and consolidating the capital market's trend of stabilisation and improvement. Wang Qing, chief macroeconomic analyst at Golden Credit Rating International, said the meeting indicated that macro policies will continue to focus on growth stabilisation in the second half. Anticipated measures include further interest rate cuts, consumption subsidies in more sectors such as travel, and greater advancements in using government bonds to purchase unsold property stock for affordable housing purposes, Wang said.
