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NEW YORK (AP) — Adele Zerilli Springsteen, the longtime legal secretary, musical muse and concert dance partner who captured countless hearts in her son Bruce Springsteen 's E Street Nation and beyond, has died at 98. Bruce Springsteen announced in an Instagram post that his mother died Wednesday. She was “real smart, real strong, real creative,” with a “refusal to be disheartened,” Bruce told biographer Dave Marsh. Her life had an incredible consistency, work, work, work every day, and I admired that greatly," he told "Uncut" magazine in 2002, praising her “noble” juggling of work and home. E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt tweeted Thursday that Adele Springsteen was the “Matriarch of our family and an unrelenting source of inspiring positive energy.

Persons: — Adele Zerilli Springsteen, Bruce Springsteen, Glenn Miller, Adele Springsteen —, ”, “, Springsteen, —, Bruce Springsteen’s, Zerillis, fathoming, Adele Springsteen's, Adele, Bruce, ” Bruce, Dave Marsh, Ellis, Steven Van Zandt, Adele Springsteen, Bruce's, Douglas, Pamela Springsteen, Virginia, Rhonda Shafner, Dalton Organizations: Smiths, New, Stone, MetLife Locations: American, New York City, Freehold, New Jersey, America, Europe, New, Ellis, Los Angeles

☆ Opinion | The Israel-Gaza War: ‘Innocent Lives Being Lost on Both Sides’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Any nation (including the United States) would react if attacked by a neighboring entity, especially one aiming to destroy it. In attacking Gaza, however, Israel most likely will lose in the American and world court of public opinion — and ultimately could lose United States backing, a disaster for Israel. The substantial increase in antisemitic acts being committed in the United States and other countries contributes to this worrisome dynamic. I care about the innocent lives being lost on both sides. The road to their salvation lies not with reproof of Israel; Israel’s first responsibility is to her citizens.

Persons: Israel, —, Benjamin Netanyahu, Paul Menitoff Stockbridge, ”, Nicholas Kristof, Kristof’s, Mr, Kristof, Matt Tanguay Ann, Nicholas Kristof’s, Israel’s, Sheldon Stohl, Re “ Netanyahu, Bruce Ellerstein, York Matthew Perry, ’ Organizations: United, Israel’s Labor Party, Likud, National Interfaith Initiative for Peace, Central Conference of American, Islamic Locations: Gaza, Iran, Israel, United States, Mass, Matt Tanguay Ann Arbor, Mich, Hope, Sheldon Stohl Beersheba, York

The BoE is monitoring the labour market closely as it considers whether it needs to resume raising interest rates, having kept them on hold in September after 14 hikes in a row. Under the previous methodology, the unemployment rate had been reported as 4.3% for the three months to July rather than 4.2%. Still, the new data showed more slack in the labour market than the BoE had predicted in August, when it forecast an unemployment rate of 4.1% for the third quarter as a whole. "It is probably only a matter of time before the recent loosening of the labour market feeds through into significantly slower wage growth," Pugh said. The latest ONS estimate showed employment fell by 133,000 in the three months to July, compared with 207,000 in its previous estimate.

Persons: BoE, Thomas Pugh, Pugh, Tony Wilson, Andy Bruce, William Schomberg, Paul Sandle, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Office, National Statistics, Bank of England, Labour Force Survey, RSM, ONS, Financial, Institute for Employment Studies, Thomson

A federal magistrate judge unsealed on Wednesday additional portions of the affidavit that the F.B.I. used last summer to obtain a warrant to search for sensitive documents at Mar-a-Lago, former President Donald J. Trump’s private club and residence in Florida, revealing a few new details about how that extraordinary process had unfolded. Much of the material in the affidavit unsealed on Wednesday had already been made public in the expansive indictment of Mr. Trump and Mr. Nauta issued in Miami last month. That indictment charged the former president with 31 counts of illegally retaining national defense information and a separate count of conspiring with Mr. Nauta to obstruct the government’s efforts to reclaim them. The judge who ordered the unsealing, Bruce E. Reinhart, had issued two previous orders unsealing separate portions of the warrant affidavit in response to media requests.

Persons: Donald J, Walt Nauta, Trump, Mr, Nauta, Bruce E, Reinhart, unsealing Organizations: Mar Locations: Florida, Mar, Miami

☆ UK mortgage rates rise again, turning screw on homeowners and buyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 29 (Reuters) - Major British lenders on Thursday announced another increase in mortgage rates offered via brokers, pushing many products above the 6% mark in painful news for many homeowners and potential buyers. Barclays (BARC.L), NatWest (NWG.L) and Virgin Money (VMUK.L) informed brokers that rates on many mortgage offerings will rise again on Friday, according to emails seen by Reuters. "As mortgage rates continue to rise, the property market is being pushed further towards a cliff edge and there's no real help in sight," mortgage broker Lewis Shaw of Shaw Financial Services said. Two-year swap rates - a key determinant of mortgage borrowing costs - have soared by 0.83 percentage points over the course of June. Mortgage rates of 6% represent the same financial burden from repayments as they did in the late 1980s, even though mortgage rates were around 13% then, according to housing market analyst Neal Hudson, founder of consultancy BuiltPlace.

