BEIJING (AP) — International stock markets were mostly higher today as investors looked ahead to this week’s U.S. Federal Reserve meeting. Futures point to a rebound on Wall Street at this morning’s opening. Benchmark U.S. crude oil fell below $81 a barrel. The dollar gained against the yen and the euro.
LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Apple CEO Tim Cook is calling Apple’s new mobile payment system a success and says he’s got an eye on China. Cook says Apple Pay is now more widely used than any competing payment system. Critics have noted that it’s not accepted by a number of large chains. Cook also says he plans to talk with Jack Ma, executive chairman of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, about a possible partnership. Ma has alluded to the same possibility.
STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) — A former Georgia investment adviser who vanished after losing millions of clients’ dollars and was mistakenly declared dead is facing a potential 30-year prison sentence. Aubrey Lee Price is scheduled for sentencing today by a federal judge. The 48-year-old former fugitive has pleaded guilty to fraud. Price had left letters hinting at suicide and a Florida judge ultimately declared him dead. But last December, a routine traffic stop did him in.
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese telecommunications company Softbank says it’s investing nearly $840 million in two technology companies in India, which it sees as a lucrative market. Softbank, which sells the iPhone in Japan, is investing $627 million and becoming the biggest shareholder in Snapdeal, the largest digital marketplace in India. Softbank, which recently acquired Sprint in the U.S., is also investing $210 million in Ola Cabs, which runs the technology to connect consumers with cab drivers in India.
TOKYO (AP) — Honda’s net profit for the July-September quarter surged nearly 18 percent but the Japanese automaker lowered its earnings forecast for the full year today. Honda is pointing to difficulties in China and its home Japan market. Honda reported a 141.8 billion yen ($1.3 billion) profit for the fiscal second quarter, up from 120 billion yen a year earlier. Sales edged up 4 percent to 3.015 trillion yen ($27.9 billion), helped by a weak yen.
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