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☆ Dollar steady, yen fragile after Fed comments dash rate cut bets
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The comments follow a slew of data in recent weeks that highlight the strength of U.S. economy along with persistent inflation. Against a basket of currencies, the dollar was last at 106.33, just below the five month peak of 106.51 touched on Tuesday. I'm watching dollar strength and U.S. real yields very closely." On Wednesday, the yen was last at 154.65 per dollar, having touched the 34-year low of 154.79 in the previous session. The Australian dollar rose 0.12% to $0.641, while the New Zealand dollar rose 0.22 to $0.589.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Powell, Powell's, " Powell, Ben Bennett, Kieran Williams, InTouch Capital's Williams Organizations: Federal Reserve, U.S, Traders, Investment Management, Asia FX, InTouch, CPI, New Zealand Locations: Washington, Asia, JPY, Japan

☆ Dollar steady as traders weigh economic data, yen fragile
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The dollar was steady on Friday, on track for its fifth straight weekly gain, as investors take stock of economic data and firm expectations of the Federal Reserve cutting rates in June, while the yen traded at the psychologically key 150 per dollar level. But overall market expectations on the timing of the first Fed cut and magnitude of the cut will continue to drive volatility in FX markets." "We will likely soon contemplate the appropriate time for monetary policy to become less restrictive," Bostic said. Investor focus has been on comments from policymakers, with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell due to give the Senate banking committee its biannual monetary policy update on March 7. The Australian dollar eased 0.20% to $0.651, while the New Zealand dollar is down 0.21% to $0.609.

Persons: Christopher Wong, Raphael Bostic, Bostic, Jerome Powell, pare, Kieran Williams, bitcoin Organizations: Federal Reserve, PPI, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Federal, Asia FX, InTouch, Markets, New Zealand Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, Singapore, U.S, Japan, Asia, Germany

☆ Dollar treads water ahead of U.S. GDP; ECB meeting in spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Traders have been consolidating positions ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting next week. The report is, however, likely to show that the U.S. avoided a recession in 2023 and is expected to show moderating inflation in the last quarter, stoking expectations of rate cuts sometime in the first half of 2024. Other U.S. data this week includes the Fed's favourite gauge of inflation - the personal consumption expenditure (PCE) data - on Friday. The move from the central bank comes after a Bloomberg report earlier this week of a rescue package worth $278 billion to help stabilise the battered stock markets. The Australian dollar and the New Zealand dollar struggled to sustain a China-inspired rally earlier this week.

Persons: Kieran Williams, Jerome Powell, Kazuo Ueda Organizations: Central Bank, Traders, U.S, Asia FX, InTouch, ECB, Wednesday, Bloomberg, Australian, New Zealand, Aussie, Bank of, Bank of Japan Locations: Asia, U.S, China

☆ Possible there will be no rate cuts this year, European Central Bank member says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The European Central Bank may defy market expectations and hold off on starting interest rate cuts during the whole of 2024, the institution's Governing Council member Robert Holzmann said Monday. Asked about those who call for the first rate cut to take place as soon as April, Austria's central bank governor told CNBC, "I'm afraid, leaving Davos, those people will be deeply disappointed." Speaking to CNBC's Steve Sedgwick at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he added, "I cannot imagine that we'll talk about cuts yet, because we should not talk about it. "Unless we see a clear decline towards 2%, we won't be able to make any announcement at all when we're going to cut," Holzmann said. Correction: This story has been updated to reflect the name of CNBC anchor Steve Sedgwick.

Persons: Robert Holzmann, Steve Sedgwick, Holzmann, Yemen's Organizations: European Central Bank, CNBC, Economic, InTouch Capital Locations: Austria's, Davos, Switzerland, Israel

