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☆ China reports new daily record COVID cases, curbs tighten across country
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, Nov 25 (Reuters) - China on Friday reported another record high of daily COVID-19 infections, as cities across the country enforce measures and curbs to control outbreaks. Excluding imported infections, China reported 32,695 new local cases on Thursday, of which 3,041 were symptomatic and 29,654 were asymptomatic, up from 31,444 a day earlier. China's capital, Beijing, reported 424 symptomatic and 1,436 asymptomatic cases on Thursday, compared with 509 symptomatic and 1,139 asymptomatic cases the previous day, local government data showed. Financial hub Shanghai reported nine symptomatic cases and 77 asymptomatic cases on Thursday, compared with nine symptomatic cases and 58 asymptomatic cases a day before, the local health authority reported. Chongqing reported 258 new symptomatic locally transmitted COVID-19 infections and 6,242 asymptomatic cases for Thursday, compared with 409 symptomatic and 7,437 asymptomatic cases the previous day, local government authorities said.

☆ China reports 32,943 new COVID cases for Nov 24 vs 31,656 a day earlier
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SHANGHAI, Nov 25 (Reuters) - China reported 32,943 new COVID-19 infections on Nov. 24, of which 3,103 were symptomatic and 29,840 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Friday. That compared with 31,656 new cases a day earlier – 4,010 symptomatic and 27,646 asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately. Excluding imported infections, China reported 32,695 new local cases, of which 3,041 were symptomatic and 29,654 were asymptomatic, up from 31,144 a day earlier. As of Nov. 24, mainland China had confirmed 300,619 cases with symptoms. Reporting by Shanghai newsroom; Writing by Bernard Orr; Editing by Shri NavaratnamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China COVID infections hit record as economic outlook darkens
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING, Nov 24 (Reuters) - China reported a record high number of COVID-19 infections on Thursday, with cities nationwide imposing localised lockdowns and other curbs that are darkening the outlook for the world's second largest economy. The brokerage cut its GDP forecast for the fourth quarter to 2.4% year-over-year from 2.8%, and also cut its forecast for full-year growth to 2.8% from 2.9%. China recorded 31,444 new local COVID cases for Wednesday, breaking the record set on April 13, when Shanghai was in a city-wide lockdown that would last two months. China stocks fell on Thursday as concerns over the record-high caseload overshadowed optimism from fresh economic stimulus. The bank has also lowered its GDP growth forecast for next year to 4.0% from 4.3%.

☆ We are unambiguously contractionary in our monetary position, says RBNZ
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWe are unambiguously contractionary in our monetary position, says RBNZAdrian Orr of Reserve Bank of New Zealand discusses its biggest-ever rate hike of 75 basis points.

☆ China's daily COVID cases hit record high
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Excluding imported cases, the number of new local cases was 31,444 on Nov. 23, of which 3,927 were symptomatic and 27,517 were asymptomatic, health authorities said on Thursday. That number broke the previous record set on April 13, when local cases hit 29,317. China's capital Beijing reported 509 symptomatic new locally transmitted COVID-19 infections and 1,139 asymptomatic cases for Nov. 23, local government data showed, compared with 388 symptomatic and 1,098 asymptomatic cases the day before. Financial hub Shanghai reported nine symptomatic cases and 58 asymptomatic cases, compared with 15 symptomatic cases and 53 asymptomatic cases a day before, the local health authority reported. Chongqing reported 409 new symptomatic locally transmitted COVID-19 infections and 7,437 asymptomatic cases, compared with 215 symptomatic and 6,728 asymptomatic cases the previous day, local government authorities said.

☆ RBNZ Governor says central bank policy now officially contractionary
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, Nov 24 (Reuters) - New Zealand's central bank governor said on Thursday benchmark interest rates needed to go higher and the country also needed to go into recession to get spiralling inflation under control, which would mean pain for some home owners. As we've said before, inflation is no one's friend and causes economic costs," Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) Governor Adrian Orr told a committee at parliament. New Zealand's central bank raised its official cash rate by a record 75 basis points to a near 14-year peak of 4.25% on Wednesday as it struggles to contain inflation near three-decade high. The central bank surprised the market with its hawkish tone and forecast that rates would now peak at 5.5%, compared with a previous forecast of 4.1%. He added that the central bank committee realised it need to do more and sooner to break that spiral.

