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☆ Why is pop culture so obsessed with nuns?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Leah Dolan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

These vestal get-ups are, in fact, the latest in a long line of subversive pop culture interpretations of the lives (and loves) of nuns. More recently, Bella Hadid walked the Coperni Fall-Winter 2022 runway wearing headgear reminiscent of a nun’s habit. The “Nunsploitation” subgenre saw the transformation of nuns from icons of piety and sacrifice into harbingers of evil and sexual obsession. In lighter fare, “Sister Act 3,” a third movie in the beloved “Sister Act” series of the 1990s starring Whoopi Goldberg is currently in development. “The juxtaposition of the nun’s habit with either blatant sexuality or the cultivation of personal identity and style is shocking and grabs people’s attention,” wrote Dr. Neal.

Persons: Rihanna, Sydney Sweeney, vestal, Dior, John Galliano, Serre, Emilia Wickstead, Bella Hadid, Sydney Sweeney's, Hulton, —, Andy Warhol, Ingrid Bergman, ”, Ken Vrana, Yoshitomo Nara, Lynn S, Neal, Audrey Hepburn, Christ, Lust ”, Saint Valentine ”, Sister Gertrude, Nadia Lee Cohen, Saint Maud ”, “, Whoopi Goldberg, Suzanne Hanover, Sweeney — Organizations: CNN, Couture, Deutsch, Pew Research Center, Cannes Film Locations: Maison, Sydney, Italy, Swedish, America

☆ ‘World’s coolest’ streets for 2024 named by Time Out
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

To produce the 2024 lineup, the global listings guide’s network of editors and writers chipped in to make the case for their favorite streets in their respective cities. High Street’s also great for bar hopping, suggests Time Out, highlighting “intimate and exclusive” rooftop bar Gigi Rooftop and buzzing dance spot Francesca’s Bar. Commerical Drive in Vancouver, Canada is number five on Time Out's list of coolest streets. Rua da Boavista in Lisbon, Portugal is number seven on Time Out's list. High Street, Melbourne2.

Persons: company’s, Leah Glynn, Glynn, ” It’s, Gertrude Street, Melbourne’s omnipresence, ”, Street’s, Marco Finanzio, Gigi, ” Finanzio, “, Ben Mathieson, it’s, ” Matheison, Mathieson, Mo Temple, Kenny Dorham’s, Consell, Rua da, Kathy deWitt, Arnaldo Quintela, Consell de Organizations: CNN, Out, Smith, Casa Nata, CNN Travel, Hollywood, Michelin, East Eleventh, Wine Bar, Rua da Boavista, Bikram, Eleventh Locations: Melbourne, Out Melbourne, Australian, Northcote, Thornbury, Preston, Casa, Francesca’s, Vancouver, Canada, Hong Kong, Mo, Austin , Texas, Barcelona, Spain, Lisbon, Portugal, Bikram Yoga, Guatemala, Buenos Aires, Jalan Petaling, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, backstreets, Argentina, Malaysia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Japan

☆ Vultures, on the verge of extinction, receive a lifeline in South Africa
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Gertrude Kitongo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to four critically endangered species of vulture, and in South Africa, a non-profit conservation and rehabilitation group called VulPro is working to protect these fascinating birds. The operation involved over 50 people, logistics company DHL and WeWild Africa, an NGO specializing in animal rewilding and translocation. It was at that very moment that I actually understood how fragile and misunderstood the species were.”An African White-backed vulture (closest to camera) at the VulPro rehabilitation center near Pretoria, South Africa. Recent efforts have concentrated on the white-headed vulture, with a population of only 3,685 adults continent-wide, according to BirdLife International, and only a small percentage of that figure in South Africa. Poisoning is the most common reason for vultures to require treatment in South Africa, often from ingesting lead in discarded batteries, or bullets in animal carcasses, says Joubert.

Persons: VulPro, ”, Kerri Wolter, Gertrude Kitongo, “, Johan Joubert, Joubert, Wolter, – Organizations: CNN, Reserve, DHL, WeWild, BirdLife International, Shamari Locations: Saharan Africa, South Africa, Eastern Cape, WeWild Africa, African, Pretoria, Africa, West Africa, KwaZulu, Natal, South

☆ The story of Neuralink: Elon Musk's AI brain-chip company that has implanted its first chip into a human patient
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Isobel Asher Hamilton | Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

In 2020, Neuralink showed off one of its chips embedded in a pig named Gertrude. The Neuralink device in Gertrude's brain transmitted live data during the demo as she snuffled around. Musk said the pig had been living with the chip embedded in her skull for two months. "This is solid engineering, but mediocre neuroscience," he said. Jackson told Insider following the 2020 presentation that the wireless relay from the Neuralink chip could potentially have a big impact on the welfare of animal test subjects in science, as most neural interfaces currently in use on test animals involve wires poking out through the skin.

