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☆ India's NDTV says president, other senior execs resign
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NDTV's chief strategy officer, Arijit Chatterjee, and chief technology and product officer, Kawaljit Singh Bedi, also quit, resignations that come after founders Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy left the company's board in December. NDTV made several failed attempts to block the takeover, citing regulatory restrictions on moving shares. The ports-to-energy conglomerate's takeover had stoked fears over the freedom of the press among some journalists and led to Ravish Kumar, a senior executive editor at NDTV, resigning soon after Adani acquired its stake. While announcing the latest set of resignations, NDTV, in a regulatory filing, said, "The company is in the process of putting up a new leadership team which will set a fresh strategic direction and goals for the company." (This story has been refiled to correct the typographical error in the fourth paragraph)Reporting by Chris Thomas in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bed Bath & Beyond in talks with Sycamore Partners for sale of assets - NYT
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Bed Bath & Beyond said it does not "comment on speculation of this nature" and reiterated a previous statement that it was exploring multiple paths. Sycamore Partners declined to comment. Shares of Bed Bath & Beyond were down about 4% at $5.02 in morning trading amid weakness in the broader market. The Union, New Jersey-based company had earlier considered selling its buybuy Baby stores after shareholder pressure, but held off on hopes it could fetch a higher price later, Reuters reported. The company's buybuy Baby chain, which sells products for infants and toddlers, helped Bed Bath & Beyond obtain a loan worth $375 million last year.

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☆ Microsoft in talks to invest $10 bln in ChatGPT-owner OpenAI, Semafor reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 10 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) is in talks to invest $10 billion in ChatGPT-owner OpenAI as part of funding that will value the firm at $29 billion, Semafor reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. The software giant had in 2019 invested $1 billion in OpenAI, founded by Elon Musk and Sam Altman. Microsoft last year unveiled plans to integrate image-generation software from OpenAI into its search engine Bing. According to Semafor, Microsoft will also get 75% of OpenAI's profits until it recoups its initial investment. After hitting that threshold, Microsoft would have a 49% stake in OpenAI, with other investors taking another 49% and OpenAI's nonprofit parent getting 2%, Semafor said.

☆ Microsoft in talks to invest $10 bln in ChatGPT owner -Semafor
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) is said to be in talks to invest $10 billion into OpenAI, the owner of ChatGPT, Semafor reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. The funding includes other venture firms and will value San Francisco-based OpenAI at $29 billion, the report said. OpenAI made the ChatGPT chatbot available for free public testing on Nov. 30. A chatbot is a software application designed to mimic human-like conversation based on user prompts. Reporting by Aarati Krishna in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ AstraZeneca to buy U.S.-based CinCor Pharma in $1.8 bln deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Jan 9 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca (AZN.L) said on Monday it will buy U.S.-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical firm CinCor Pharma Inc (CINC.O) in a deal valued at about $1.8 billion to strengthen its pipeline of heart and kidney drugs. AstraZeneca said it will pay $26 per CinCor share in cash, a premium of nearly 121% to the stock's closing price on Friday. The offer also includes a non-tradable contingent value right of $10 per share in cash payable upon a specified regulatory submission of CinCor's baxdrostat, which is being developed to treat cardiorenal diseases. Including this, the offer represent a 206% premium to CinCor's shares close on Friday. Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ocugen-Bharat Biotech COVID vaccine meets main goals in U.S. trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Ocugen Inc (OCGN.O) said on Monday the COVID-19 vaccine developed by its Indian partner Bharat Biotech International Ltd met the main goals of a trial in the United States. The vaccine, sold under brand name Covaxin, showed an immune response in individuals who had not received a COVID vaccine previously as well as those vaccinated with mRNA vaccines by Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and Moderna Inc (MRNA.O), meeting its main goals, Ocugen said. Ocugen did not provide details about its submission to the U.S. FDA for the vaccine. The company is responsible for conducting trials and commercialization of the shot in the United States under a partnership with Bharat Biotech. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had also paused trials of the shot after WHO's inspection of Bharat Biotech's facility.

