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☆ The 'Love Is Blind' season 6 reunion was a masterclass in bringing receipts
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Caralynn Matassa | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The "Love Is Blind" season six reunion didn't shy away from addressing off-screen drama. AdvertisementThe "Love Is Blind" producers did not come to play in the season six reunion. His "Love Is Blind" ex-fiancée Laura Dadisman and current girlfriend Sarah Ann were also asked to confirm that was true, which they did. Not only was that scene excellent drama, but it was extremely cathartic to see Laura say her piece and warn Sarah Ann about Jeramey being fake — even if Sarah Ann didn't actually listen to her warnings in the end. Between the nearly two-hour delay for the "live" broadcast and the Lacheys failing to address some of the most controversial topics of the season, season four star Zack Goytowski served as the voice of the fans more than the actual hosts.

Persons: —, Nick, Vanessa Lachey, Jeramey, Sarah Ann, Jeramey didn't, exes, Lutinski, Sarah Ann Bick, he'd, Laura Dadisman, Laura, Sarah Ann's, she'd, Sarah Ann didn't, Trevor, Adam Rose, Netflix Trevor Sova, Chelsea Blackwell, Jimmy Presnell, Teddy Bear Trevor, Natalia Marrero, they'd, Natalia, Jessica, Jimmy, screentime, Jessica Vestal, Amber, Matthew Duliba, Amber Grant, Amber Desiree, Smith, Nick Lachey, Matthew, Clay, Cole, Zanab's, Zack Goytowski, Jackie Bonds, Josh Demas, wasn't, fiancé Marshall Glaze, Jackie, Josh, Marshall Organizations: Service, Netflix, Chelsea

☆ Dollar on guard; BOJ speculation keeps yen supported
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Against the dollar, the euro retreated from a roughly two-month high hit last week and last bought $1.0931. The Australian dollar rose 0.01% to $0.6615, while the New Zealand dollar edged 0.02% lower to $0.61685. The dollar index was little changed at 102.80, having hit a roughly two-month low of 102.33 last week. Over in Asia, swirling speculation that the BOJ could move away from its ultra-easy policy settings at its policy meeting next week kept the yen supported. Against the dollar, the yen steadied at 146.94, not far from Friday's one-month top of 146.48.

Persons: bitcoin, Ray Attrill, Jerome Powell, We're, NAB's, there'll, Shunichi Suzuki Organizations: Bank of Japan, Sterling, greenback, Federal Reserve, National Australia Bank, NAB, New Zealand, country's Finance Locations: Asia, Japan

☆ Yen's fall toward multi-decade lows keeps markets on intervention watch
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Against the dollar, the yen last stood at 151.72 , languishing near a one-year low of 151.92 hit on Monday. A break below last year's trough of 151.94 per dollar would mark a fresh 33-year low for the yen. "I'm inclined to also think that it wasn't a BOJ intervention... It intervened again in October 2022 after the yen plunged to a 32-year low of 151.94. The comments have kept the U.S. dollar bid and against the greenback, the New Zealand dollar fell to an over one-week low of $0.58705.

Persons: Thomas White, Carol Kong, Rodrigo Catril, Jerome Powell, NAB's, Rae Wee, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Japan's, greenback, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Bank of, National Australia Bank, NAB, Ministry of Finance, Federal, U.S, New Zealand, Sterling, Reserve Bank of Australia, Thomson Locations: Japan, Rights SINGAPORE, Asia, New York, Bank of Japan, U.S

The National Australia Bank Logo is seen on a branch in central Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. That has left NAB, ranked third for mortgages but first for business loans, in a prime position as the country's retail lenders look elsewhere for growth. We're not abandoning (mortgages), we're tilting towards our business bank." Larger mortgage rival Westpac (WBC.AX) also posted a higher annual profit on Monday, despite a decline in home loan profit. The company's net interest margin, a closely-watched bank metric of lending interest income minus payouts to deposit accounts, shrank to 1.71% as of Sept. 30, from 1.77% at March-end.