☆ Shanghai cancels auto event as rising COVID cases add to reopening worries
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The rise in cases is testing China's resolve to stick to recent tweaks recently made to its COVID rules, putting pressure on local authorities to stamp outbreaks without one-size-fits-all measures such as mass lockdowns. Chengdu, with 428 cases on Tuesday, became the latest city to announce mass testing from Nov. 23 to Nov. 27. The capital Beijing, where 1,486 cases breached another daily high, was largely a ghost town with malls, restaurants and parks staying shut. RISING CASES, MASS TESTING - AGAINWhile China's infection numbers are low by global standards, the country continues to stick with its outlier zero-COVID approach, fuelling widespread public frustration and inflicting damage on the world's second-largest economy. Reporting by Beijing and Shanghai newsrooms; Writing by Bernard Orr; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

REUTERS/Thomas PeterBEIJING, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Beijing shut parks and museums on Tuesday while more Chinese cities resumed mass testing for COVID-19, as China fights a fresh nationwide spike in cases that has deepened concerns about its economy. In the capital Beijing, cases have hit a fresh record high, prompting calls for more residents to stay put. There were two new deaths attributed to COVID-19, compared with three over the weekend, which were China's first since May. Beijing reported 1,438 new local cases, up from 962 on Sunday. "Reopening could be back and forth as policymakers may back down after observing rapid increases in cases and social disruptions.

☆ China revises COVID guidelines for entertainment venues
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued the revised guidelines to travel agencies, entertainment and performance venues. A government statement said local administrators should improve the accuracy of their prevention and control measures and should not shut down entertainment venues down at will. The specific measures are mostly in line with China's latest easing of COVID rules, but could be a bright spot for entertainment and tourism firms that have been hammered by a near three-year strict zero-COVID policy. Places such as KTVs, internet cafes and offline board game venues are allowed to operate under normalised COVID prevention rules in low risk regions, which means as long as they apply certain COVID prevention rules, they can open their business as usual, according to the government. Reporting by Albee Zhang, Bernard Orr; Editing by Shri Navaratnam & Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China to speed up vaccinations, build more designated COVID hospitals
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Nov 17 (Reuters) - China plans to speed up COVID-19 vaccinations and will release information to the public in due course, the head of China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. Shen Hongbing made the comments at a regular National Health Commission (NHC) news conference when asked if foreign vaccines would become available. read moreAuthorities highlighted the need to build more designated COVID hospitals and increase the number of beds in intensive care units. "ICU beds need to account for 10% of total beds," NHC official Guo Yanhong said. Several cities where cases are rising like Guangzhou and Beijing are conducting mass-testing but other cities have pulled back on testing.

"It would become a testing point regarding the government’s determination to push for the relaxation of COVID control measures," they said. China reported 17,772 new local COVID-19 infections for Nov. 14, up from 16,072 new cases a day earlier and the most since April, with major cities including Chongqing and Zhengzhou among the worst-hit. On Monday, Beijing's most populous district of Chaoyang, where most of its cases are located, moved some testing sites closer to residential compounds. On Tuesday, state broadcaster CCTV said Chaoyang district was adding more testing sites, including near office buildings. Under China's new rules, testing efforts are to be more targeted, easing what has been a significant financial burden on cities.

☆ China warns against extra 'layers' of COVID curbs as outbreaks widen
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A boy gets tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a nucleic acid testing site, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai, China, November 9, 2022. China is grappling with its highest tallies of coronavirus cases since April, raising questions about its zero-COVID policy that has frustrated the public and inflicted damage on the world's second-largest economy. It cited improvements in the implementation of measures in some major cities such as Zhengzhou, in the central province of Henan. The economic costs of COVID in China, where the virus first emerged in December 2019, are being felt in most sectors. This month, Apple supplier and iPhone assembler Foxconn (2317.TW) was rocked by discontent over stringent COVID measures, with many workers fleeing the site.

☆ China reaffirms zero-COVID stance, city of Guangzhou on edge
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Tony Munroe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] A boy gets tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a nucleic acid testing site, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai, China, November 9, 2022. "As things stand, it is hard to tell whether Guangzhou will repeat the experience of Shanghai in spring this year. If Guangzhou repeats what Shanghai did in spring, it will lead to a new round of pessimism on China," Nomura analysts wrote in a Thursday note. Mason Long, who works for a Guangzhou gaming company, said some residents were bracing for a lockdown, with many leaving the city or planning to. BE MORE TARGETEDIn Beijing, residents of some areas have been asked to get COVID tests every day this week.

