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LONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose for a second session on Friday, buoyed by stronger than expected U.S. economic growth, strong middle distillate refining margins and hopes of a rapid recovery in Chinese demand. OPEC+ delegates meet next week to review crude production levels, with sources from the oil producer group expecting no change to current output policy. "The positive batch of data gave oil prices a lift," said PVM analyst Stephen Brennock. Gains on U.S. crude were capped by a 4.2 million barrel build in stocks at Cushing, the pricing hub for NYMEX oil futures, this week. Reporting by Shadia Nasralla Additional reporting by Sudarshan Varadhan in Singapore Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON — Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh said the Supreme Court is not as divided as members of the public might think, praising his liberal colleagues and highlighting rulings in which the justices were not divided on ideological lines during a recent public appearance. Kavanaugh had special praise for the late liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the recently retired liberal Justice Stephen Breyer and Breyer’s successor, liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, saying she “has hit the ground running" and is "thoroughly prepared." Ginsburg and Breyer "couldn't have been better at welcoming me to the court," Kavanaugh said, referring to his nomination by then-President Donald Trump in 2018. Kavanaugh this week appeared eager to counter any perceptions that the court is usually divided on ideological lines, pointing out several cases in which he had joined liberal justices in 5-4 decisions. Statistics compiled for the SCOTUSblog legal website showed, however, that in the previous court term only 29 percent of the decisions were unanimous, lower than at any time in the past two decades.

☆ Brett Kavanaugh praises newcomer Ketanji Brown Jackson as a 'thoroughly prepared' justice who's 'off to a great start'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Justice Brett Kavanaugh praised fellow Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. "She's off to a great start," Kavanaugh said of the newest member of the Supreme Court. "She's off to a great start," Kavanaugh continued, adding that Jackson "hit the ground running" and fits in well with the group. Jackson, who's seated next to Kavanaugh on the bench, has received widespread attention in the legal world less than four months into her tenure at the Supreme Court. I'm optimistic about the court, I'm optimistic about the country, I'm optimistic about my colleagues."

☆ Elon Musk calmed anxious Tesla investors by acting like a normal CEO for once
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Investors went into Tesla's earnings announcement Wednesday feeling trepidation, especially given signs the CEO was distracted by a series of gaffes at Twitter. But Musk quelled these fears with solid fourth-quarter results, a confident outlook for the year, and a dose of normalcy. Musk addresses demand worriesOn a call with investors following fourth quarter results, Musk addressed the demand worries head-on. "Tesla investors were worried that Musk wasn't focused," Beck told Insider. But investors left the earnings call yesterday reassured that Musk can manage both companies at once, said Darrell Martin, CEO of Apex Trader Funding.

☆ CEO Satya Nadella prepares Microsoft for an epic bounce-back
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Jumpman, jumpman, jumpman, Nadella's up to something (cloud). Microsoft reported earnings on Tuesday, and its cloud growth is slowing down. But CEO Satya Nadella shared his plan for how Microsoft can rebound with the economy. But Microsoft sees this as an opportunity to assist customers with stretching their IT dollars. Email dsiu@insider.com or tweet @diamondnagasiu) Edited by Matt Weinberger (tweet @gamoid) in San Francisco and Hallam Bullock (tweet @hallam_bullock) in London.

☆ Oil slips as U.S. inventory rise offsets China hopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The price of crude has rallied this year on the ending of China's COVID controls and hopes that the rise in U.S. interest rates will soon taper off. Still, some analysts said the speed of China's actual demand rebound looks uncertain. "Whether or not oil prices can resume their march higher will depend on how quickly China's crude demand bounces back this quarter," said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM. An OPEC+ panel is likely to endorse the group's current policy at a Feb. 1 meeting, five OPEC+ sources said on Tuesday. OPEC+ in October decided to trim output by 2 million barrels per day from November through 2023 on a weaker economic outlook.

