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☆ Fact-Checking Trump’s Remarks in the Hush Money Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Donald J. Trump spent the bulk of the past week in a Manhattan courtroom, standing trial as the first American president to face criminal prosecution. He is accused of falsifying business records to cover up an affair with a porn actress ahead of the 2016 election. Even though he did not take the stand as opening statements got underway, he took to the cameras to argue his case each day the court was in session. And they pay it and they call it a legal expense. Actually nobody’s been able to say what you’re supposed to call it.”— in remarks after the trial on Monday

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Said, nobody’s, ” Locations: Manhattan

☆ China’s youth are staging a rebellion with ‘gross’ work outfits in new video trend
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Christy Choi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —There’s a new kind of “get ready with me” video trending in mainland China — one of “gross” work outfits. The hashtag “grossoutfitforwork” has attracted more than 140 million views and tens of thousands of discussions on Chinese social media platform Weibo alone. In late February, a post by Douyin (China’s version of TikTok) user Kendou S, claiming she was chastised by her boss about her “gross” outfits which said she wore to battle the cold weather, went viral. DouyinWhile the examples that have gone viral on social media are more extreme, Qiu said he believes casual dressing for work has always been popular in China and will continue. And as temperatures rise, some have started to share their gross outfits for the spring.

Persons: CNN —, they’re, ”, Kendou, “, ” “ Gross, Gen Z, Bohan Qiu, ’ ”, Qiu, it’s Organizations: CNN, Workers Locations: China, Weibo, balaclava, Shanghai, Seoul, Hong Kong

☆ Lasers, Inflatable Dancers and the Fight to Fend Off Avian Flu
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Loren Brey, a poultry grower in Minnesota, walked onto the farm where his egg-laying turkeys nest in November to discover a handful of hens, dead from the highly pathogenic avian flu. Within a week, he lost nearly half of his entire flock. So when Mr. Brey’s turkeys began producing eggs again in the spring, he gave a seemingly unconventional prevention method a go: lasers installed atop his barns, firing beams of green light to fend off wild ducks, owls and other possible carriers of the deadly virus. As migratory birds fly north for the spring, poultry farmers and backyard keepers across the country are bracing for yet another outbreak of avian flu. The practices underline the scramble by smaller farms and even some larger-scale operations to ward off the virus, as well as the fatigue, and begrudging acceptance, of the illness after years of sanitation protocols, lockdowns and debates over vaccination.

Persons: Loren Brey Locations: Minnesota

☆ Baidu releases new AI tools to promote application development
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Baidu's newly announced AI tools allow people with no coding knowledge to create generative AI-powered chatbots for specific functions, which can then be integrated in a website, Baidu search engine results or other online portals. watch nowThe basic Baidu tools are generally available to try for free, up until a certain usage limit, similar to some of Google's cloud and AI functions. Baidu this week also announced three new versions of its Ernie AI model — called "Speed," "Lite" and "Tiny" — that coders can selectively access, based on the complexity of the task. In a demonstration hall, Baidu business departments showed off how the AI tools could be integrated with virtual people doing livestreams, or directing search engine traffic to an AI-based interactive buying guide. Also on display was a humanoid robot developed by Shenzhen-based UBTech Robotics that used Baidu's Ernie AI model for understanding commands and reading written words.

Persons: Robin Li, Ernie bot, OpenAI, Ernie, Bo Du, Baidu, Buysmart.AI, Andy Qiu, That's, Qiu Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty Images, Baidu, CNBC, WestSummit Capital Management, Robotics Locations: Shenzhen, China, Getty Images SHENZHEN, Weibo, U.S

