Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau is set to announce new proposals that may close loopholes often used by doctors and lawyers to reduce their tax burden, part of the government’s pledge to level the playing field for middle-income earners.Morneau has scheduled a press conference for Tuesday morning in Ottawa to announce steps to provide “fairness for the middle class.” A spokesman for Morneau declined to comment Monday evening, though referred to a Morneau speech from May that focused on

A Malaysian man is silhouetted as he shops at a wholesale market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on May 19, 2017.

China’s economy grew faster than expected in the second quarter, putting the nation on track to meet its growth target this year and giving backing to officials in their campaign to corral oncoming financial risk.Data showing that the world’s second-largest economy expanded 6.9 percent in the second quarter, matching the pace from the first three months, was released hours after the Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper warned of potential "gray rhinos" -- highly proba

Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia recorded total deal activity valued at US$63.3 billion spread across 818 deals in the first half of 2017.Global valuation and corporate finance advisor Duff & Phelps said Singapore recorded a total merger and acquisition (M&A) deal volume of 383 deals during the period valued at US$42.6 billion compared to US$40.5 billion in the first half of 2016.It said outbound deals accounted for about 68% of the total deal value compared to 66% in 2016, f

Earth to investors piling into India: the economy’s rough patch endures.Consumer price inflation hit another record low in June, adding to evidence the $2.3 trillion economy is struggling amid government  reforms, a  festering bad loan crisis, widening output gap and  rising unemployment. While bond markets are  rallying as investors wager the data will trigger a rate cut from the  Reserve Bank of India, the figures signal the economy face

Add costlier debt and thinner profit margins to the list of woes for Canada’s oil patch.The Bank of Canada’s decision to increase its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to 0.75 percent will raise borrowing costs for oil producers already grappling with prices stuck near $45 a barrel. The rate hike also sent the Canadian dollar to a one-year high, threatening to hurt profitability for an industry that sells its products in U.S.

Among the sneakers, diapers and pet food for sale on Taobao, China’s biggest e-commerce platform, is a listing that may take up a little more space in the online shopping basket.For 4.15 million yuan ($610,000), customers on the site owned by e-retailing giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. can bid for the debt of a steelmaker from Zhejiang, a coastal province in eastern China.