Asian Stock Markets Trade Flat as Holiday Liquidity Thins and BOJ Minutes Watched 
U.S. Dollar Slips as Yen Finds Support on Intervention Signals and Geopolitical Risks Rise 
Roche CEO Warns US Drug Price Deals Could Raise Costs of New Medicines in Switzerland 
German Exports to the U.S. Decline Sharply as Tariffs Reshape Trade in 2025 
Asian Stocks Rise as Wall Street Tech Rally Lifts Markets, Yen Slumps Despite BOJ Rate Hike 
FTC Praises Instacart for Ending AI Pricing Tests After $60M Settlement 
Uber and Baidu Partner to Test Robotaxis in the UK, Marking a New Milestone for Autonomous Ride-Hailing 
AstraZeneca’s LATIFY Phase III Trial of Ceralasertib Misses Primary Endpoint in Lung Cancer Study 
Boeing Wins $2.04B U.S. Air Force Contract for B-52 Engine Replacement Program 
DOJ Reaches Settlement With Blackstone’s LivCor Over Alleged Rent Price-Fixing 
Wall Street Ends Higher as S&P 500, Nasdaq Extend Gains Ahead of Holiday Week 
JPMorgan’s Top Large-Cap Pharma Stocks to Watch in 2026 
Google and Apple Warn U.S. Visa Holders to Avoid International Travel Amid Lengthy Embassy Delays 
U.S. Lawmakers Urge Pentagon to Blacklist More Chinese Tech Firms Over Military Ties 
Saks Global Weighs Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Amid Debt Pressures and Luxury Retail Slowdown 
Platinum Price Surges Past $2,000 as Demand and Supply Dynamics Tighten 
Affinity Equity Partners, a Hong Kong private equity firm, has appointed Goldman Sachs to sell its Burger King fast-food businesses in South Korea and Japan in a deal that could fetch over US$1 billion.
Goldman Sachs is targeting both private equity investors and strategic buyers.
Affinity acquired Burger King South Korea in 2016 for about $170 million and the American fast-food brand's Japan franchise in 2017.
Last year, Burger King South Korea reported $572 million in revenue, with adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) at $67 million.
The adjusted EBITDA in 2022 is expected to reach $83.8 million.
Meanwhile, Burger King Japan's adjusted EBITDA in 2021 was $6 million.
The decision to sell the Burger King businesses comes as the Omicron variant rocked the consumer and retail sectors.
In South Korea, businesses have been relying more on deliveries, causing the number of monthly active users on Burger King Korea’s mobile app to exceed 1.4 million, the highest since the app's launching in May 2016.
Burger King runs 440 outlets in South Korea, more than its rival McDonald's, while the Japan franchise would open three new outlets in January to bring the total there to 149.