☆ House Speaker Mike Johnson campaigned with disgraced reality TV Star Josh Duggar, one of several accused sex offenders connected to his 'mentor' Tony Perkins
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Jacqueline Sweet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Speaker Mike Johnson campaigned with now-disgraced reality TV star Josh Duggar years ago in Louisiana. Johnson called Duggar, now in prison for child pornography, a "friend" when the two campaigned for now-U.S. According to the Washington Post, "Perkins goes way back with the Duggar family." According to the Washington Post, Perkins was close to Duggar's father Jim Bob Duggar , who served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003. Calls and emails to Perkins and Duggar family lawyers were not immediately returned.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Josh Duggar, Johnson, Tony Perkins, Bill Cassidy, —, Duggar, Perkins, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal, Sen, Santorum, Raj Shah, Shah, Josh, Duggar's, Jim Bob Duggar, InTouch, Jim Bob, Paul, Pressler's, Pressler, Wesley Goodman, Perkins acolyte, Goodman, Donald Trump, Paul Pressler Organizations: Family Research, Service, Louisiana Republican, Business, Washington Post, GOP, Pennsylvania Republican, Washington , D.C, FRC, InTouch, Paul Pressler School of Law, Louisiana College, Pressler, Southern Baptist Convention, Council for National Policy, The Washington Spectator Locations: Louisiana, U.S, Washington ,, Shreveport, Arkansas, Ohio

☆ Chick-fil-A drive-thrus are dreadfully slow, but customers don't seem to care
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementChick-fil-A's drive-thrus are among the slowest in the industry, but customers don't seem to mind. In a new survey of 10 top fast-food chains, Chick-fil-A ranked last for speed of drive-thru service. The chain's drive-thru customers waited an average of 5 minutes and 12 seconds between ordering and receiving their food, according to the survey by QSRmagazine. Of the chains studied, Chick-fil-A had the most accurate orders, with a 92% rate of accuracy, including any special requests. Customer experience solutions company Intouch Insight conducted the study using mystery shoppers who visited each drive-thru to test speed and accuracy.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Wendy's, KFC, Intouch

☆ Fast-food drive-thru lanes speed up as fewer drivers wait in line
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Fast-food drive-thru lanes are speeding up as fewer customers choose to order their meals and milkshakes sitting in their car, according to an annual study by Intouch Insight released Monday. The average total time spent in a drive-thru lane shrank by 29 seconds this year. In other words, Carl's Jr and Yum Brands' Taco Bell and KFC were only speedier because their drive-thru lanes weren't as popular. But across the board, drive-thru lanes have waned in demand since the pandemic began. Despite those efforts, this year's total drive-thru times still lag 2019 times by 15 seconds.

Persons: Carl's Jr, Dunkin, Taco, Wendy's, Carl's Organizations: Intouch, KFC, Taco Bell, Yum Brands, Bell, Taco Locations: Arby's, Burger, Fort Worth, Taco Bell, Brooklyn Park , Minnesota

☆ Fast food chains are improving their drive-thru speed, survey finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Wendy’s saw a reduction in 88 seconds, Chick-fil-A by 73 and Carl’s Jr. by 43. Fast food giants have been racing to improve their drive-thrus in a race to speed up service. Service time also decreased by 4 seconds, while total drive-thru time decreased by 29 seconds. But Chick-fil-A continued to dominate in fastest total time by car, which divides the average total time by the average cars in line. McDonald’s test location lagged behind in accuracy compared to other fast food restaurants, the survey found.

Persons: Carl’s Jr, Dunkin ’, Sarah Beckett, Taco Bell, Dunkin Organizations: New, New York CNN, Intouch, KFC, Taco Bell, Intouch Insight, Bell, Taco, Intelligence Locations: New York, White, Wendy’s, Burger, Brooklyn Park , Minnesota, Fort Worth , Texas

☆ Taco Bell has the fastest drive-thru, and its latest tech could get customers their orders even faster
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementTaco Bell has the fastest drive-thru, and it's testing technology that could get customers their orders even faster. This marked the third straight year that Taco Bell had the fastest drive-thru. Mystery shoppers reported they received their orders in under three minutes at the Taco Bell Defy location. McDonald's ranked eighth with a four minute and 51 second average service time, and Chick-fil-A ranked last with a five minute and 12 second average service time. In the test of the new pilot programs, Taco Bell was also the fastest.

