-- Switzerland's unemployment rate stood at 3% in April, down from 3.1% in the previous month, according to data from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs published Thursday.
At the end of April, 142,902 individuals were registered as unemployed, down by 3,353 from a month ago.
Flexible workspace provider Awfis Space Solutions (NSE:AWFIS, BOM:544181) opened two new centers in Chennai, India, according to a Thursday filing to the Indian stock exchanges.With this, Awfis' total footprint in Chennai has expanded to 28 centers, covering 875,000 square feet.The company now has over 200 centers across 18 cities with a diversified client base of over 3,400 organizations.
Chinese equities made gains for a second day as sentiment was uplifted over the possibility of the U.S. and Iran striking a deal.The Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.5%, or 19.92 points, to finish Thursday's trade at 4,180.09. The Shenzhen Component Index jumped 1.2%, or 182.27 points, to 15,641.89.U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. and Iran had "very good talks" after the U.S. handed a proposal in ending the war.In corporate news, Far East Smarter Energy (SHA:600869) jumped 7.3% after receiving contract orders worth 2.63 billion yuan in April.Inner Mongolia Xingye Silver & Tin Mining (SHE:000426) climbed 6.6% after a unit agreed to fully acquire Tibet Sunshine Mining Investment for 164 million yuan.Jinko Power Technology (SHA:601778) rose 3.8% after deciding not to redeem early bonds worth 3 billion yuan despite its redemption clause being triggered.
Craftsman Automation (NSE:CRAFTSMAN, BOM:543276) consolidated profit attributable to the owners increased to 1.16 billion Indian rupees in the fiscal fourth quarter from 667.6 million rupees a year ago, according to an Indian bourse filing on Thursday by the mechanical components manufacturer.Earnings per share for the quarter ended March 31 climbed to 48.80 rupees from 27.99 rupees a year earlier.Revenue from operations rose year on year to 22.3 billion rupees from 17.5 billion rupees, the filing said.The company also recommended a final dividend of 11.25 rupees per share for the financial year ended March 31.