Persons: Lewis Shaw, Andrew Goodwin, Liz Truss, Neal Hudson, Andy Bruce, William Schomberg, Sachin Ravikumar Organizations: Bank of England, Barclays, NatWest, Virgin, Reuters, Nationwide Building Society, Shaw Financial Services, Oxford, Oxford Economics, Thomson

☆ Boris Johnson's shock exit reverberates through British ruling party
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks at the parliament in London, Britain, March 22, 2023. He also took aim at current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. lawmaker Andrea Jenkyns wrote in a Conservative Party WhatsApp group, according to a screenshot shared by a Sky News reporter. Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats opposition party, said Johnson jumped before he was pushed. "He was never fit to be an MP let alone Prime Minister of our great country," Davey said.

Persons: Boris Johnson, Peter Nicholls, Boris Johnson's, Johnson, Rishi Sunak, Rishi, Andrea Jenkyns, Jenkyns, Dame, Boris, John Redwood, Johnson's, Henry Hill, Hill, Nadine Dorries, Angela Rayner, They've, Ed Davey, Davey, Andy Bruce, Mike Harrison, Frances Kerry Organizations: British, REUTERS, Peter Nicholls LONDON, Conservative Party, Labour Party, Conservative, Conservative Party WhatsApp, Sky News, BBC, Sunak's, Liberal Democrats, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Downing, Brexit

☆ UK economy shows no growth in February as strikes weigh
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Economic output was flat in month-on-month terms in February, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Thursday. A Reuters poll of economists had pointed to growth of 0.1%. The ONS revised up January's monthly growth rate in the overall economy to 0.4% from a previous estimate of 0.3%. "A combination of upward revisions in GDP data and an improvement in global economic conditions could help the UK economy avoid a recession this year," Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK, said. "While this will provide relief for policymakers, the outlook for growth in the medium-term remains relatively weak by historical standards."

☆ Food prices push UK shop price inflation to new high: BRC
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Hannah McKayLONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - Soaring food prices pushed annual inflation in British shops to its highest in at least 18 years in March, industry data showed on Tuesday. The British Retail Consortium said overall shop price inflation rose to 8.9% from 8.4% in February, the largest increase since the British Retail Consortium's (BRC) records started in 2005. "Shop price inflation has yet to peak," said BRC Chief Executive Helen Dickinson, who cited the rising cost of sugar as a major driver of higher food prices in March. Sugar prices have been hit by falling production, rising energy prices and a pesticide ban in Britain to protect bees. The country's annual consumer price inflation - which includes services and other non-shop goods such as energy - rose unexpectedly to 10.4% in February.

☆ UK inflation rate falls more than expected to 10.1%
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Henry NichollsLONDON, Feb 15 (Reuters) - British consumer price inflation fell by more than expected to 10.1% in January from December's 10.5% and there were also drops in underlying measures of price growth that are being closely watched by the Bank of England, official data showed. Investors expect another increase in borrowing costs next month by the BoE but Wednesday's data may add to the sense that a peak in Bank Rate is not far off. "While any fall in inflation is welcome, the fight is far from over," finance minister Jeremy Hunt said. The ONS said transport and hospitality prices helped to drag down inflation last month. All other things being equal, slowing inflation suggests further economic weakness ahead and, possibly, an uptick in unemployment."

☆ Three years on, Britain still waits for Brexit dividend
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Britain exited the EU on Jan. 31, 2020, though remained in the bloc's single market and customs union for 11 more months. The government, led by Brexit-supporting Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, says Britain is prospering with new-found freedoms. "Our problems pre-date Brexit," Lyons said, pointing to chronically low rates of investment in Britain. Exports, especially in goods, have disappointed over the last three years - despite high hopes for a "Global Britain" rebalancing of the economy after Brexit. Britain still boasts higher rates of employment and lower unemployment than most EU countries but there are some signs that Brexit may have impacted the labour market too.

☆ Missouri Camping Ban Squeezes Rural Homeless Population
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Shannon Najmabadi | Photographs Bruce E. Stidham For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

BOLIVAR, Mo.—The pastor of the First Christian Church was startled one morning when what he thought was a mound of donated clothes on his church doorstep was in fact Titus Finn, who had curled up there and spent the night. Mr. Finn, 26 years old, said he had slept virtually “any spot I can lay my head” in the city of 11,000—living in and out of homelessness since childhood.