Persons: —, Bell, Taco Bell, McDonald's, Taco, Chris Turner Organizations: Taco, QSR, Customers, Service, KFC, Intouch, Taco Bell, Cowen, Consumer Conference, Yum, Brands Locations: Brooklyn Park , Minnesota, Alpharetta , Georgia, Fort Worth , Texas

☆ Opinion | A Smart Way to Turn Gambling Into a Virtue
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Initially proposed to cope with debt from the Nine Years’ War (1689-97), the Million Adventure offered 100,000 tickets at £10 each. The Million Adventure was also a saving program, in that it paid ticket holders a £1 per year until 1710, or a 6.15 percent annual return. Harold Wilson, then the shadow chancellor of the Exchequer, called Premium Bonds a “squalid raffle,” but the British people rushed to buy them. Today about one in three Britons owns Premium Bonds. It has taken longer for prize-linked savings to catch on in the United States, but it’s happening.

Persons: we’re, Benjamin Franklin, Murphy, Harold Wilson, Truist’s Organizations: American Gaming Association, Sports, Britons, Bonds, InTouch Credit Union of, Yotta Technologies Locations: U.S, United Kingdom, British, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, United States, InTouch Credit Union of Plano , Texas

The central bank said inflation will come under further pressure. Erdogan said last week he approved the steps Simsek would take with the central bank, suggesting he had given the green light to rate hikes. The central bank's key rate remains below deposit rates that reach up to 40% and real rates are still deeply negative. The central bank's net reserves fell to a record low of negative $5.7 billion last month. Authorities hope foreign investors and hard currency will return after a years-long exodus, potentially reducing the central bank's need to intervene to keep the lira stable.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan's, Hafize Gaye Erkan, Erkan, Erdogan, Mehmet Simsek, Piotr Matys, Ezgi Erkoyun, Ali Kucukgocmen, Christina Fincher, Daren Butler Organizations: Reuters Graphics, Wall Street, InTouch, Reuters, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, Ankara

☆ AI drive-thrus may be good for business. But not for the rest of us
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New AI technology at the drive-thru at a Carl's Jr. location. In real-world situations, reactions to AI drive-thrus are still mixed. “We expect AI to augment the competitive advantages of restaurants with digital culture.”Short-staffed restaurants may see AI as a way to fill in the gaps. “There aren’t enough at-scale examples of voice AI in action, especially in this use case,” to say that people would prefer AI to an employee, said McAllister. By the time those examples exist, AI in drive-thrus may already be the norm.

Persons: CKE, Carl’s Jr, Wendy’s, Joel Angel Juarez, it’s, ” Thomas Kurian, ”, Christina McAllister, Forrester, upsells, Krishna Gupta, Presto, “, Todd Penegor, Penegor, Yong Suk Lee, “ it’s, Brandon Bell, McAllister Organizations: New, New York CNN, Google, USA, Wall Street, Indiana White, Wall Street Journal, Presto Automation, CKE, Presto, Presto Voice, University of Notre Dame, Intouch Locations: New York, White, Wendy’s, Columbus , Ohio, The Republic

A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Donald Trump, possibly over a "hush-money" payment. Here's a timeline of Trump and Daniels' alleged relationship, the $130,000 payment to keep Daniels silent, and the testimonies leading to a possible indictment. Markus Schreiber/APManhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg convened a grand jury in mid-January of this year to consider an indictment against Trump. And Trump's former fixer and lawyer Michael Cohen, prosecutors' key witness, has made repeated visits to the DA's office and to the grand jury. Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesThe Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Trump on Thursday, March 30.

A Manhattan grand jury weighing evidence for a possible Donald Trump "hush-money" indictment. Here's a timeline of Trump and Daniels' alleged relationship, the $130,000 payment to keep Daniels silent, and the testimonies leading to a possible indictment. Markus Schreiber/APManhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg convened a grand jury in mid-January of this year to consider an indictment against Trump. And Trump's former fixer and lawyer Michael Cohen, prosecutors' key witness, has made repeated visits to the DA's office and to the grand jury. What could happen nextThe final witnesses were scheduled to testify before the grand jury on March 20, though it is unclear when the panel may vote.