Persons: Neuralink, Gertrude, Musk, Andrew Jackson, Jackson Organizations: Newcastle University

☆ Marie Laurencin, the 1920s painter who hid sapphic symbols in her portraits
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Jacqui Palumbo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Fondation Foujita/Artists Rights Society, New York/ADAGP, Paris/Christie's/Bridgeman Images/Courtesy Barnes FoundationA portrait of Marie Laurencin by Man Ray, 1925. Fondation Foujita/Artists Rights Society, New York/ADAGP, Paris/Bridgeman Images/Courtesy Barnes Foundation"The Woman-Horse (La femme-cheval)," from 1918. Fondation Foujita/Artists Rights Society, New York/ADAGP, Paris/Courtesy Barnes FoundationBut as definitions of femininity have expanded in recent decades, so too has appreciation for Laurencin’s idyllic, women-only world. She often titled her portraits of women “Friends” or “Two Friends,” leaving the exact nature of their intimacy unclear. It’s almost like a radical utopia… a world of women, for women, by women,” Kang said.

Persons: peintre, modèle, Christie's, Marie Laurencin, Man Ray, CNN — Marie Laurencin’s, ”, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque —, Simonetta Fraquelli, ” Fraquelli, “, Laurencin, Cindy Kang, Barnes, Francisco Goya, Kang, don’t, ’, Académie Humbert, wasn’t, Rachel Silveri, Adrienne Monnier, airheads, Mademoiselle Chanel, — Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Paul Rosenberg —, Coco Chanel, Maud “ Emerald, Jacques Faujour, Dove ”, Nicole Groult, “ It’s, ” Kang, Natalie Clifford Barney, Gertrude Stein, Berenice Abbott, Otto von Waetjen, Guillaume Apollinaire, Suzanne Moreau, —, Musée de, Herve Lewandowski, — Laurencin, Marshal Philippe Pétain, Moreau, Masahiro Takano, Albert C, hasn’t, we’ve Organizations: Foujita, Artists Rights Society, CNN, grays, Barnes Foundation, Palais, Art, Fraquelli, Groult, Museum, Marie, Marie Laurencin Museum Locations: New York, ADAGP, Paris, Philadelphia, Sapphic Paris, Spain, Musée de l'Orangerie, Vichy France, Japan, Tateshina, Japan’s Nagano, Tokyo, “

☆ US bond investors brace for Fed rate cuts in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Traders' confidence was reinforced earlier this week when Fed Governor Christopher Waller, a hawkish policymaker, flagged a possible rate cut in the months ahead. SOFR FUTURESBond investors also look to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) futures to gauge expectations of Fed rate moves. The June 2024 SOFR futures have priced at least one Fed cut, while the probability of two 25-basis-point rate reductions was at 76%. An OIS transaction involves exchanging an overnight rate such as the federal funds rate for a fixed one. For instance, in a U.S. two-year OIS transaction, one party receives a fixed two-year rate in exchange for paying the fed funds rate daily over the next two years.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Robert Pavlik, Pavlik, Christopher Waller, Jerome Powell's, It's, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Saqib Iqbal Ahmed, Stephen Culp, Alden Bentley, Paul Simao Organizations: Wall, REUTERS, Bond, U.S, Dakota Wealth Management, Fed, Spelman College, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Fairfield , Connecticut, Atlanta

☆ IOTA launches $100 million entity in Abu Dhabi to create digital network
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

IOTA digital tokens will fund the investment. The foundation will be seeded with over $100 million in IOTA tokens, to be vested over the next four years, Schiener said. IOTA tokens on Tuesday traded at about $0.17, with a market capitalization of roughly $524 million, Coinmarketcap.com showed. The funds will be used to develop the IOTA network and accelerate its growth, Schiener said. IOTA will also start "tokenizing" assets, he said, a process in which ownership rights in land or buildings are represented as digital tokens and stored on a blockchain.