☆ BoC to raise rates by 25 bps to peak of 4.50% on Jan. 25
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Swathi Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A strong majority of 90% of economists, 26 of 29, expected a quarter-point rise on Jan. 25 to 4.50%, according to a Jan. 17-20 Reuters poll, in line with interest rate futures. The BoC has hiked rates by a cumulative 400 basis points since March 2022. "Rather than raise interest rates much further, the bigger risk to our policy rate forecasts is that the Bank will probably keep rates high for longer than we currently assume." The BoC is then expected to keep its overnight rate on hold at 4.50% for the remainder of the year, poll medians showed. That is in line with a recent BoC survey which showed most firms now think a recession is likely.

The report said investigators interviewed 97 court employees but was silent on whether the nine justices who sat on the court at the time of the leak were interviewed, prompting calls from Democratic lawmakers and others for clarity. "During the course of the investigation, I spoke with each of the justices, several on multiple occasions," Curley said in the statement, released by the court. "I followed up on all credible leads, none of which implicated the justices or their spouses," Curley added. Curley said on that basis she decided it was not necessary to ask the justices to sign sworn affidavits affirming they did not leak the draft, something court employees were required to do. Gabe Roth, executive director of the court reform group Fix the Court, said the fact that the report initially omitted the fact that the justices were interviewed "smells fishy."

Summary China's reopening set to drive record 2023 oil demand -IEAChinese oil demand to rebound in 2023 -OPECRecord U.S. shale oil output seen in Feb -EIAAPI reports due at 4.30 p.m. ET (2130 GMT)LONDON, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Wednesday to their highest since early December on optimism that the lifting of China's strict COVID-19 curbs will lead to a fuel demand recovery in the world's top oil importer. China's economic growth slowed sharply to 3% in 2022, missing the official target of "around 5.5%" and marking its second-worst performance since 1976. Analysts polled by Reuters see 2023 growth rebounding to 4.9%. But OPEC kept its 2023 global demand growth forecast unchanged.

Brent futures rose 72 cents, or 0.8%, to $86.64 a barrel by 11:46 a.m. EST (1646 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 94 cents, or 1.2%, to $81.12. But the data still beat analysts' forecasts after China started rolling back its zero-COVID policy in early December. The lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in China is set to boost global oil demand to a record high this year, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), while price cap sanctions on Russia could dent supply. A report showing U.S. retail sales fell more than expected in December provided some counterintuitive support for oil prices. A weaker dollar can boost demand for oil, as dollar-denominated commodities become cheaper for holders of other currencies.

☆ Is Canadian inflation on a sustainable path to 2%? Essentials offer clues
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Fergal Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Canada's consumer price index report for December, due on Tuesday, is expected to show headline inflation cooling to 6.3%, its lowest annual rate since last February, from 6.8% in November. If inflation expectations rise, it could push up wage demands, particularly in a tight labor market, leading to further price pressures. "One eye is on wage growth, which is strong but not too bad at the moment, but then this other idea (which is) on the price inflation for essentials that could keep wage demands high, as it affects inflation expectations." "If inflation slows and wage growth doesn't, then wages become more of a tailwind for inflation going forward. "What we really need to see in December is weaker price growth across the board."

☆ Steve Bannon has ghosted his 'We Build The Wall' defense lawyers for months in what prosecutors calls a delay tactic
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Steve Bannon was in Manhattan court Thursday for a hearing in his border wall charity scam case. His lawyers told the judge that Bannon has refused to talk to them for months. David Schoen, one of Bannon's current lawyers, asked the judge to let him and another lawyer, John Mitchell, stop representing Bannon immediately. At the court conference, Schoen told Judge Juan Merchan that Bannon was no longer speaking with him or Mitchell. Merchan said the Manhattan District Attorney's office should "set aside" discovery evidence for whichever lawyers Bannon hired.