Persons: Daniel Munoz, Ross McEwan, We're, Azib Khan, Roushni Nair, Archishma Iyer, Shounak Dasgupta, Jamie Freed Organizations: National, REUTERS, NAB, SYDNEY, National Australia Bank, Westpac, P, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ National Australia Bank's second-half cash profit falls as inflation persists
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Roushni Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The National Australia Bank Logo is seen on a branch in central Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. But for the half-year ended Sept. 30, cash earnings sank as the impact of monetary policy tightening and inflationary pressures crippled households and the economy. The annual performance of its business and institutional banking divisions stood out with of 10.1% and 14.9% in cash profits respectively, while the personal banking division was a drag on its results, posting a 9.1% decline in cash earnings to A$1.45 billion. The bank reported a jump in its credit impairment charge for the year to A$802 million, up from just A$125 million a year ago, which it said reflected volume growth and worsening asset quality. The bank declared a final dividend of 84 Australian cents per share, up from 78 Australian cents apiece a year earlier.

Persons: Daniel Munoz, Ross McEwan, Roushni Nair, Archishma Iyer, Shounak Dasgupta, Jamie Freed Organizations: National, REUTERS, National Australia Bank, NAB, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Yen flounders, dollar drifts ahead of c.bank bonanza
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. Dollar and Euro banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. The yen fell 0.1% to 147.76 per dollar and was kept pinned near last week's 10-month low of 147.95 per dollar. The euro meanwhile gave up some of its gains from the previous session and was last 0.12% lower at $1.0678. It had risen alongside euro zone government bond yields on Monday, following hawkish comments from European Central Bank (ECB) policymakers that further rate increases were on the cards. In other currencies, sterling edged 0.04% higher to $1.2390, ahead of an interest rate decision from the Bank of England (BoE) also due this week.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Kazuo Ueda, Rodrigo Catril, Erik Weisman, NAB's Catril, BoE, Rae Wee, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Federal, Wednesday, Bank of Japan's, National Australia Bank, NAB, Reserve Bank of Australia's, U.S, New Zealand, Fed, MFS Investment Management, European Central Bank, ECB, Reuters, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Rights SINGAPORE, Asia

The National Australia Bank Logo is seen on a branch in central Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 14 (Reuters) - National Australia Bank (NAB) (NAB.AX) said on Thursday it would shut its Hong Kong branch, as offices in Singapore, Tokyo and Shanghai were its preferred customer outreach hubs in Asia. The move is likely to impact about 50 roles in the Hong Kong, however, the lender said in a statement that its "too early" to confirm the impact of the branch closing. "The decision probably reflects that foreign businesses are not finding operating conditions in Hong Kong as conducive as they once were," said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade. The office shutdown comes after Finance Sector Union said earlier this month that the bank was planning to cut 222 back-office jobs.

Persons: Daniel Munoz, Tim Waterer, NAB's, Navya Mittal, Subhranshu Sahu, Rashmi Organizations: National, REUTERS, National Australia Bank, NAB, KCM, Westpac, Finance Sector Union, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai, Asia, Bengaluru

A general view of Chevron's Wheatstone LNG facility in Pilbara coast, Western Australia, as seen in this undated handout image obtained by Reuters on September 8, 2023. If there is still no deal by then, the unions will completely stop work for two weeks. Australia was the world's largest LNG exporter last year, shipping out 80.9 million metric tons of the fuel in 2022 versus 79 million tons in 2021, according to the International Gas Union. A prolonged strike could disrupt exports and raise prices of LNG, which is used for electricity generation. The same union alliance also secured agreements last year with Shell (SHEL.L) and Inpex (1605.T) at their LNG facilities in Western Australia.

Persons: Chevron, Wheatstone, Baden Moore, NAB's Moore, Emily Chow, Lewis Jackson, Florence Tan, Tony Munroe, Miral Organizations: Reuters, Chevron, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, NEXT, Unions, International Gas Union, National Australia Bank, NAB, Woodside Energy Group, WHAT'S, Woodside, North West Shelf, Shell, Thomson Locations: Wheatstone, Western Australia, Rights SINGAPORE, SYDNEY, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Asia, Europe, Ukraine, Inpex, Woodside

☆ Aussie lender NAB's quarterly margins decline on stiff competition
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The National Australia Bank Logo is seen on a branch in central Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. A high interest rate environment has benefited Australian banks, but they now face headwinds from rising bad debt and increasing competition for mortgages. Last week, the country's biggest lender Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA.AX) posted record annual profit on the back of rising interest rates, but warned higher living costs were pushing up debt arrears and competition was squeezing margins. NAB's net interest margin - a key measure of profitability - slipped to 1.72% in the April-June quarter from 1.77% as at March 31. The country's second-biggest lender, however, reported a 5% increase in cash earnings from higher interest rates.