Persons: Satoshi bitcoin, Arnd, Dominik Schiener, Binance, Schiener, Hamad Sayah Al Mazrouei, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Alden Bentley, Richard Chang Organizations: Swiss, Bity, REUTERS, IOTA, Wednesday, Abu Dhabi Global, United Arab, Registration, ADGM, Thomson Locations: Zurich, Switzerland, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Europe, Germany

The dollar index , which measures its value against six major currencies, fell as far as 102.89, the lowest since Aug. 31. The index is on track for a loss of more than 3% in November, its worst performance since November 2022. The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index increased to 102.0 this month from a downwardly revised 99.1 in October. In other currencies, the euro rose to a 3-1/2-month peak of $1.0985 . The dollar fell 0.2% to 148.33 yen , with the Japanese currency continuing its recovery from the brink of 152 per dollar earlier in the month.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Sterling, Karl Schamotta, underscoring, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Alun John, Brigid Riley, Ed Osmond, Mark Potter, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Federal Reserve, Board, Federal Housing Finance Agency, Traders, Australian, New Zealand, Reserve Bank of New, Thomson Locations: Swiss, U.S, Toronto, OPEC, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, New York, London, Tokyo

The dollar index , which measures the currency against six major peers, slipped 0.1% to 103.37 and was headed for a monthly loss of more than 3%, its worst performance since November 2022. The market is also eyeing a rate decision from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and Chinese purchasing managers' index (PMI) data. In other currencies, the euro was little changed against the dollar at $1.0937 . Against the yen, the dollar fell 0.4% to 148.885 yen . The dollar extended losses after data showed U.S. new home sales fell more than expected in October, dropping 5.6% to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 679,000 units.

Persons: ECB's Lagarde, Helen, Christine Lagarde's, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Samuel Indyk, Rae Wee, Toby Chopra, Mark Potter, Paul Simao Organizations: U.S, Federal Reserve, Monex USA, Fed, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Reserve Bank of New, Australian, greenback, New, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington, OPEC, Australia, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, New Zealand, China, New York, London, Singapore

China's foreign ministry said on Friday the lender is striving to minimise risk impact and losses after the attack. "We don't often see a bank this large get hit with this disruptive of a ransomware attack," said Allan Liska, a ransomware expert at the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. TRADES CLEAREDICBC said it had successfully cleared Treasury trades executed on Wednesday and repurchase agreements (repo) financing trades done on Thursday. Some market participants said trades going through ICBC were not settled due to the attack and affected market liquidity. The Treasury market appeared to be functioning normally on Thursday, according to LSEG data.

Persons: Kim Kyung, ICBC, Wang Wenbin, Wang, Lockbit, Allan Liska, Scott Skrym, Michael Gladchun, Loomis Sayles, SIFMA, Urvi, Pete Schroder, Gertrude Chavez, Davide Barbuscia, Carolina Mandl, Paritosh Bansal, Joe Cash, Stephen Coates, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Commercial Bank of China Ltd, REUTERS, Industrial, Commercial Bank of China, Commercial Bank of China's, U.S . Treasury, ICBC Financial Services, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Security Agency, Boeing, U.S . Treasury Department, Treasury, Securities, Financial Times, U.S . Securities Industry, Financial Markets Association, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, U.S, Bengaluru, Washington, Carolina

☆ Dollar steady against euro, yen on intervention watch as it hits one-week low
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Karen Brettell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] U.S. Dollar and Euro banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. Traders also remained on alert for potential intervention in the Japanese currency as it rose above the 151 level against the dollar, its weakest level in a week. “The dollar is vulnerable to weaker data going forward," said Shaun Osborne, chief foreign exchange strategist at Scotiabank in Toronto. "We’re transitioning to a sort of sell dollar rallies environment, after the buy dollar dips trend that we’ve seen really since the middle of the year." The dollar gained 0.41% to 151.03 Japanese yen , heading back towards levels that have investors on watch for currency intervention.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Shaun Osborne, ”, Osborne, Jerome Powell, Powell, Nick Bennenbroek, Francesco Pesole, Karen Brettell, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Samuel Indyk, Andrea Ricci Organizations: REUTERS, Federal Reserve, Scotiabank, U.S, ING, Reserve Bank of Australia, Thomson Locations: U.S, United States, Toronto