☆ Morgan Stanley says these 'standout names' take sustainability seriously — and have upside to boot
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Embracing sustainability doesn't have to come at the expense of financial performance — Morgan Stanley named several European companies it says have managed to show just that. These stocks are rated overweight and have average upside of around 20% to 35%, the bank added. Morgan Stanley described the company as a "global leader" in cement decarbonization, and its "ambitious" medium-term decarbonization target puts it in a "league of its own." Morgan Stanley also named German utility firm RWE on its list. The bank estimates that RWE will achieve around 16 billion euros ($17 billion) of free cash flow in 2023.

For the week, both Brent and WTI were down over 8%, their biggest weekly dives to start the year since 2016. "The oil market might be regaining some composure following the bloodbath earlier this week, but the upside potential remains limited, at least in the near term. That U.S. jobs report caused the U.S. dollar to rally as investors bet that inflation is easing and the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) need not be as aggressive as some feared. A weaker dollar can boost demand for oil, as dollar-denominated commodities become cheaper for holders of other currencies. Stock markets in China, the world's largest crude oil importer, logged a five-day winning streak on Friday on investors' expectations that the Chinese economy would soon emerge from its COVID woes and stage a robust recovery in 2023.

☆ Justice Jackson working on a memoir, titled ‘Lovely One’
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is working on a memoir. Jackson, the first Black woman appointed to the court, is calling the book “Lovely One.”“Mine has been an unlikely journey,” Jackson said in a statement released Thursday by Random House. This memoir marries the public record of my life with what is less known. Jackson joined the court last year after President Joe Biden named her to succeed the retiring Stephen Breyer. Justice Amy Coney Barrett has a deal with the Penguin Random House imprint Sentinel.

☆ Morgan Stanley sees these names rebounding after heavy tax-loss selling at the end of 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

With a new year underway, there's an opportunity to scoop up some names that investors sold to save on taxes in 2022, according to Morgan Stanley. In fact, Morgan Stanley fielded more inquiries on tax-loss selling strategies in 2022 than in any other year, analyst Todd Castagno wrote in a note Friday. Morgan Stanley looked for those popular stocks that have derated but may be repurchased once the tax loss is realized. Plug Power has the most upside to Morgan Stanley's price target — a whopping 288%. Morgan Stanley named the solar energy company a top pick after the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law in August.

☆ Did we get Egyptian mummification totally wrong? It might have nothing to do with preserving the body after death, experts say.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Egyptians may not have used mummification to preserve the body at all, some scientists say. Their aim may have been to turn royal remains into godly statues — preservation was a perk, they say. Instead, the experts say, Egyptians intended to turn their pharaohs into statues, works of art with religious significance. The approach is explored in the upcoming "Golden Mummies of Egypt" exhibition, which opens at the Manchester Museum in February. Manchester Museum/ Julia ThorneStatues were seen by ancient Egyptians as godly.

☆ 3 tips for when your team is stuck and needs to think outside the box
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Cari Jacobs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Using mindfulness and noticing when your team is stuck can help activate expansive thinking. Expansive thinking encourages us to be more creativePolarity-driven thinking keeps us stuck. The simple theory of the Drama Triangle is that each of us plays two of three archetypes that provoke conflict, problems, and anxiety. Encourage them to let go of their "fixed" mindset and ask what archetype they might be playing in the drama triangle. Do it with expansive thinking to guide your way and move out of the contraction most of us live with daily.

☆ It's a myth that ancient Egyptians pulled mummy brains out by the nose — they likely scrambled them instead, says an expert who tried it
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

There's a good chance you were told ancient Egyptians pulled chunks of brains out through the nose. Experiments suggest there was a much easier way to do this: scrambling the brains, an expert said. It's likely embalmers used hooks to liquefy the brains and pour them out, he said. "'Hooking it out in pieces is not particularly efficient/successful," he told Insider in an email. For instance, Pharaoh Thutmose I, Queen Tiye, the main wife of pharaoh Amenhotep III, and Pharaoh Amenhotep I were all found with brain tissue still in place.

