NEW YORK -- Nissan Motor on Monday will halt operations at an assembly plant in the U.S. due to a semiconductor supply shortage stemming from rising COVID-19 cases in Malaysia, sources told Nikkei.

The Japanese carmaker's Smyrna plant in Tennessee produces the Leaf electric vehicle and Rogue SUV. Nissan plans to resume operations on Aug. 30, but that date could change depending on the chip situation.

The two-week suspension is expected to result in tens of thousands of cars not being produced

SHANGHAI -- College student Lin Hong long looked to Nike for his sneaker needs, buying five pairs of its basketball shoes over the past two years.

Now he is eyeing the U.S. brand's biggest Chinese rivals.

"It's time to ditch Nike for Li Ning or Anta," he said, complaining that his latest Nike sneakers did not hold up well while the Chinese brands offer "vibrant designs and tougher soles."

Thanks to consumers like Lin, Li Ning, founded by the Olympic

WASHINGTON -- The Biden administration should step up trade restrictions to counter China's predatory economic practices including intellectual property theft, said Nazak Nikakhtar, a former Trump administration official who was on the front line of the China-U.S. trade war.

The U.S.-China standoff over technology has intensified after President Joe Biden took over, with Washington turning down China's request in late July to lift the ban on Huawei's access to U.S. technologies. To Nikakhtar, this

HONG KONG -- For years, China's efforts to develop a digital currency seemed intended for domestic use only. The introduction of an "e-yuan," which is still being tested, would help China go cashless while giving the central bank tight centralized control over digital money.

However, a new development appeared on July 16: A government white paper shook up financial markets by saying China was exploring cross-border payments for the e-yuan.

The digital yuan now appears to be the latest in

TOKYO -- Rakuten Group on Wednesday reported its second straight quarterly loss and a 65.4 billion yen ($590 million) deficit for the January to June fiscal first half, as capital costs piled up in the company's fledgling mobile segment, including the 40 billion yen acquisition of a U.S.-based mobile technology company.

The company, best known for its e-commerce business, posted 402 billion yen in revenue in the April to June quarter, up 8

TOKYO -- The Japan Fair Trade Commission, the anti-monopoly watchdog, has begun investigating if securities companies and underwriters are pricing shares fairly in initial public offerings, Nikkei has learned.

The move comes after the body noted that in many deals, the difference in offer prices before listing and opening share prices on debut have been larger than in Europe and the U.S.

As a result, the listing company raises a smaller amount of capital, but investors come away happy with what is known as a "first

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing faces a murky earnings outlook after posting its first drop in quarterly profit in more than a year on Wednesday, with initial public offerings poised to lose steam.

The world's most valuable stock exchange operator, which saw its own share price climb 40% over the past year as investors poured into the market, is now being buffeted by China's crackdown on the technology and education sectors.

Market players are reassessing expectations about how much the exchange will benefit from recent

HONG KONG -- Cathay Pacific Airways remains wary of the impact of travel restrictions and the fast-spreading coronavirus delta variant on the carrier's revival, despite posting a smaller first-half loss on Wednesday.

Hong Kong's flagship carrier, which has slashed costs and boosted cargo operations, said it plans to add flights to raise passenger capacity to about 30% of pre-pandemic levels by the last quarter of this year. The figure stood at 5% in the first half.

But the target "

TOKYO -- Japan's government has begun weighing sites for new restrictions on land transactions involving foreign buyers, a task expected to span roughly 600 defense installations as well as areas around nuclear power plants and other vital infrastructure.

Site designations will begin in fall 2022, with the first round to focus on those with the highest national security value.

The review process represents the first step in putting into practice a law passed earlier this year to keep a closer watch on land deals, which ruling coalition