☆ British PM Sunak revives talks for Arm's London IPO -FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 9 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has revived talks with Japan's SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) regarding a London listing for chip designer Arm Ltd, the Financial Times reported on Monday. Sunak met Arm's Chief Executive Rene Haas last month in Downing Street and Masayoshi Son, the billionaire founder of SoftBank, joined via video, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. The meeting was described as "very constructive" by two people briefed on the matter, and "positive" by another, the FT reported. Arm and SoftBank did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Reporting by Lavanya Ahire in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ INDIA RUPEE Rupee's threat to slip below 83/USD likely nipped by cenbank
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Nimesh Vora | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The rupee closed at 82.8800 per U.S. dollar, down from 82.7375 in the previous session. The local currency on the interbank order matching system fell to 82.9950, prompting state-run banks to sell dollars, likely on behalf of the RBI, three traders told Reuters. The rupee which was anyway under pressure on account of importer hedging was further hurt by the dollar's surge against its major peers. This week's U.S. data will help investors gauge how growth is holding up and the likely path for U.S. interest rates. Meanwhile, it was a choppy session for rupee premiums, with the 1-year implied yield trading in a 1.95% to 2.02% range.

☆ European shares rise with focus on German inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Bansari Mayur Kamdar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The pan-regional STOXX 600 (.STOXX) rose 1.6% in early trading, to its highest level in more than two weeks. Germany's CPI data, due at 1300 GMT, could provide a preview for inflation in the euro zone, with investors waiting to see if cost pressures in the region have weakened after the European Central Bank's aggressive monetary policy tightening. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said inflation was expected to peak at the start of 2023 before then retreating. European stocks ended their first session of the year higher on Monday after euro zone manufacturing data suggested the worst had passed as supply chains begin to recover and inflationary pressures ease. Data on Tuesday also showed material shortages eased further in Germany's manufacturing sector towards the end of the year.

☆ Adani lifts payout for NDTV open offer to match payment to founders
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Adani Enterprises (ADEL.NS) said on Tuesday it will raise the amount it pays New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV.NS) stockholders who tendered their shares in the conglomerate's open offer to match what it paid the news broadcaster's founders for their stake. Adani Enterprises said it will pay an additional 48.65 rupees per NDTV share to investors who sold their shares in an open offer between Nov. 22 and Dec 5, taking the payout to 342.65 rupees per share and matching what it paid NDTV founders Radhika and Prannoy Roy. About 5.3 million shares were tendered in the open offer, at 294 rupees per share, and Indian billionaire Gautam Adani now controls about 65% of NDTV after acquiring a 27.26% stake from the Roys last week, four months after launching his takeover. Founded in 1988 and owned by the husband-and-wife team, NDTV had said the takeover move "was executed without any input from, conversation with, or consent of the NDTV founders". Still, the founders sold a majority of their shares and retained only a 5% stake.

☆ European shares start 2023 on upbeat note on encouraging factory data
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Bansari Mayur Kamdar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The pan-regional STOXX 600 (.STOXX) rose 0.8%, supported by consumer discretionary stocks. "With 10-year bund yields above 2.50%, relaxed year-end trading and the probable drop in HICP inflation are raising hopes for an upbeat start into the year," Commerzbank Research analysts said in a note, referring to the euro zone consumer prices inflation data due later this week. Rate-sensitive technology stocks (.SX8P), among the worst-performing shares last year, rose 1.5% on the day, despite more hawkish signals from the European Central Bank. Bond yields of Europe's largest economy, Germany, dropped from their highest levels in more than a decade as investors braced for inflation data this week. The German DAX (.GDAXI) gained 1.0%, while other European exchanges also started the year on a positive note.

☆ Rupee gains on speculators bets, lack of cash dollar demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Nimesh Vora | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Jan 2 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee was trading higher against the U.S. dollar on Monday, helped by likely position building and lack of cash dollar demand, traders said. The rupee was at 82.5750 per U.S. dollar by 10:50 a.m. IST, compared with 82.72 in the previous session. The U.S. holiday means there is no cash dollar demand and then our (dollar) sell-side order book is a bit active, said a spot trader at a private bank. The rupee, this week, will take cues from the response of the dollar and Treasury yields to a string of U.S. data. The USD/INR forward premiums extended their recent slide, with the 1-year implied yield falling to near 2%.