☆ New Zealand central bank review supports monetary policy decisions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - The New Zealand central bank's dramatic easing in monetary policy was largely warranted over the COVID-19 pandemic, but with hindsight policy tightening should have occurred earlier in 2021, an internal report released by the central bank on Thursday found. The internal review, which looked at how the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) made decisions about monetary policy in the past five years and what lessons could be learned, found monetary policy decisions were consistent with the data available at the time, while worst case scenarios were avoided. It did find with the benefit of hindsight that monetary policy should have been tightened earlier in 2021 either by lifting the cash rate or reducing asset purchases. New Zealand's central bank started an aggressive tightening cycle in October 2021 and has increased the cash rate in just over a year to 3.5% from 0.25%. Orr said in a statement that the period reviewed had been uniquely challenging and they could learn from the conduct of monetary policy.

☆ China reports 8,335 new COVID cases for Nov 8 vs 7,691 a day earlier
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SHANGHAI, Nov 9 (Reuters) - China reported 8,335 new COVID-19 infections on Nov. 8, of which 1,346 were symptomatic and 6,989 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Wednesday. That is compared with 7,691 new cases a day earlier – 890 symptomatic and 6,801 asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately. China's capital Beijing reported 32 symptomatic and 48 asymptomatic cases, compared with 31 symptomatic and 33 asymptomatic cases the previous day, local government data showed. Financial hub Shanghai reported zero symptomatic cases and four asymptomatic cases, compared with zero symptomatic cases and three asymptomatic cases a day before, the local health authority reported. Guangzhou, also in the south, reported 91 new locally transmitted symptomatic and 2,546 asymptomatic cases, compared with 114 symptomatic and 2,263 asymptomatic cases a day before, authorities in the city of nearly 19 million people said.

The districts in Guangzhou subject to mass testing this week include Haizhu, which has seen the bulk of the city's cases. Lily Li, a Guangzhou resident, said the outbreak in the city had worsened in the past two days, having spread to Tianhe, just north of Haizhu. While COVID cases in China are small by global standards, the policy response has been relentless and mass testing for large populations has been the norm since 2020. Mass testing is generally free, but some local governments are resuming charges for tests as their finances come under strain amid a slowing economy. A COVID testing company in Xuchang, a city in Henan province, said on Tuesday they would stop all testing-related work from Friday due to late payments from authorities.

Yet the situation is not dire: tech job postings rose over 3% from September to October, data shows. In the tech industry, as of October, the unemployment rate stood at 2.2%, whereas the national unemployment rate was 3.7%. Andrew Flowers, the lead labor economist at Appcast, a software company that helps companies with their recruiting, said his "sense is that these factors hurt tech companies but not tech workers." "The outlook for tech occupations is much stronger than the outlook for the tech industry," he said. Artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and cloud-computing skills are the top in-demand skills in the tech industry, according to a September analysis by Indeed.

☆ Factbox: U.S. midterm elections: The race for control of the Senate
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Cheney OrrWASHINGTON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Americans cast ballots on Tuesday in midterm elections that will determine whether President Joe Biden's Democrats keep control of the U.S. Senate, as 35 of its 100 seats are up for grabs. ET (0011 GMT, Nov. 9)Edison Research provides exit polling and vote count data to the National Election Pool, a consortium consisting of ABC News, CBS News, CNN and NBC News. Reuters has an agreement with NEP/Edison to distribute exit polling and vote count data to clients. The Associated Press has a separate polling and vote count operation and makes its own projections. Fox News relies on data from the AP and the University of Chicago's NORC to inform its projections.