☆ Fact-Checking Trump’s Defenses in His Court Cases
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As former President Donald J. Trump battles a series of criminal and civil actions while he runs to reclaim the White House, he has put his legal woes at center stage, making them a rallying cry for his re-election. It is a tactic that is likely to be on full display this week as his trial in Manhattan over his role in a hush money payment in the 2016 race gets underway. Just as he has done with his other legal troubles, Mr. Trump has dismissed the charges in that case as part of an “election interference” scheme orchestrated by President Biden. He has described the cases against him with colorful hyperbole, defended his conduct with faulty comparisons and lobbed false attacks and baseless accusations at opponents and adjudicators alike. Asked for evidence of Mr. Trump’s claims, the campaign did not directly address the matter but continued to insist, with no evidence, that Mr. Trump was the target of a “witch hunt” led by the Democratic Party.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, President Biden, Trump’s, ” Organizations: Democratic Party Locations: Manhattan

☆ Food Aid Program for Mothers and Children Will Provide More Fruits and Vegetables
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Agriculture Department said on Tuesday that low-income women and children eligible for a food aid program would receive more cash for purchases of fruits and vegetables, with less assistance available for milk. The final rule by the department puts the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, a federally funded program known as WIC, more in line with the government’s current dietary guidelines. It is the first update to the program in a decade and will take effect in two years. About 6.6 million mothers and children participated in WIC in the 2023 fiscal year, with an average monthly cost of $56 per person. The Agriculture Department estimates that about half of those eligible make use of the program.

Persons: ” Cindy Long Organizations: Agriculture Department, Women, Agriculture, Food, Nutrition Service

☆ Demonstrators Make Themselves Heard on Abortion Pill Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Bearing colorful signs and banners that read “Doctors Not Doctrine” and “Abortion is Health Care,” hundreds of activists chanted, marched and rallied for hours outside the Supreme Court starting Tuesday morning, before the justices weighed the availability of a commonly used abortion pill. Supporters of abortion rights outnumbered those opposing abortion, but the two factions occasionally sparred with rallying calls, including over the safety of the pill, mifepristone. (Studies show that is, in fact, safe for terminating a pregnancy.) Courtney Brown, a coffee shop owner who helped found an abortion rights group in Amarillo, Texas, where the case originated, described her town as “ground zero” in the fight over abortion. She added, “I’m just ready to fight back because we’re so tired of having those rights stripped away.”

Persons: Courtney Brown, “ I’m, ” Organizations: Health Locations: Amarillo , Texas

☆ Live Updates: Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on Abortion Pill Access
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Abbie Vansickle | Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

If the Supreme Court sides with the plaintiffs and decides to roll back or invalidate Food and Drug Administration regulations on mifepristone, it would be the first time the court undercut the federal agency’s authority. The abortion pill case before the Supreme Court could have implications far beyond abortion, potentially undermining the regulatory system for all medicines in the United States. If the Supreme Court sides with the plaintiffs and decides to roll back or invalidate F.D.A. They would have to pick up mifepristone in person from a doctor and would have to visit the doctor three times during the medication abortion process. and not to abortion providers, some medication abortion services have been stockpiling mifepristone and may continue prescribing and mailing their supply.

Persons: ”, Matthew J, mifepristone Organizations: Drug, Food and Drug Administration, Northern, Northern District of, Trump, U.S ., Appeals, Fifth Circuit Locations: United States, Northern District, Northern District of Texas

☆ 2 Scientists in Canada Passed On Secrets to China, Investigations Find
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Ian Austen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two scientists who worked at Canada’s top microbiology lab passed on secret scientific information to China, and one of them was a “realistic and credible threat to Canada’s economic security,” documents from the national intelligence agency and a security investigation show. Canadian universities can now be disqualified from federal funding if they enter into partnerships with any of 100 institutions in China, Russia and Iran. The release of the documents was the subject of a prolonged debate in Parliament that began before the last federal election, in September 2021. Opposition parties asked to see the records at least four times and found the Liberal government to be in contempt of Parliament in 2021. The government filed a lawsuit in an attempt to keep the records hidden, but dropped it when the vote was called.