☆ US dollar drops to six-week low after softer-than-expected jobs data
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] U.S. one dollar banknotes are seen in front of displayed stock graph in this illustration taken, February 8, 2021. The index was on track for its largest one-day fall since July. The numbers for September were revised lower to show 297,000 jobs created instead of 336,000 as previously reported. Against the yen, the dollar slid 0.6% to 149.53 yen , capping a whirlwind week, in which the Japanese currency touched a one-year low against the dollar and 15-year trough against the euro. Sterling rose 1.1% versus the dollar to $1.2327, after earlier hitting a six-week high of $1.2350.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Brad McMillan, Kazuo Ueda, Sterling, Jerome Powell, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Chibuike Oguh, Alun John, Ankur Banerjee, Christina Fincher, Andrea Ricci Organizations: REUTERS, Sterling, Federal Reserve, Commonwealth Financial Network, Bank of Japan, Reuters, Treasury, U.S . Treasury Department, Thomson Locations: Waltham , Massachusetts, U.S, New York, London, Singapore

☆ US Treasury seen boosting auction sizes as budget deficit worsens
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the U.S. Treasury building in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2023. Investors are playing close attention to this week's quarterly refunding announcement as a sharp jump in long-term Treasury yields has been partly attributed to concerns about the U.S. fiscal deficit. So far this year, the Treasury has issued about $1.6 trillion of additional bills and roughly $1.04 trillion in longer-term debt. The Treasury is also likely to announce a buyback program for a possible launch in January, aimed at improving bond market liquidity, analysts said. The projected increase in longer-term deficits in the coming years, however, will keep Treasury raising auction sizes, analysts said.

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, Guneet Dhingra, Morgan Stanley, Morgan Stanley's Dhingra, Tom Simons, Zachary Griffiths, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Megan Davies, Jamie Freed Organizations: Department of, U.S . Treasury, REUTERS, TD Securities, Treasury, Jefferies, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, New York, Charlotte , North Carolina

☆ Foreign holdings of US Treasuries in August hit highest since December 2021 -data
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Total holdings of U.S. Treasuries climbed to $7.707 trillion in August from $7.655 trillion the previous month. "There is still buying coming through from foreign investors. China's holdings of Treasuries fell further to $805.4 billion in August, the lowest since May 2009, when it had $776.4 billion, data showed. Data further showed, major U.S. asset classes showed inflows during the month. Overall, foreign residents increased their holdings of long-term U.S. securities in August; net purchases were $61.3 billion, according to U.S. Treasury data.

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, Treasuries, Gennadiy Goldberg, Goldberg, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Jonathan Oatis, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Department of, U.S . Treasury, REUTERS, Treasuries, Treasury, U.S, TD Securities, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, Japan, New York, Treasuries, China

The dollar index , which measures the currency's strength against a basket of six rivals, was down 0.31 % to 106.03 . The index rose as high as 106.98 earlier in the session after data showed U.S. nonfarm payrolls increased by 336,000 jobs last month. The numbers for August were revised higher to show 227,000 jobs added instead of the previously reported 187,000. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast September payrolls rising by 170,000 jobs. The payrolls data showed monthly wage growth remained moderate, with average hourly earnings rising 0.2% after a similar gain in August.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, nonfarm, Karl Schamotta, Tony Welch, Helen, Corpay's Schamotta, Saqib Iqbal Ahmed, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Chuck Mikolajczak, Rae Wee, Alun John, Marguerita Choy, Susan Fenton, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, Toronto, Atlanta, New York, Singapore, London

Japanese yen and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen with a currency exchange rate graph in this illustration picture taken June 16, 2022. Traders have been on watch for weeks for a possible intervention by Japanese officials to combat a sustained depreciation in the yen. "It could just be people expecting intervention and then reacting to what they believed to be intervention," said Asher. To support the Japanese currency, authorities need to tap Japan's foreign reserves of dollars to sell for yen. A senior Japanese ministry of finance official declined to comment on whether Japan had intervened in foreign exchange markets.

Persons: Florence Lo, Michael Brown, Brown, Colin Asher, Asher, Niels Christensen, Jeremy Stretch, Edward Moya, Stretch, Tuesday's, Chuck Mikolajczak, Samuel Indyk, Saqib Iqbal Ahmed, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Dhara Ranasinghe, Lucy Raitano, Ira Iosebashvili, Megan Davies, Jonathan Oatis, Andrea Ricci, Hugh Lawson, Gareth Jones Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Trader, Mizuho, Nordea, Bank of Japan, New York Federal Reserve, CIBC Capital Markets, Ministry, Finance, Seven, Japan, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, London, Copenhagen, Japan, U.S, Tokyo, Asia, New York, United States

[1/2] Banknotes of Japanese yen and U.S. dollar are seen in this illustration picture taken September 23, 2022. The dollar fell as low as 147.30 yen versus the Japanese currency, after hitting a one-year high of 150.165. Tuesday's low in the dollar was its weakest level in three weeks versus the Japanese currency. The euro dropped to a roughly two-month low against the yen of 154.39 yen and was last down 0.7% to 155.99. That earlier drove the dollar higher as real interest rates factor in inflation.