Persons: Daniel Munoz, NIM, Ross McEwan, Upasana Singh, Archishma Iyer, Shilpi Majumdar, Shinjini Organizations: National, REUTERS, National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, NAB, CBA, Analysts, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, 3Q23, Bengaluru

☆ Aussie lender NAB's Q3 margins decline; shares up on cash earnings beat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Archishma Iyer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The National Australia Bank Logo is seen on a branch in central Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. Shares of the country's second-biggest bank rose 1.3% to trade at A$28.70 at 0115 GMT. Last week, the country's biggest lender Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA.AX) posted record annual profit but warned higher living costs were pushing up debt arrears and competition was squeezing margins. "Consensus NIM expectations might need to moderate down, but the current run rate in earnings would suggest NAB is on track to deliver on fourth quarter FY23 cash earnings expectations," analysts from UBS wrote. It posted cash earnings of A$1.90 billion, compared with A$1.80 billion a year earlier and beating a Visible Alpha consensus of A$1.83 billion.

Persons: Daniel Munoz, NIM, Ross McEwan, Upasana Singh, Archishma Iyer, Shilpi Majumdar, Shinjini, Sohini Organizations: National, REUTERS, National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, NAB, UBS, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, 3Q23, Bengaluru

☆ Dollar shaky after U.S. credit rating downgrade
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar struggled to make headway on Wednesday after a cut on the U.S. government's top credit rating by Fitch raised questions about the country's fiscal outlook, though it drew some support from a relatively resilient run of economic data. "We don't think the Fitch decision is that material. Elsewhere, the Japanese yen was roughly 0.1% stronger at 143.21 per dollar, paring some of its gains from earlier in the morning. "I think the market is still trying to get their head around what this whole thing means," said NAB's Catril. The New Zealand dollar fell 0.23% to $0.6136, after data on Wednesday showed the country's jobless rate hit a two-year high in the second quarter.

Persons: Fitch, Sterling, we've, Rodrigo Catril, NAB's Catril, Matt Simpson Organizations: AAA, White, U.S, Fitch, National Australia Bank, NAB, Bank of Japan's, Reserve Bank of Australia, Index, New Zealand Locations: States

☆ Dollar shaky after US credit rating downgrade
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. Dollar banknote is seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. "We don't think the Fitch decision is that material. Elsewhere, the Japanese yen was roughly 0.1% stronger at 143.21 per dollar, paring some of its gains from earlier in the morning. "I think the market is still trying to get their head around what this whole thing means," said NAB's Catril. The New Zealand dollar fell 0.23% to $0.6136, after data on Wednesday showed the country's jobless rate hit a two-year high in the second quarter.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Fitch, Sterling, we've, Rodrigo Catril, NAB's Catril, Matt Simpson, Rae Wee, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, AAA, White, U.S, Fitch, National Australia Bank, NAB, Bank of Japan's, Reserve Bank of Australia, Index, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, States

☆ Australia No.3 bank reaches union deal that lets staff work from home
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, July 14 (Reuters) - National Australia Bank (NAB) (NAB.AX), the country's No.3 lender, reached a deal that lets employees work from home, a union representing staff said on Friday, one of the first in the world to give legal protection for remote work. The deal breaks new ground in a global standoff between private sector companies and their staff since employers started calling an end to home-working arrangements that were precipitated by COVID-19. Some of Australia's biggest companies, including NAB's larger rival Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) (CBA.AX), have set minimum office attendance requirements but the country's capital city office vacancies remain around one-sixth, far higher than pre-pandemic levels. The deal comes after the FSU took CBA, the country's biggest bank which has 49,000 staff, to the industrial regulator this week over a directive to return to the office 50% of the time. In Australia, the federal government agency that sets public sector wages agreed this week to a union request for uncapped days spent working from home.