Persons: Xiangguo Qiu, Keding Cheng Organizations: Commons, Liberal Locations: China, Russia, Iran

☆ Here's why the $3,500 Apple Vision Pro headset is so expensive
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A customer tries on the Apple Vision Pro headset during the product launch at an Apple Store in New York City on Feb. 2, 2024. The Vision Pro, the new virtual reality headset from Apple, can transport you to Hawaii or the surface of the moon. The Vision Pro provides a preview of what using a computer could be like in five years, early adopters say. The Vision Pro starts at $3,499. Each Vision Pro needs two of them, one for each eye.

Persons: It's, Omdia, Jacky Qiu, OTI, Qiu Organizations: Apple, Quest, Sony Semiconductor Locations: New York City, Hawaii

☆ Émigrés Are Creating an Alternative China, One Bookstore at a Time
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Li Yuan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

On a rainy Saturday afternoon in central Tokyo, 50 or so Chinese people packed into a gray, nondescript office that doubles as a bookstore. Like them, Ms. Qiu had lived as an immigrant in Japan. Public discussions like this one used to be common in big cities in China but have increasingly been stifled over the past decade. The Chinese public is discouraged from organizing and participating in civic activities. In the past year, a new type of Chinese public life has emerged — outside China’s borders in places like Japan.

Persons: Qiu Jin, Qiu, ” Locations: Tokyo, Japan, China, China’s

☆ Australia's central bank holds rates steady but retains hiking bias
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Two women walk next to the Reserve Bank of Australia headquarters in central Sydney, Australia February 6, 2018. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Australia's central bank held interest rates steady on Tuesday as expected, buying it more time to assess the state of the economy and to determine whether further hikes might be needed next year. Wrapping up its December policy meeting, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept rates at a 12-year high of 4.35%, adding economic data received since November had been broadly in line with expectations. "Holding the cash rate steady at this meeting will allow time to assess the impact of the increases in interest rates on demand, inflation and the labour market," RBA Governor Michele Bullock said. She has since warned that inflation has become increasingly driven by domestic demand, requiring a more "substantial" response from interest rates.

Persons: Daniel Munoz, Michele Bullock, Bullock, Stella Qiu, Jamie Freed Organizations: Reserve Bank of Australia, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia

☆ Asia shares start Dec on cautious note, oil nurses losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) fell 0.5% after a surge of 7.3% last month, the most since January. The Federal Reserve's preferred gauge of inflation - the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index - stood unchanged for October, while consumer spending also pulled back. Fed funds futures imply rate cuts of 115 basis points. The yield on 10-year Treasury notes slipped 3 basis points in Asia to 4.3264%, on top of a plunge of 52.2 basis points for the month. Two-year Treasury yields fell 4 basis points to 4.674%.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, sharemarkets, HSI, Rodrigo Catril, Jerome Powell's Q, Waller, Robert Carnell, Christopher Waller, Treasuries, Stella Qiu, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, Tyrone, Rights, Japan's Nikkei, National Australia Bank . Regional, Federal, Traders, ING, Fed, South Korean, Philippine, Brent, West Texas, Thomson Locations: Exchange, Hong Kong, China, Europe, U.S, Asia, Pacific, Japan, South

☆ Australia Oct inflation slows more than expected as goods prices fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

For the month, CPI fell 0.3%, driven by declines in petrol, rent and holiday travel. A closely watched measure of core inflation, the trimmed mean, rose an annual 5.3% in October, easing from 5.4% the previous month. "It's hard to find bad news in Australia's October inflation print," said Harry Murphy Cruise, an economist at Moody’s Analytics. Prices for tradable goods fell 1.6% in October from a month earlier. It also left the door open to further tightening if necessary to meet its annual inflation target of 2-3%.