☆ UK retail sales volumes slide at fastest rate since April, CBI reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - British retail sales volumes slid over the last month at the fastest rate since April last year, underlining the weak state of the consumer economy in the face of strong inflation, a survey showed on Thursday. The Confederation of British Industry's (CBI) sales balance, which included a couple of days of the Christmas trading period, fell to -23 from +11 in December's report, meaning more store chains reported a drop in retail sales than a rise. The survey pointed to another drop in retail sales next month. "Retailers began the new year with a return to falling sales volumes, as the sector continues to face the twin headwinds of rising costs and squeezed household incomes," CBI Martin Sartorius said. The survey of 59 retailers - mostly large store chains - was conducted between Dec. 22 and Jan. 13.

☆ UK jobs market softens again in December - REC
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The survey, watched closely by the BoE, also showed an easing in wage pressures. "A slowdown in permanent placements is not unusual in December, but this one comes as part of a wider softening trend in the permanent market," said REC chief executive Neil Carberry. "Recruiters tell us that this was enhanced by firms pushing hiring activity back into January in the face of high inflation and economic uncertainty." Britain's economy looks set to contract in 2023, according to most economists polled by Reuters, and business surveys show cooling price pressures. The REC survey showed placements of permanent staff contracted at the fastest rate since January 2021.

But only one policymaker, Catherine Mann, wanted to match November's bigger 0.75 percentage point increase - the BoE's largest in more than 30 years - and two MPC members voted to keep rates on hold. Sterling weakened against the U.S. dollar after the BoE's decision, falling to around $1.23, and it also declined against the euro. "While the 50-basis-point increase in the Bank rate was as expected, the extent of the divisions across the committee is an eye-opener," Philip Shaw, an economist with Investec, said. On Wednesday, the U.S. Federal Reserve also slowed the pace of its rate hikes while pointing to more tightening in 2023. That 0.4 percentage point fall in the annual rate was the largest since July 2021.

☆ Britons worry about running out of food, keeping warm: survey
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Office for National Statistics said 16% of people were worried or very worried about their food running out before having money to buy more. Some 23% of people said they were unable to keep comfortably warm in their own homes, whether occasionally or always. The ONS figures chime with widespread dissatisfaction among British people about the direction of one of the world's largest economies. Demand for food banks has exploded over the last decade, and workers are increasingly going on strike. The survey, conducted between Nov. 22 and Dec. 4, had 2,524 respondents.

☆ UK economy rebounds from royal funeral hit, outlook remains bleak
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Gross domestic product grew by 0.5% in October after September's 0.6% contraction, the Office for National Statistics said. A Reuters poll of economists had pointed to a 0.4% bounce-back. Despite the slight upside surprise, the figures are unlikely to change the view among investors and analysts that Britain's economy faces a bleak 2023. Even without further rate hikes, the economy would shrink in five of the six quarters until the end of 2023, it said. The ONS said the economy in October stood 0.4% above its pre-pandemic size.

☆ UK retail sales recover only partially as outlook darkens
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Retail sales volumes rose in October by 0.6% month-on-month, following a 1.5% drop in September. The ONS said retail sales volumes remained 0.6% lower than their pre-pandemic level, a reminder of the economic challenge facing finance minister Jeremy Hunt who on Thursday said Britain was in a recession. However, he also announced tax hikes and a more austere approach to public spending to fix the public finances and the country's economic policy reputation after former prime minister Liz Truss's controversial "mini-budget". "There is no question that the retail sector will face unprecedented challenges in 2023," said Lisa Hooker, industry leader for consumer markets at PwC. Britain's biggest supermarket group Tesco (TSCO.L) on Wednesday reported a sharp rise in the number of shoppers looking for "reduced to clear" food.

☆ UK should consider interest cut on banks' BoE reserves - former deputy governor
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Britain should consider changing the Bank of England's policy of paying interest to banks on the reserves they hold there, former BoE deputy governor Charlie Bean said on Tuesday. Banks are paid interest on the reserves at whatever is the BoE's current interest rate - just 0.1% a year ago, but 2.25% now and set to rise further. Those flows have reversed: now the government foots the bill for any losses the BoE makes as it pays higher interest on bank reserves issued for its QE programme. BoE Governor Andrew Bailey has said the current system is essential to transmit changes in the BoE's official interest rate through to the wider economy. However Tucker, who was deputy governor from 2009 to 2013 and is now a researcher at Harvard University, said similar effects could be achieved by paying interest on just 100 billion pounds of reserves.