Persons: CBA's, Byron Kaye, Jamie Freed Organizations: SYDNEY, National Australia Bank, NAB, Finance Sector Union, FSU, Australia's, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, CBA, Fair, Commission, Thomson Locations: U.S, Australia

☆ Dollar buoyant; yuan wobbles after China cuts lending benchmarks
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. dollar rose broadly on Tuesday and notched a seven-month high against the yen, while the yuan slipped after China cut two benchmark lending interest rates for the first time in 10 months. The offshore yuan dipped slightly following the decision and was down more than 0.1% at 7.1734 per dollar, languishing near last week's roughly seven-month low. The yen has come under renewed pressure amid rising interest rate differentials between Japan and other developed markets globally. Sterling rose 0.05% to $1.2797, ahead of British inflation data and the Bank of England's interest rate decision later in the week. Against a basket of currencies, the U.S. dollar rose 0.03% to 102.51.

Persons: it's, Rodrigo Catril, Min Joo Kang, Sterling, BoE, NAB's Organizations: U.S, National Australia Bank, NAB, Bank of, ING, South, Reserve Bank of, New Zealand, Central Bank, Bank of England Locations: China, United States, Asia, Japan, South Korea

☆ Dollar sags as Fed bets ebb, debt bill passes; Aussie soars
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Kevin Buckland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Australian dollar surged after an increase in the minimum wage stoked bets for the central bank to raise rates again next week. A day earlier, Fed Governor Philip Jefferson had said that "skipping a rate hike at a coming meeting would allow the committee to see more data before making decisions about the extent of additional policy firming." "Maybe they hike in June, maybe in July, or maybe they don't hike any more." Money markets currently see about 29% odds of a hike, down from near 70% earlier in the week. Traders currently lay about one-third odds on a quarter-point rate hike on Tuesday.

Persons: Patrick Harker, Philip Jefferson, Shinichiro Kadota, Christine Lagarde, Joe Biden, Monday's, Ray Attrill, NAB's, Kevin Buckland, Sam Holmes Organizations: U.S, Federal Reserve, Australian, Philadelphia Fed, Barclay, European Central Bank, National Australia Bank, Traders, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, U.S, Tokyo

☆ Dollar steady on mounting Fed hike bets, debt ceiling deal optimism
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, May 29 (Reuters) - The dollar held firm on Monday supported by growing expectations of further rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve, though news that a debt ceiling deal had been finalised drew some of the safe haven bids away from the greenback. DEBT DEAL DONE? "We've got a risk-positive response so far to the debt deal news," said NAB's Attrill. "Obviously there's still the need to get this debt deal over the line, but I think markets are happy to travel on the presumption that it will get done before the new X-date." U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had on Friday said the government would default if Congress did not increase the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling by June 5, having previously said a default could happen as early as June 1.

☆ Dollar elevated as sticky inflation cements Fed hike bets, debt ceiling deal lifts optimism
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The yen's renewed decline has come on the back of rising U.S. Treasury yields, as bets grow that interest rates in the United States would stay higher for longer. Cash U.S. Treasuries were untraded in Asia on Monday, owing to the Memorial Day holiday in the United States, while futures were broadly steady. DEBT DEAL DONE? "We've got a risk-positive response so far to the debt deal news," said NAB's Attrill. "Obviously there's still the need to get this debt deal over the line, but I think markets are happy to travel on the presumption that it will get done before the new X-date."

☆ Dollar buoyed by hawkish Fed expectations as debt deal eyed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SINGAPORE, May 19 (Reuters) - The dollar firmed near a six-month peak against the yen on Friday on the back of rising U.S. Treasury yields, as optimism over debt ceiling talks in Washington raised expectations of higher-for-longer interest rates. The news helped calm fears of an unprecedented and economically catastrophic American debt default, leading markets to revise their expectations of where U.S. interest rates could go. The dollar stayed elevated in early Asia trade on Friday and last bought 138.40 yen , having risen to a near six-month high of 138.75 yen in the previous session. U.S. Treasury yields have climbed on the back of the hawkish Fed repricing and amid a pick up in risk sentiment. The two-year Treasury yield , which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations, last stood at 4.2581%, edging away from a low of 3.964% at the start of the week.