Persons: Daniel Munoz, Harry Murphy Cruise, Jonathan Kearns, Wayne Cole, Stella Qiu, Lincoln, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S ., Australian Bureau, Statistics, Moody’s, Reserve Bank Board, Reserve Bank of Australia, Challenger, Thomson Locations: Australia

☆ Australia Oct retail sales slip as consumers hold off for Black Friday sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Women shop for clothes on a store in a shopping mall in Sydney's central business district (CBD) Australia, February 5, 2018. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Australian retail sales unexpectedly slipped in October as consumers cut back on everything but food, though analysts believe many were merely saving some money to splurge on Black Friday sales that took place this month. Retail sales fell 0.2% from September to A$35.77 billion, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed on Tuesday. "This is a pattern we have seen develop in recent years as Black Friday sales grow in popularity." Data from e-commerce firm Shopify also showed that point-of-sale sales made by its merchants in Australia during this year's Black Friday sales grew 27% from a year ago.

Persons: Daniel Munoz, Ben Dorber, Shopify, that's, Marcel Thieliant, Michele Bullock, Stella Qiu, Tom Hogue, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Black, ANZ, Asia Pacific, Capital Economics, Reserve Bank of Australia, Thomson Locations: Australia

☆ Australia appoints BoE's Andrew Hauser as new RBA deputy governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Andrew Hauser, who has been appointed the next Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, is seen in this undated handout photo distributed on November 27, 2023. Australian Government/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Australia on Monday appointed the Bank of England's (BoE) Andrew Hauser as the new deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), filling a position that had been vacant since Michele Bullock was elevated to the top role in late September. Hauser, who currently serves as the executive director at markets at the BoE, is expected to start before the first RBA board meeting next year. Governor Bullock welcomed the appointment. "I warmly congratulate Andrew on his appointment...He has great experience and will bring a welcome external perspective to the Bank and the Reserve Bank Board."

Persons: Andrew Hauser, BoE, Michele Bullock, Hauser, Governor Bullock, Andrew, Lewis Jackson, Stella Qiu, Kim Coghill, Sam Holmes Organizations: Reserve Bank of Australia, Australian Government, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Monday, Bank of England's, London School of Economics, Bank, Reserve Bank Board, Thomson Locations: Australia

Oil futures traded steady ahead of next week's OPEC+ meeting, which could bring some kind of agreement on output cuts in 2024. Gold futures finished higher as the dollar index slipped against a basket of currencies on Friday. Germany's 10-year government bond yield , the benchmark for the euro area, rose 3 basis points to a 1-1/2-week high. Oil prices were steady after tumbling more than 1% on concerns over a delayed OPEC+ meeting. ($1 = 7.2111 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Chris Prentice in New York, Naomi Rovnick in London and Stella Qiu in Sydney.

Persons: Caitlin Ochs, Germany's DAX, Peter Doherty, Arbuthnot Latham, Robert Holzmann, Pierre Wunsch, Chris Prentice, Naomi Rovnick, Stella Qiu, Toby Chopra, Susan Fenton, Mark Potter, Deepa Babington Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, U.S, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Hamas, P Global, European Central Bank, ECB, Bank of England, Japan's Nikkei, China's CSI, Brent, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, OPEC, Germany, Israel, London, Belgian, Asia, New York, Sydney

Photographers take photos near a large screen showing stock prices at the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) after market opens in Tokyo, Japan October 2, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON/SYDNEY, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Global shares drifted on Friday in the absence of guidance from Wall Street, which was closed for the Thanksgiving holiday the previous day, but they were still on course for their best month since November 2020. An indecisive Asia session extended to Europe, with the Stoxx 600 share index (.STOXX) trading flat. Despite optimism having surged across global markets this month, there may also be a lull ahead as investors position their portfolios for 2024, some analysts said. Minutes from the latest Fed policy meeting signalled there would not be more hikes unless progress against taming inflation faltered.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Peter Doherty, Arbuthnot Latham, Shane Oliver, Naomi Rovnick, Stella Qiu, Sam Holmes, Robert Birsel, Toby Chopra, Susan Fenton Organizations: Tokyo Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Global, Wall, Nasdaq, Hamas, AMP, European Central Bank, ECB, Bank of England, Japan's Nikkei, China's CSI, Brent, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, SYDNEY, Asia, Europe, Israel, U.S, London, OPEC