☆ A Chick-fil-A restaurant's traffic got so bad that city officials ordered it to be demolished and plan to build a new drive-thru-only location
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chick-fil-A restaurants average $8 million a year in sales. The city's solution to the restaurant's traffic-clogging line was to add more drive-thru lanes and eliminate the dining room. The two drive-thru lanes wrap the restaurant, according to the proposal approved by the Charlotte City Council last month. A Chick-fil-A in Charlotte, North Carolina, is being rebuilt as a drive-thru only restaurant to address traffic in the retail center. "Chick-fil-A restaurants in Charlotte always strive to be a good neighbor and have been strong supporters of their local communities."

☆ U.K. Gambling Company Fined $7.6 Million Over Alleged Money-Laundering Control Issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

U.K. online gambling company Intouch Games Ltd. has been fined the equivalent of $7.6 million after a regulator cited a series of failures in its program to prevent money laundering. The U.K.’s Gambling Commission on Wednesday announced the £6.1 million penalty for Intouch, the third action the regulator has taken against the company since 2019. The Gambling Commission has been among the more active enforcement bodies in its approach to the growing online gambling sector, taking action against companies when it has found problems with controls intended to prevent illicit money flows. Birmingham, England-based Intouch, which operates 11 gambling websites, was acquired in June by Skywind Holdings Ltd., a provider of online gambling software. Intouch in 2019 entered a £2.2 million settlement with the Gambling Commission.

☆ This is what McDonald’s drive-thru of the future could look like
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Drive-thru times have gotten 45 seconds slower on average in 2022 compared to 2019 at industry-leading chains, according to this year’s Drive-Thru Report by QSR and Intouch Insight. A customer picks up a McDonald's order from a conveyor. McDonald'sDriving down drive-thru timesAlthough drive-thru times are slower than they were in 2019, they’ve improved from last year, when a shortage of workers and an increase in demand for drive-thru, delivery and to-go orders sent restaurant operations into disarray. McDonald'sTaco Bell in June unveiled a concept restaurant with four drive-thru lanes, and orders delivered via “vertical lift” from the kitchen. McDonald’s first announced plans to improve its drive-thru in 2020.

☆ Thai telco regulator gives conditional clearance to True, DTAC merger
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Chayut Setboonsarng | Andres Gonzalez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BANGKOK, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Thailand’s telecommunications regulator cleared the merger of the country’s second and third largest mobile operators, True Corporation Pcl (TRUE.BK) and Telenor ASA’s (TEL.OL) Total Access Communication Pcl (DTAC) (DTAC.BK) with conditions. The combined entity will overtake Advanced Info Service Pcl (AIS) (ADVANC.BK), as market leader. True, DTAC and AIS did not immediately respond to requests for commentDTAC is backed by Norwegian firm, Telenor. Thai agri-industrial conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group holds a 49% stake in True Corp with China Mobile holding 18%, True’s website shows. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Susan Fenton;Editing by Elaine HardcastleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fast Food: See the Top Drive-Through Chains Ranked Quickest to Slowest
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Alyssa Lukpat | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KFC customers waited about 5 minutes in the drive-through line, on average, according to a recent study. In a battle of restaurant chain drive-throughs, a new survey says KFC’s is the quickest and Chick-fil-A’s is the slowest. Chick-fil-A customers spent on average about 8.5 minutes waiting in line in their cars, while drivers at KFC waited just over 5 minutes, according to a survey of 10 U.S. restaurant chains by Intouch Insight a customer-experience management company. The firm surveyed more than 1,500 drive-through locations in June and July.

☆ From Chick-fil-A to Taco Bell, these are the fastest and slowest fast food drive-thrus in America
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

But as fast food connoisseurs know, not all chains are created equal. The fried chicken chain has the slowest average drive-thru experience at 8 minutes and 29 seconds. The fastest, on the other hand, was KFC, which got customers in and out in an average of 5 minutes and 2 seconds. That's according to the 22nd annual Drive-Thru Study from QSR and Intouch Insights, which assessed the 10 top fast food franchises in categories including service, speed and accuracy by analyzing 1,500 orders. In addition to the top chicken slingers, the survey also assessed hundreds of orders from the drive-thru windows of McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Dunkin', Arby's, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurants.

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