☆ Australia employment unexpectedly drops, reinforcing rate pause bets
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, May 18 (Reuters) - Australia employment unexpectedly dipped in April after two months of outsized gains, and the jobless rate also ticked up in a sign the red-hot labour market might be cooling, bolstering the case for a pause in interest rate hikes next month. The jobless rate ticked up to a three-month high of 3.7% from a near 50-year low of 3.5%, when analysts had expected no change. Markets reinforced bets of a rate pause next month but were pricing in some risk of a move in August or September. "We expect to see a gradual softening in labour market conditions over 2023 as the impact of interest rate increases to date start to bite," said Sean Langcake, head of macroeconomic forecasting for Oxford Economics Australia. "NAB's view is that there will likely be at least one further rate increase, but we remain close to the peak of this interest rate cycle."

☆ Dollar rises slightly, sterling hovers near one-year high
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The offshore yuan last traded 0.1% lower at 6.9287 per U.S. dollar. The benchmark 10-year yield was last at 3.4995%, after rising more than five basis points in the previous session. There's still a tightening in credit conditions that is coming ... but overall, at this stage, the survey is not depicting a credit crunch ahead. The Aussie was last 0.05% lower at $0.67775, after having risen to a roughly three-week top of $0.6804 on Monday. The kiwi fell 0.2% to $0.6332, having similarly scaled a one-month high of $0.63585 the day earlier.

☆ Dollar edges up, sterling hovers near one-year high
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The euro was last 0.16% lower at $1.0987, while the Japanese yen slipped 0.1% to 135.24 per dollar. There's still a tightening in credit conditions that is coming ... but overall, at this stage, the survey is not depicting a credit crunch ahead. "The dollar didn't really get much of a kick on that," said Catril, referring to the survey. The kiwi slipped 0.11% to $0.6338, having similarly scaled a one-month high of $0.63585 the day earlier. Elsewhere, the British pound fell 0.06% to $1.26105, but was not far from the previous session's one-year peak of $1.2668, ahead of Thursday's central bank policy meeting.

2 lender, fell short of analyst forecasts in half-year profit released on Thursday and took a hit to its share price after warning that the windfall from rising interest rates had peaked. The update signals a tough new phase for Australia's lenders which have benefited from a year of rising interest rates by charging more to borrowers while limiting the amount they pay deposit-holders. "What the market's concerned about is the exit NIM (net interest margin)," said Hugh Dive, chief investment officer at Atlas Funds Management which holds bank stocks. In personal banking, which includes mortgages, profit shrank slightly due to a A$393 million impairment charge. The bank had telephoned 7,000 borrowers deemed to be most vulnerable to rising interest rates and just 13 had requested assistance.

☆ Oil drops as US rate hike concern, weak China data offset OPEC+ cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Fed, which meets on May 2-3, is expected to increase interest rates by another 25 basis points. The U.S. dollar rose against a basket of currencies on Monday, making oil more expensive for other currency holders. Weak economic data from China also weighed. "We believe the oil market will be in deficit through the remainder of the second quarter" following the OPEC+ cuts, said NAB's Moore, who added that the bank expected the curbs plus higher demand to drive prices higher. Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Oil prices drop as US rate hike fears, weak China data offset supply cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Katya Golubkova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Fed is expected to increase interest rates by another 25 basis points this week. The U.S. central bank has raised its policy rate by 475 basis points since March of last year from the near-zero level to the current 4.75%-5.00% range. In the week ahead, the Reserve Bank of Australia is widely expected to extend a rate hike pause on Tuesday and the European Central Bank could surprise with an outsized half-point increase on Thursday. Brent crude has been tracking broader markets in recent sessions, with a slew of economic data creating more uncertainty about the outlook," ANZ Research said in a client note. Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dollar set for longest stretch of weekly losses since 2020
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The dollar index , which measures the performance of the U.S. currency against six others, slid to a roughly one-year low of 100.78. This would mark a fifth straight weekly loss, the longest such stretch since July 2020. Out of the G10 currencies, investors hold the largest bearish position in the dollar against the euro. The New Zealand dollar rose 0.1% to $0.63035, after jumping 1.3% on Thursday. The Japanese yen rose marginally, leaving the dollar 0.2% down on the day at 132.27, while the offshore yuan rose 0.4% to 6.8463 per dollar.

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