Persons: Florence Lo, Shunichi Suzuki, Colin Asher, Sterling, Marc Chandler, Jeremy Stretch, JGB, Herbert Lash, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Lucy Raitano, Joice Alves, Marguerita Choy, Sharon Singleton Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Japan, Japanese Finance, New York Federal Reserve, Mizuho, Bannockburn Global, U.S . Labor, Labor, Survey, CIBC Capital Markets, UST, Federal Reserve, Reserve Bank of Australia's, Swiss, Thomson Locations: Japan, London, Bannockburn, New York

☆ Japanese yen weakens past psychologically significant 150 per dollar level
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Banknotes of Japanese yen and U.S. dollar are seen in this illustration picture taken September 23, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEWYORK/LONDON/TOKYO, Oct 3 (Reuters) - The yen weakened to 150 to the dollar on Tuesday, a level some analysts think could prompt concerned Japanese authorities to intervene to prop up the currency. The dollar rose as high as 150.165 yen, its highest since October 2022, as the greenback pushed higher against most currencies, driven by surging U.S. Treasury yields. Reporting by Alun John in London, Brigid Riley and Kevin Buckland in Tokyo, and Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss in New York; Editing by Amanda Cooper and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Florence Lo, Alun John, Brigid Riley, Kevin Buckland, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Amanda Cooper, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Treasury, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, London, Tokyo, New York

☆ US dollar share of global currency reserves stays flat in second quarter, IMF says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Claims in U.S. dollars rose 0.8% to $6.576 trillion in the second quarter, but were down 1% from a year earlier. The euro's share edged up slightly to 19.9% in the second quarter, from 19.8% the previous three months. The dollar index was up 3.1% in the second quarter, recovering from a 0.9% fall in the first quarter. The IMF data also showed the Chinese renminbi's share of currency reserves slipped to 2.4% in the second quarter from about 2.6% in the first. IMF data also showed total global reserves rose to $12.055 trillion in the second quarter from $12.028 trillion in the first quarter.

Persons: Michael Langham, Langham, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, David Gregorio, Chris Reese Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Canadian, Global, IMF, Thomson Locations: U.S

The risk, they have warned, is that large basis positions could once again exacerbate vulnerabilities in the U.S. bond market, which is a linchpin of the world's financial system. "These basis positions with these transformations are going to be a part of the equation because it's a necessary evil to get the capital to meet the demand." Higher supply comes as liquidity in Treasuries has been problematic for most of last year, partially due to rising volatility spurred by the Fed's aggressive rate hiking cycle. But Richard Chambers, global head of repo trading and global co-head of short macro trading at Goldman Sachs, told the trading forum on Thursday that the repo market was now more efficient. "We will have more levered investors buying Treasuries into 2024 and so demand for leverage in Treasuries will increase," he said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Joe Biden, Janet, Yellen, Jason Granet, Mark Wendland, ”, Richard Chambers, Goldman Sachs, Davide Barbuscia, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Carolina Mandl, Laura Matthews, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Federal Reserve, Bank for International Settlements, Treasuries, Treasury, BNY Mellon, DRW Holdings, Reuters, Goldman, Thomson Locations: U.S, New York, Treasuries

☆ Foreign holdings of US Treasuries increase in July, China holdings plunge -data
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Total holdings of U.S. Treasuries climbed to $7.655 trillion in July, up from $7.562 trillion in the previous month. China's stash of Treasuries dropped to $821.8 billion, the lowest since May 2009, when it had $776.4 billion, data showed. "A lot of the increase in foreign holdings was from the Caymans, Luxembourg, Bermuda, which are associated with custodians. Major U.S. asset classes showed mixed results during the month, data showed. Data also showed U.S. residents increased their holdings of long-term foreign securities, with net purchases of $36.8 billion in July.

