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☆ Australian shoppers tempted by special offers in May
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, June 29 (Reuters) - Australian retail spending rebounded in May as consumers were tempted by online sales events and promotional discounting, a sign of resilience in consumption that might add to the case for another rise in interest rates. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Thursday showed nominal retail sales rose 0.7% in May from April, when they were flat, handily beating forecasts of 0.1%. The ABS noted an early start to some end of financial year sales events boosted turnover, along with Mother’s Day and a popular "Click Frenzy Mayhem" event. However, service sector inflation remained uncomfortably high and could easily be used to justify a tightening if the RBA board felt it necessary. ($1 = 1.5103 Australian dollars)Reporting by Wayne Cole; Editing by Christopher Cushing, Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ben Dorber, Stephen Wu, Wayne Cole, Christopher Cushing, Robert Birsel Organizations: SYDNEY, Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS, Mother’s, Reserve Bank of Australia, CPI, CBA, Thomson

☆ Asian shares subdued, yen and yuan hover near 8-mth troughs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) was flat, while markets in Singapore, India and Malaysia are closed for holidays. Japan's Nikkei (.N225), however, gained 1% and was headed for a monthly rise of 8.5% and a quarterly jump of 19%. The offshore yuan hovered near an eight-month trough at 7.24 per dollar on Thursday, after the central bank fixed the daily guidance at the weakest level since November. European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, on the other hand, cemented expectations for a ninth consecutive rise in euro zone rates in July. U.S. crude futures were little changed at 69.55 per barrel, and Brent crude was down 0.1% at $74.00 per barrel.

Persons: HSI, Jerome Powell, Stephen Wu, Christine Lagarde, Kazuo Ueda, Mark McCormick, hawkish, Powell, Brent, Stella Qiu, Lincoln Organizations: SYDNEY, Japan's Nikkei, Nasdaq, Apple, Dow, Micron Technology, European Central Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, ECB, Bank of Japan, U.S, Reuters, TD Securities, Thomson Locations: Asia, Pacific, Japan, Singapore, India, Malaysia

☆ Nuclear fusion will not be regulated the same way as nuclear fission — a big win for the fusion industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The top regulatory agency for nuclear materials safety in the U.S. voted unanimously to regulate the burgeoning fusion industry differently than the nuclear fission industry, and fusion startups are celebrating that as a major win. As a result, some provisions specific to fission reactors, like requiring funding to cover claims from nuclear meltdowns, won't apply to fusion plants. Other differences include looser requirements around foreign ownership of nuclear fusion plants, and the dispensing of mandatory hearings at the federal level during the licensing process, Holland said. The electricity generated by nuclear fission is considered clean energy by the U.S. Department of Energy because it generates no greenhouse gas emissions. And these reactors deliver massive quantities of power: Half of the carbon-free energy generated in the U.S. comes from nuclear fission reactors.

☆ Asian shares subdued, dollar steady, focus on U.S. CPI data
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Asian equities edged higher on Wednesday, while the dollar steadied as investors braced for U.S. inflation data that will influence the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy. JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon said heightened economic uncertainties might encourage the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates to 5%. In the foreign exchange market, the Australian dollar was 0.3% higher after data showed the annual pace of inflation had increased to 7.3% in November. The dollar index , which measures the dollar against six major currencies, rose 0.058% to 103.31, hovering close to seven-month low. The two-year U.S. Treasury yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations, was down 1.7 basis points at 4.241%.

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