October growth slowed compared with September's 0.2% gain, which was an upward revision from a previously reported 0.1% increase, Statistics Canada said. "The real question will be how things shake out during the first half of next year, when aggressive Bank of Canada rate hikes start to more fully work their way through the system," Kavcic said. Canada's annual inflation rate eased to 6.8% in November, but was slightly higher than had been expected because of broad-based price pressures, according to data from earlier this week, leaving the door open for another rate increase in January. The bank has said it will be more data-dependent in setting the policy rate. November's preliminary estimate showing a 0.1% monthly increase in GDP was driven by gains in utilities and wholesale trade, Statscan said.

China, the world's top crude oil importer, is experiencing its first of three expected waves of COVID-19 cases after Beijing relaxed mobility restrictions but said it plans to step up support for the economy in 2023. Brent crude gained 76 cents to settle at $79.80 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 90 cents to $75.19. Oil surged toward its record high of $147 a barrel earlier in the year after Russia invaded Ukraine in February. It has since unwound most of this year's gains as supply concerns were edged out by recession fears. "The prospect of further rate rises will hit economic growth in the new year and in doing so curb demand for oil," said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM.

☆ Oil rises on hopes for China's economy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China, the world's top crude oil importer, is experiencing its first of three expected waves of COVID-19 cases after Beijing relaxed mobility restrictions but said it plans to step up support for the economy in 2023. "There is no doubt that demand is being adversely influenced," said Naeem Aslam, analyst at brokerage Avatrade. Brent crude gained 65 cents, or 0.8%, to $79.69 a barrel by 1248 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 85 cents, or 1.1%, to $75.14. Oil surged towards its record high of $147 a barrel earlier in the year after Russia invaded Ukraine in February. "The prospect of further rate rises will hit economic growth in the new year and in doing so curb demand for oil," said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM.

☆ Oil bounces as China demand hopes offset recession fears
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China, the world's top crude oil importer, is experiencing its first of three expected waves of COVID-19 cases after Beijing relaxed mobility restrictions but plans to step up support for the economy in 2023. Brent crude gained 37 cents, or 0.5%, to $79.41 a barrel by 1100 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 30 cents, or 0.4%, to $74.59. Oil surged towards its record high of $147 a barrel earlier in the year after Russia invaded Ukraine. It has since unwound most of this year's gains as supply concerns were edged out by recession fears, which remain a drag on prices. "The prospect of further rate rises will hit economic growth in the new year and in doing so curb demand for oil," said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM.

☆ Oil prices bounce as China demand hopes offset recession fears
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Reopening of Chinese economy buoys demand hopesRising interest rates and recession fears weighU.S. to begin purchases for strategic reserveLONDON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Monday after tumbling by more than $2 a barrel in the previous session as optimism over the Chinese economy outweighed concern over a global recession. China, the world's top crude oil importer, is experiencing its first of three expected waves of COVID-19 cases after Beijing relaxed mobility restrictions but plans to step up support for the economy in 2023. Despite a surge in COVID cases, optimism over the reopening of the Chinese economy and its accommodative policy improve oil's demand outlook, said CMC Markets analyst Tina Teng. The U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank raised interest rates last week and promised more. "The prospect of further rate rises will hit economic growth in the New Year and in doing so curb demand for oil," said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM.

☆ Fact Check-New ‘Er’ blood group is not proof COVID-19 vaccines alter DNA
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A recently discovered blood group system called Er is not proof that mRNA in COVID-19 vaccines is changing people’s DNA, as some social media users have claimed. Scientists told Reuters that Er has always existed and antigens from the blood group were first discovered more than 40 years ago. New blood group systems have been regularly discovered for decades.”Bailey said: “One of the antigens that make up the blood group system was discovered more than 40 years ago. The existence of the blood group Er does not suggest that mRNA vaccines are changing people’s blood types or DNA. Antigens from the blood group Er were first discovered 40 years ago.

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