☆ Threats against judges skyrocketed during the Trump era, and experts are now fearing for the worst
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Federal judges involved in matters related to the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago have also faced threats. The number of logged threats to judges and other officials nearly doubled early in the Trump era. He's a hater," Trump said of Judge Gonzalo Curiel, a 2012 appointee to the federal trial court in San Diego. But, as the threats to the federal judges in South Florida showed, the trend is extending down through the lower courts. It declined to give a broader assessment for the increase in threats to judges and other Marshals Service protectees.

☆ UK gilts jump as Rishi Sunak emerges victorious in PM race
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - British government bond prices rose sharply on Monday as former finance minister Rishi Sunak cruised to victory in the race to succeed Liz Truss as prime minister, removing at least one source of uncertainty for bond investors. Sunak's rivals, former prime minister Boris Johnson and cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt, dropped out of the Conservative Party leadership race on Sunday and Monday. Gilt jumped briefly on the news that Sunak, a former finance minister, had won the contest. "The fall in gilt yields on the news today that Rishi Sunak will become the UK's next Prime Minister has reduced the chances of a significant fiscal consolidation," said Ruth Gregory, economist at consultancy Capital Economics. The spread between 10-year German and British government bond yields narrowed sharply to 146 bps, after rising above 165 bps on Friday.

☆ UK gilts rise but week of uncertainty beckons as Truss quits
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Investors further scaled back their bets on an outsized 1% point interest rate hike next month by the Bank of England. Deputy Governor Ben Broadbent questioned aggressive pricing in markets of future rate hikes in a speech earlier on Thursday. Twenty- and 30-year gilt yields , which had fallen as much as 13 basis points (bps) earlier in the day, were down 7 bps as of 1442 GMT. "UK financial market reaction to Liz Truss's resignation today has been fairly sanguine," said Daniel Mahoney, an economist at Handelsbanken. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Andy Bruce Editing by William SchombergOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK gilt yields rise as BoE pooh-poohs report of delay to bond sales
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The FT said the BoE would probably push back the start of its gilt sales from its latest scheduled date of Oct. 31, having already delayed it from an original date of Oct. 6. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"This morning's FT report that the BoE has decided to delay MPC gilt sales ('QT') is inaccurate," a spokesperson for the central bank said. Twenty- and 30-year gilt yields , were up by less, around 4 bps on the day. The two-year yield , which is most sensitive to short-term moves by the central bank, showed the biggest rise, up 13 bps on the day. British government bond yields soared in recent weeks after the government of new Prime Minister Liz Truss announced a string of unfunded tax cuts.

☆ UK business confidence withers away, surveys show
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Confidence among British businesses has dropped precipitously, damaged by a toxic combination of rising costs and economic turmoil, surveys showed on Wednesday. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), a trade body, said its latest small business confidence index fell to -35.9 from -24.7, the worst reading outside of COVID-19 lockdowns. The surveys underline the threat of recession and scale of the task facing new finance minister Jeremy Hunt in turning Britain's economy around. "Recent political and economic turmoil hasn't helped, which is why it is vital the government focuses on stability," said FSB national chair Martin McTague. The FSB said 68% of small businesses had raised pay over the last year, with wage increases averaging 4.5%.

☆ UK gilts rally ahead of expected new U-turn on fiscal plans
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Long-dated British government bonds rallied on Monday ahead of a statement from new finance minister Jeremy Hunt who is expected to reverse swathes of Prime Minister Liz Truss's economic growth plan which triggered a market rout. Yields on 20- and 30-year gilts slid by around 34 basis points in early trade, reversing most of their sharp rises seen on Friday when a statement by Truss failed to reassure investors about the government's fiscal plans. Gilt yields remain well above their levels seen before former finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng announced Truss's growth agenda on Sept. 23 - a measure of the deficit in investor confidence that Hunt must now address. "It would take an almighty fiscal tightening package to convince the market that a) the fiscal path is now sustainable and b) that Bank of England hiking risk is reduced," said Antoine Bouvet, rates strategist at ING. BoE Governor Andrew Bailey said on Saturday: "As things stand today, my best guess is that inflationary pressures will require a stronger response than we perhaps thought in August."

☆ UK housing market shows strains from "mini-budget": Rightmove
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Britain's housing market lost momentum this month after Prime Minister Liz Truss's economic plans upset financial markets and triggered a repricing of the mortgage market, data from property website Rightmove showed on Monday. Asking prices for homes coming to the market rose by 7.8% year-on-year in October, the smallest increase since January. The turmoil meant some institutions temporarily stopped selling mortgages to new customers, while others ramped up repayment rates for new loans. Rightmove reported a rush of buyers trying to complete sales before mortgage offers fixed at prior lower repayment rates expired. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Andy Bruce Editing by William SchombergOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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