Morgan Stanley Says Hong Kong's Housing Sector Is Bottoming Out
Home prices in the city are set to bottom out, driven by an influx of mainland Chinese buyers, improved capital markets and a recent plunge in interest rates, analysts led by Praveen Choudhary said in a report dated June 19.
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Fast Company
36 minutes ago
- Fast Company
How tariffs are accelerating the shift to nearshore staffing
The potential return of tariffs with a new presidential administration is causing cost structures throughout multiple industries to experience increased pressure. Companies heavily reliant on global outsourcing or imported services might soon encounter substantial disruptions because of proposed tariffs that include a 10% universal rate on all imports and higher rates for strategic sectors, including China. Several businesses are searching for different cost reduction strategies that will protect their profit margins while preventing them from transferring tariff expenses to customers or taking on the costs internally. Organizations are now focusing more on cost management, which drives renewed interest in operational efficiency improvements through intelligent staffing and labor strategies because staffing expenses represent the most significant controllable cost for companies. THE HIDDEN COSTS OF GLOBAL TRADE TENSIONS Tariffs are essentially a tax on doing business globally. If companies can't pass those costs on to customers, they hit the bottom line. And even when they can, the volatility of trade policy makes long-term planning difficult. As a result, many companies are rethinking where and how they operate—not just in terms of production, but in terms of talent. The increasing complexity of compliance, logistics, and taxation in certain offshore locations is leading companies to ask: Is it time to bring some of our operations closer to home? Bringing the work back home—reshoring—might seem like the obvious answer, especially for companies seeking more control and less exposure to global risks. But with U.S. labor costs rising and talent shortages in many industries, reshoring often leads to significantly higher expenses. That's why companies pursuing this path are also looking for ways to offset those increases by finding cost savings in other parts of the business, particularly in areas like staffing, where smarter, nearshore alternatives can provide both financial relief and operational strength. In the face of rising tariffs and global uncertainty, many companies have focused on reshoring their manufacturing operations. But this comes with a price, as production becomes more expensive due to wages and, probably, some raw material components being subject to tariffs. A strategy for this is to rethink not just the manufacturing of the business, but also go beyond manufacturing to all the departments. For example, what departments can you use nearshoring or offshoring strategies to lower costs? This way, while you increase costs in production to be safe from tariffs, you can offset this by cutting costs in other parts of the company. Companies don't need to choose between keeping everything in-house or sending it all offshore. The most resilient strategies combine reshoring where it matters most (like physical production) with nearshoring for talent-driven operations (like customer service, marketing, IT, and finance). This hybrid model allows businesses to cut costs and reduce their exposure to trade and geopolitical risk. Here's why a hybrid staffing model is gaining traction: No Tariffs, Fewer Surprises: While services typically aren't tariffed like goods, working with partners in nearby countries helps avoid disruptions tied to trade policy and international regulation shifts. Save On Your Biggest Expense: Staff is usually a company's biggest expense that can be controlled. By using a hybrid model, you can have a strategy in place to help your company save on its second biggest expense. Aligned Work Hours: Time zone compatibility allows for real-time collaboration, reducing delays and miscommunication. Cultural Alignment: Nearshore teams often share business norms, language fluency, and values that enhance day-to-day interactions. Physical Proximity: Leadership teams can easily visit their nearshore counterparts—or even bring them to HQ—helping to build stronger, more cohesive working relationships. The most forward-thinking companies aren't choosing between reshoring or outsourcing—they're combining both. Reshore what you must: manufacturing, mission-critical logistics, or functions that truly require physical presence. Nearshore what you can: service-based roles like customer support, design, IT, finance, and marketing. This hybrid approach allows businesses to stay flexible, reduce exposure to geopolitical risk, and control costs, all without compromising on quality or culture. In a world where tariffs and trade policies are constantly shifting, nearshore staffing offers a clear path to stability, efficiency, and growth. It's not just a cost-cutting tactic—it's a smart, strategic move that allows businesses to build stronger teams, operate with more certainty, and navigate global disruptions with confidence. A smarter way forward is to combine reshoring and nearshoring—reshoring the functions that must stay close, while nearshoring roles that can be performed remotely without compromising quality or control. As global dynamics continue to evolve, one thing is clear: Companies that rethink their staffing strategies now will be better prepared for whatever comes next.