☆ Asian shares dragged lower by China, Treasury yields climb
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Both S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures were also little changed. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) fell 0.6% but are still headed for a weekly gain of 0.8%. Chinese bluechips (.CSI300) fell 0.7% while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index (.HSI) tumbled 1.4%, reversing the previous day's hefty gains. Cash Treasuries fell a little as they resumed trading in Asia, with two-year Treasury yields up 3 basis points to 4.9419% and benchmark ten-year yields up 4 bps to 4.4606%. Brent crude futures fell 0.2% to $81.26 a barrel.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Shane Oliver, Cash Treasuries, Stella Qiu, Sam Holmes, Robert Birsel Organizations: Tokyo Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Rights, Wall, Nasdaq, Hamas, Nikkei, AMP, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Brent, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, China, Europe, Israel, Gaza, Asia, Pacific, Hong Kong, Beijing

☆ Asian shares dragged lower by China, dollar on back foot
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Asian shares were dragged lower by China on Friday amid little guidance from Wall Street which was closed for a holiday, while the dollar remained on the back foot as investors bet U.S. rates have peaked. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) eased 0.4% but are headed for a weekly gain of 0.9%. Japan's markets (.N225) returned from a holiday, with Nikkei (.225) climbing 1.0% to charge towards a 33-year high hit on Monday. In Europe, slightly better than expected euro zone PMIs nudged the euro and shares higher and Sweden's crown dropped as its central bank left rates on hold. In the currency markets, the dollar < =USD> was on the back foot against its peers at 103.71, nearing a three month low of 103.17.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Shane Oliver, Cash Treasuries, Stella Qiu, Sam Holmes Organizations: Tokyo Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Rights, Nikkei, AMP, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Brent, West Texas, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, China, Asia, Pacific, Hong Kong, Beijing, Europe

CNN —The Chinese government has built up the world’s largest known online disinformation operation and is using it to harass US residents, politicians, and businesses—at times threatening its targets with violence, a CNN review of court documents and public disclosures by social media companies has found. Victims face a barrage of tens of thousands of social media posts that call them traitors, dogs, and racist and homophobic slurs. While tech and social media companies have shut down thousands of accounts targeting these victims, they’re outpaced by a slew of new accounts emerging virtually every day. As part of a mission “to manipulate public perceptions of [China], the Group uses its misattributed social media accounts to threaten, harass and intimidate specific victims,” the complaint states. In the past, the Spamouflage network mostly focused on issues domestically relevant to China.

Persons: –, Xi Jinping, Biden, Mike Gallagher, Chen Pokong, ”, Chen, “, Spamouflage’s, Liu Pengyu, ” Liu, Jiayang, Darren Linvill, hasn’t, Fan, Communist Party playbook, Mandiant, Nancy Pelosi, ” Ben Nimmo, George Floyd’s, Ben Nimmo, Lindsay Gorman, Gorman, ” Linvill, Linvill, Spamouflage, Jiajun Qiu, Qiu, ” Qiu Organizations: CNN, US State Department, FBI, Communist Party, Meta, Google, ”, CCP, US Department of Justice, Department, DOJ, China’s Ministry of Public Security, Group, New Yorker, telltale, Media, Clemson University, Capitol, Department of Homeland Security, Marshall Fund’s Alliance, Securing Democracy, YouTube Locations: United States, Beijing, San Francisco, China “, New York, China, New York City, America, Washington, Hong Kong, US, Texas, Virginia, Manassas , Virginia

The funds available for deals are growing as investors including pension funds, sovereign wealth and insurance firms look for meaty returns hard to find in today's equity markets, especially in the beaten-down real estate sector. Australian real estate specialist Qualitas (QAL.AX), whose backers include the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, has nearly doubled funds under management to A$8 billion ($5.07 billion) since mid-2022, with roughly half the increase since this June. U.S.-based PGIM Real Estate expects to deploy a further $1 billion in the country over the next few years, said its head of Australian real estate Steve Bulloch. Lenders are expanding into residential and commercial construction as banks slow lending or exit, a March report from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) said. JUICY RETURNSInvestors can expect returns from 9% to 11% with the added security of loans pledged against real assets like condos or warehouses, often with a 30% to 40% equity buffer, said Paul Notaras, executive director at Barings Real Estate Australia.

