CNBC International

Britain’s economy failed to achieve any growth in the three months to September, revised figures from the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics showed on Monday. ➡️ An earlier estimate had put GDP growth at 0.1% for the third quarter of the year. ➡️ Monday’s figures deal another economic blow to Britain, after a series of weak data prints have dampened sentiment and raised questions about the newly elected Labour government’s fiscal strategy. Read more: https://lnkd.in/etEWAGYp

The Biden administration on Monday said it launched a new probe into legacy Chinese semiconductors that may go into everything from cars to household goods and defense systems. ➡️ The so-called Section 301 investigation will look into China’s “acts, policies, and practices on the production of silicon carbide substrates or other wafers used as inputs into semiconductor fabrication,” the White House said in a statement. ➡️ Washington’s probe looks to assess the U.S. dependency on legacy Chinese chips in areas spanning everything from telecommunications to the electrical grid. Find out more by reading Arjun Kharpal's full article here: https://cnb.cx/49PGu1I

Japanese automakers Nissan Motor Corporation and Honda on Monday announced they had entered into official talks to merge and create the world’s third-largest automaker by sales. ➡️ In a press conference on Monday, Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe said the companies needed greater scale to compete in the development of new technologies in electric vehicles and intelligent driving. A business integration would give the companies an “edge that will not be possible under the current collaboration framework,” Mibe said, according to a translation. ➡️ The deal would aim to share intelligence and resources but protect both brands, he said. Discussions are set to conclude in June 2025. Read the full story here: https://cnb.cx/3P8jh1e

Sands China CEO and President Grant Chum said Macao was diversifying its economy away from gaming to become “a city of sports and ... a city of entertainment,” during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the city that concluded Friday. ➡️ In an interview on “Squawk Box Asia,” Chum cited a deal announced in early December between Sands China and North America’s National Basketball Association to play two NBA pre-season games in China. ➡️ The games are part of Sands China’s commitment to invest $4.5 billion into the city through 2032, of which “over 90% ... will be in non-gaming investments,” said Chum. Read the full story here: https://cnb.cx/4a7JlDz

“Pet sitter,” “chauffeur,” “bakery assistant” and other service jobs are drawing a surge of interest in Singapore, according to the 2024 Rising Jobs list by job matching and hiring platform Indeed. ➡️ While workers in the country eye service and support roles, employers are focused on finding talent in high-demand fields such as artificial intelligence, according to Indeed’s study which analyzed job postings and click trends on the platform between November 2023 and November 2024. ➡️ “This trend clearly paints a picture of a job market with contrasting priorities — employers chasing innovation while job seekers gravitate toward roles that feel accessible and practical,” according to the report. Scroll to find out trending roles among job seekers in Singapore. Read CNBC Make It reporter Ernestine Siu's full report here: https://cnb.cx/4frHKcr

The use of artificial intelligence has grown across industries globally, but there is still some confusion over how to properly use the technology at work. ➡️ The demand for AI talent in Singapore has grown. There has been a 4.6x increase in generative AI-related job postings in the city-state between September 2023 and September 2024, according to Indeed. ➡️ But despite the fact that demand for AI talent has surged in Singapore, 45% of the employees in the country report feeling uncomfortable admitting to managers that they are using the technology for workplace tasks. Read CNBC Make It reporter Ernestine Siu's full report here: https://cnb.cx/3VIV0SX

Russia’s central bank on Friday unexpectedly left its key interest rates unchanged at 21%, citing improved monetary tightness that had created the conditions to tame sky-high inflation. ➡️ Markets had widely expected the central bank to hike interest rates by another 200 basis on Friday, after taking such a step in October. ➡️ Russia’s consumer price index hit 8.9% in November on an annual basis, up from 8.5% in October. Read more here: cnb.cx/3P76k7W

Elon Musk’s Tesla is exploring showroom spaces in New Delhi, signaling its plans to enter India’s growing EV market. ➡️ Electric vehicles in India currently represent just 2% of car sales. ➡️ However, EVs are being gradually adopted, with more than 32% penetration expected by 2035, according to Puneet Gupta of S&P Global Mobility. This is being driven by government regulations and incentives. CNBC's Tanvir Gill covers how Tesla’s entry could boost India’s EV ecosystem, with experts predicting the country could account for 10% of Tesla’s global sales by 2035.

In this week's edition of 'Beyond the Valley’, a CNBC newsletter: ➡️ China wants to dominate in AI — and some of its models are already beating their U.S. rivals ➡️ UK kicks off review into training AI models on copyrighted content ➡️ How China’s satellite megaprojects are challenging Elon Musk’s STARLINK 🎧 Listen: Top tech predictions for 2025 Read more and subscribe at the link below.

Bitcoin fell sharply on Friday amid broader investor caution toward risk assets. ➡️ Bitcoin traded at around $92,808.07 at 6:57 a.m. ET on Friday, down around 9% from 24 hours before where it was priced above $102,000, according to Coin Metrics. ➡️ The cryptocurrency hit an all-time high above $108,000 just this week, but has since sold off aggressively. Read CNBC’s senior technology correspondent Arjun Kharpal's report here: cnb.cx/4fonOr6