☆ China reports 7,691 new COVID cases for Nov 7 vs 5,643 a day earlier
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SHANGHAI, Nov 8 (Reuters) - China reported 7,691 new COVID-19 infections on Nov. 7, of which 890 were symptomatic and 6,801 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Tuesday. That is compared with 5,643 new cases a day earlier – 569 symptomatic and 5,074 asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately. China's capital Beijing reported 31 symptomatic and 33 asymptomatic cases, compared with 41 symptomatic and 18 asymptomatic cases the previous day, local government data showed. Financial hub Shanghai reported no symptomatic cases and three asymptomatic cases, compared with zero symptomatic cases and two asymptomatic cases a day before, the local health authority reported. Guangzhou, also in the south, reported 114 new locally transmitted symptomatic and 2,263 asymptomatic cases, compared with 122 symptomatic and 1,813 asymptomatic cases a day before, authorities in the city of nearly 19 million people said.

☆ Guangzhou's COVID outbreak deepens as more lockdowns loom in China
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The increase was modest by global standards but significant for China, where outbreaks are quickly tackled when they surface. Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, reported 2,377 new local cases for Nov. 7, up from 1,971 the previous day. "The lockdown situation has continued to deteriorate quickly across the country over the past week, with our in-house China COVID lockdown index rising to 12.2% of China's total GDP from 9.5% last Monday," Nomura wrote in a note on Monday. "We continue to believe that, while Beijing may fine-tune some of its COVID measures in coming weeks, those fine-tuning measures could be more than offset by local officials' tightening of the zero-COVID strategy." In the southwest metropolis of Chongqing, the city reported 281 new local cases, more than doubling from 120 a day earlier.

Nov 8 (Reuters) - Thirty-six of the 50 states are electing governors in Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections. Crist is a former Republican governor who switched parties and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat. MAINERecent opinion polls show Maine Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, leading her Republican opponent, Paul LePage, who served as governor of the state from 2011 to 2019. NEVADA[1/6] Campaign signs for Georgia Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Herschel Walker and Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp are seen defaced during the midterm elections in Columbus, Georgia, U.S., November 8, 2022. Although Trump endorsed him, Lombardo has sought to distance himself from the former president, accepting the 2020 elections results as legitimate.

[1/3] Eliza Luna, a ballot designer with the Maricopa County Elections Department, counts ballots for the Arizona Presidential Preference Election at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., March 17, 2020. Between July 11 and Aug. 22, the county election office documented at least 140 threats and other hostile communications, the records show. Maricopa officials appeared at times overwhelmed by threatening posts on social media and right-wing message boards calling for workers to be executed or hung. Eight people face federal charges for threats, including two who targeted Maricopa County officials. The county election director had instructed him to shut down the server for delivery to the Arizona State Senate in response to a subpoena.

☆ China COVID cases surge to 6-month high as tensions in affected cities build
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Almost three years into the pandemic, China has stuck to a strict COVID-19 containment policy that has caused mounting economic damage and widespread frustration. Curbs and lockdowns became more frequent with the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron strain. China has yet to describe when or how it will begin to exit from its current approach. Earlier this week, Chinese shares jumped after rumours that China was planning a reopening from strict COVID curbs in March. Domestic tensions have steadily built this year as the endless curbs, restrictions and lockdowns fuelled unhappiness.

☆ New Zealand central bank can get inflation under control: RBNZ governor
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - New Zealand central bank Governor Adrian Orr said on Thursday he was confident the central bank can get inflation under control as the country battles a tight labour market. Inflation in New Zealand is currently sitting at 7.2%, well above the bank's target of 1% to 3%. Orr said the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) has a "laser-like" focus on controlling inflation. A tight labour market saw wage inflation in the third-quarter rise to the highest level since the survey began in 1993. Orr added that the tight labour market was also the biggest constraint on businesses in New Zealand.

☆ Shanghai Disney visitors told to stay home after COVID case, Foxconn ups bonuses
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SHANGHAI, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Several Shanghai residents received fresh stay-at-home orders and mandatory testing notices on Tuesday as authorities raced to trace contacts linked to a COVID-positive woman whose visit to the city's Disney Resort prompted its temporary lockdown. The Shanghai Disney Resort on Monday abruptly shut its gates, locking in all visitors at the time and only allowing them to leave, hours later, after they had tested negative for the virus. Marvis He was among Disney visitors caught up in the resort's lockdown, having flown in from Shenzhen in hopes of enjoying the park's Halloween themed fireworks. Foxconn has been one of the biggest corporate names affected by a quasi-lockdown of Zhengzhou, a major logistics hub in central China. In recent days, videos appearing to show departing Foxconn workers laden with luggage and walking along village roads towards their home towns have gone viral on Chinese social media.

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