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, Treasuries, Gennadiy Goldberg, Goldberg, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Chris Reese, Sonali Paul Organizations: Department of, U.S . Treasury, REUTERS, Treasury, Analysts, TD Securities, U.S, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, Treasuries, China, New York, Luxembourg, Bermuda, Japan

☆ Which is better — ChatGPT or a travel agent? Here's our pick
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Isabella Lok | Silvia Marchetti | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Simply input a prompt and watch the travel recommendations pour in. Intrepid Travel, a small group travel agency, accepted CNBC Travel's request to find out. Intrepid Travel, on the other hand, provided options that came with either a pool or a gym, or both. Conversely, I felt that Intrepid Travel suggested places that were more niche and representative of Melbourne's unique culture. Both Intrepid Travel and ChatGPT came back with reasonable options around the city.

Persons: Bard, Microsoft Bing, ChatGPT, Lane, It's, Gertrude, Société, Rippon Lea, Chin Chin Organizations: Microsoft, Intrepid, CNBC, Melbourne, Intrepid Travel, — Queen, — Queen Victoria Market, National Gallery of Victoria, Reds, Getty, Gardens, Queen, Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne Museum, Eau De Locations: Melbourne, Australia, Swanston, Paris, Barcelona, — Queen Victoria, Melbourne's Fitzroy, Queen Victoria, Eau

Are higher rates going to lead to some slow down in conjunction with the dwindling of excess consumer savings," said Lefkowitz, who also cited concerns about high valuations in equities. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) rose 75.86 points, or 0.22%, to 34,576.59, the S&P 500 (.SPX) gained 6.35 points, or 0.14%, to 4,457.49 and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) added 12.69 points, or 0.09%, to 13,761.53. For the week, which was shortened by Monday's Labor Day holiday, the S&P 500 fell 1.3%, while the Nasdaq lost 1.9% with both snapping two weeks of gains. After losing 2.9% in two sessions, the S&P 500 technology sector (.SPLRCT) closed higher. The S&P 500 posted 13 new 52-week highs and 17 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 36 new highs and 229 new lows.

Persons: David Lefkowitz, Lefkowitz, Brendan McDermid, Phil Blancato, Ladenburg, John Williams, Lorie Logan, Ryan Cohen, Sinéad Carew, Chuck Mikolajczak, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Shristi, Arun Koyyur, Vinay Dwivedi, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Gilead Sciences, Kroger, Dow, Nasdaq, Index, UBS Global Wealth Management, Dow Jones, Monday's Labor, Apple, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Asset Management, York Fed, Dallas, BofA Securities, GameStop, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, NYSE, Thomson Locations: Beijing, New York City, U.S, New York, Bengaluru

☆ US dollar flat, but on track for eight straight weeks of gains; yuan sinks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Despite Friday's pullback, the dollar index was headed for eight straight weeks of gains, the longest such streak since 2014. "There's a lot of reasoning to ask whether dollar strength is going too far." In afternoon trading, the dollar index , which measures the greenback against six major peers, was flat at 105.05. That said, Vassili Serebriakov, FX strategist, at UBS in New York, said while eight weeks are an unusually long stretch of dollar strength, the currency's gains are getting smaller every week. The euro , the largest component in the dollar index, was on track for eight straight weeks of losses and down 0.7% on the week.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Amo Sahota, Sahota, Vassili, Sterling, Shunichi Suzuki, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Samuel Indyk, Rae Wee, Shri Navaratnam, Gerry Doyle, Angus MacSwan, Mark Heinrich, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, FX, U.S, Apple, Federal Reserve, UBS, greenback, Finance, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, China, New York, U.S, Germany, Europe's, Canada, United States, Japan, London, Singapore

☆ Dollar firmer on solid US data; China's yuan tumbles to 16-year low
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Japanese yen and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen with a currency exchange rate graph in this illustration picture taken June 16, 2022. China's onshore yuan , on the other hand, slid to a 16-year low versus the greenback, under pressure from a property slump, weak consumer spending, and shrinking credit growth in the world's second-largest economy. Against a basket of currencies including the euro and sterling, the dollar rose 0.2% to 105.03, after earlier touching a fresh six-month peak. The index also climbed to a six-month high on Tuesday, as the U.S. services sector unexpectedly gained steam in August. ONSHORE YUAN HITS 2007 LEVELSThe onshore yuan sank to 7.3299 per dollar, its weakest since December 2007.

Persons: Florence Lo, Brad Bechtel, BoE, Andrew Bailey, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Joice Alves, Rae Wee, Zhou, Sharon Singleton, Chizu Nomiyama, Nick Zieminski, Andrea Ricci Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Federal Reserve, Jefferies, Reuters, New Zealand, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: U.S, New York, China, Beijing, Japan, Bank, London

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