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Summit Therapeutics (SMMT) Jumps 7.6% on Reports of $15-Billion AstraZeneca Deal
Summit Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SMMT) is one of the . Summit Therapeutics jumped by 7.61 percent on Wednesday, a second day, to close at $24.74 apiece as reports about a $15-billion partnership with AstraZeneca continued to excite investors. In a report by Bloomberg last week, Summit Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SMMT) was reportedly in talks with AstraZeneca to license its experimental lung cancer drug Ivonescimab. The deal could include an upfront payment of several billion dollars to Summit Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SMMT) on top of milestone payments later on. However, a deal remains not guaranteed as Summit Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SMMT) could still opt for a different licensing partner. A laboratory employee in a sterile environment inspecting a microscope focused on a Clostridioides difficile infection sample. The negotiations followed Summit Therapeutics Inc.'s (NASDAQ:SMMT) $5-billion licensing deal with China-based Akeso in December 2022. Ivonescimab is an investigational therapy that has yet to be approved by any regulatory authority other than China's National Medical Products Administration. While we acknowledge the potential of SMMT as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the . READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
US government to invest in rare earths production
The US government is to become the biggest shareholder in the country's only operational rare earths mine. It is also going to take a series of other steps to underpin the future of the operation in Mountain Pass, California. Rare earths are essential to huge amounts of modern technology, such as electric cars and wind turbines. Access to these metals has been at the heart of a US-China trade war, with Beijing controlling about 90% of global mining capacity. MP Materials, which owns the mine, has entered into an agreement with the US Department of Defense that is designed to reduce America's dependency on imports of rare earths. The deal means that for the next 10 years the US government will commit to MP Materials receiving a minimum price of $110 per kg for its neodymium and praseodymium output. These are two of the most in-demand of the 17 different rare earths for the global economy. They are crucial for making permanent magnets, which are found in everything from smartphones to MRI scanners and electric motors. The move follows concerns that China has used its near total control of the industry to push prices down and force companies in other countries out of business. China is home to about 70% of the world's rare earth mining and 90% of refining capacity as a result of years of government support for the industry. Under the agreement, MP Materials will build a new US facility to increase how much of the raw materials from the mine it can turn into useable products. The location is still to be decided, but the company says it will serve both defence and commercial customers. Much of this will be funded by the Department of Defense buying $400m of newly created shares. "This initiative marks a decisive action by the Trump administration to accelerate American supply chain independence," said MP Materials founder and chief executive James Litinsky. Until now Shenghe Resources, a company partly owned by the Chinese government, has been one of MP Materials' largest shareholders. Shenghe had been the sole customer for the output of the Californian mine, which meant that its rare earths were being sent to China for refining. Earlier this year, MP Materials said that it would stop doing this because of the huge 125% tariffs that China imposed on US goods, in response to the 145% tariffs President Trump had imposed on Chinese imports. It added that tariffs meant sending its output to China was neither commercially viable nor in alignment with America's national interests. Trump delays tariffs as the rest of the world plays hardball EU hopes to agree US tariff deal 'in coming days' Rare earths have been at the heart of efforts to repair a US-China trade relationship that has deteriorated since Trump returned to the White House. Increased tariffs led Beijing to impose a new export licensing regime that severely limited how much of these materials was reaching American manufacturers. An agreement to improve that access, in exchange for lifting some of the US's own export restrictions in other areas, was at the heart of recent trade talks between the world's two biggest economies in London and Geneva. Despite that commitment the US complained that it has not been implemented fast enough. In the longer term, domestic supplies are the US's best bet on increasing access to the rare earths which are crucial to the manufacturing that is at the heart of Trump's economic vision for the country. China's export controls have also led to criticism in Europe, with the European Parliament voting in favour of a resolution that called Beijing's controls "unjustified" and "intended to be coercive". They also urged the European Commission to speed up the implementation of the Critical Raw Materials Act, which came into force last year and is designed to reduce Europe's reliance on imports. On a visit to Germany last week, China's foreign minister downplayed these concerns, saying it was his country's "sovereign right" as well as being "common practice" to control exports of goods that have both commercial as well as military uses. Effettua l'accesso per consultare il tuo portafoglio