Persons: Stella Qiu, meaty, Steve Bulloch, JUICY, Paul Notaras, Notaras, Qualitas, Andrew Schwartz, Bonds, We've, Schwartz, Lewis Jackson, Rae Wee, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, Abu, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, Westpac, ANZ Group, International Monetary, Reserve Bank of Australia, Australia, prudential, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: Parramatta, Sydney, SYDNEY, Australian, Abu Dhabi, Australia, Qualitas, Singapore

☆ Asia shares, bonds rally as Powell feeds hopes of end to rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) surged 1.7% to the highest level in one week. Tokyo's Nikkei (.N225) gained 1.4% to cross the 32,000 level for the first time in two weeks. EUROSTOXX 50 futures rose 0.8% early in Asia, while S&P 500 futures added 0.3% and Nasdaq futures increased 0.5%. While Chair Jerome Powell did not rule out another hike, markets judged he was not quite as hawkish as he might have been. Brent crude futures climbed 1.2% to $85.61 a barrel while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were at $81.43 a barrel, up 1.2%.

Persons: nonfarm payrolls, Hong, HSI, Jerome Powell, Treasuries, Tiffany Wilding, Seema Shah, Stella Qiu, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Apple, SYDNEY, Tokyo's Nikkei, Stock, Nasdaq, Fed, Treasury, PIMCO, Global, Asset Management, Bank of Japan, East, Brent, West Texas, Thomson Locations: Cupertino California, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Europe, U.S, 4Q24

☆ Australia Sept retail sales climb at fastest pace in 8 months
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Daniel Munoz/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Australian retail sales rose at the fastest pace in eight months in September, suggesting some resilience in consumer spending which would add to the case for an interest rate hike as soon as next week. The Australian dollar rose 0.4% to $0.6360, while three-year government bond yield hit a fresh 12-year high of 4.388%. "Downside risks to household consumption have been a key focus of the RBA, but those do not look to have been realised so far." The broad softening in consumer spending has been one major reason that the RBA has left interest rates unchanged for four straight months now. However, a sustained rebound in housing prices could lend some support to household consumption.

Persons: Daniel Munoz, Ben Dorber, Taylor Nugent, Downside, Stella Qiu, Tom Hogue, Edwina Gibbs, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reserve Bank of, Australian Bureau of Statistics, National Australia Bank, Thomson Locations: Sydney's, Australia, Reserve Bank of Australia, Queensland

☆ Australia's tight rental market forces tenants to make tough choices
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Reuters GraphicsNEARING THE PEAKMany tenants, particularly in the most expensive city Sydney, have already been priced out of houses. PropTrack data showing house rents nationally were unchanged at A$550 per week, or about A$2,380 ($1,508) per month, in the September quarter. Apartment rents nationally jumped 4% during the quarter, double the June quarter rate of increase, to an average of A$520 per week, making them almost as costly. Prices across Australia's entire rental stock rose 7.6% in the third quarter from a year ago, the largest increase since 2009, according to official data, and similar to gains seen in the U.S. where rental costs have also surged. ($1 = 1.5780 Australian dollars)Reporting by Stella Qiu; Editing by Wayne Cole and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lara Weeks, Weeks, Cameron Kusher, Michele Bullock, Christian Postiglione, Tim Beattie, Beattie, Stella Qiu, Wayne Cole, Jamie Freed Organizations: REA, Reuters Graphics, Reserve Bank of Australia, Nationwide, ANZ, Housing, Thomson Locations: SYDNEY, Sydney, U.S, Bondi, Australia, Western Australia, Adelaide

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