☆ INDIA RUPEE Rupee to open flat; volatility tipped to rise later in Jan
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Nimesh Vora | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Jan 2 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee is tipped to open little changed against the U.S. dollar on Monday, with traders assessing the outlook for the local currency after a difficult year. The rupee is expected at around 82.70-82.75 per dollar at the open, compared to 82.72 in the previous session. We anticipate an increase in volatility later this month on new positions and flows and before India's budget, the trader said. At the open, the rupee will have to contend with the 3% jump in Brent crude futures on Friday. The dollar index was little changed, at around 103.5, to begin the week.

☆ Crypto exchange Kraken to stop operations in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 28 (Reuters) - U.S.-based crypto exchange Kraken said on Wednesday it would cease its operations in Japan next month, citing the current market conditions in the country and a weak crypto market globally. Kraken will deregister from the Financial Services Agency (JFSA) as of Jan. 31, by which time clients would have to withdraw their fiat and crypto holdings, it said in a statement. Kraken said it is fully funded to ensure that all affected clients could withdraw their assets in a timely manner. Last month, Kraken said it would reduce its workforce by 30%, or about 1,100 employees, as tough market conditions had crippled demand for digital assets. Bitcoin, the pre-eminent cryptocurrency, has lost 60% of its value this year, while the wider crypto market has shrunk by $1.4 trillion, squashed by the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX empire, Celsius and supposed 'stablecoins' terraUSD and Luna.

☆ Indian banks may need to lift deposit rates as credit demand surges - RBI report
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Siddhi Nayak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

While banks have swiftly transmitted the hikes to their lending rates, deposit rates have been laggards for most. To fund this credit growth, banks are mobilising deposits at a faster pace amid tight banking system liquidity in recent weeks. The transmission repo rate increase during May-October to deposit rates is likely to provide a "fillip" to deposit growth rates, the report said. The RBI said it was imperative that banks ensure due diligence and robust credit appraisal to limit credit risk. "The uncertainties characterising fast-changing macroeconomic scenario amidst formidable global headwinds during 2022-23 can pose new challenges to the banking sector," the RBI said.

☆ Japan's Inpex signs 20-year LNG deal with Venture Global
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SINGAPORE, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Inpex Corp (1605.T), Japan's biggest oil and gas explorer, said on Tuesday that it has signed a long-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) sales and purchase agreement with U.S.-based Venture Global LNG. Under the agreement, Inpex will buy one million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG for 20 years on a free-on-board basis, Inpex said in a statement. The agreement was signed between the subsidiaries of the two companies, INPEX Energy Trading Singapore Pte Ltd (IETS) and Venture Global CP2 LNG LLC. IETS will buy the LNG from Venture Global LNG's CP2 LNG project in Louisiana, which is expected to begin construction in 2023, according to Inpex's statement. The LNG will be delivered to INPEX's Naoetsu LNG terminal and other terminals in Japan.

☆ Indian shares snap four-day losing streak; Nifty 50 back above 18,000
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Indian shares rose for the first time in five days in a low-volume session on Monday, with the benchmark Nifty 50 reclaiming the key 18,000 level, as risk assets were boosted after mixed U.S. data bolstered bets of smaller Federal Reserve rate hikes. The Nifty 50 index (.NSEI) closed 1.17% higher at 18,014.60, and the S&P BSE Sensex (.BSESN) gained 1.20% to 60,566.42, marking their biggest daily gain since Nov. 24. The Nifty fell 3.3% in the previous four sessions, slipping below the psychologically key 18,000 mark on Friday. Forty of the Nifty 50 constituents advanced, as did most of the major sectoral indexes. Reporting by Bharath Rajeswaran in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Eileen SorengOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India's NDTV shares rise as founders plan to sell stake to Adani
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

After the deal, the Indian conglomerate, led by billionaire Gautam Adani, will control 64.71% of NDTV, while the founders will retain a combined 5%. Over the last four quarters, the broadcaster raked in revenues in the range of 900 million rupees ($10.88 million) to 1.20 billion rupees. In comparison, rival TV18 Broadcast Ltd (TVEB.NS) has amassed revenues in the range of 12.7 billion rupees to 15.7 billion rupees. Both NDTV and TV18 had flagged reducing ad revenues in the September quarter. Shares of NDTV were last up 2.4% at 348.70 rupees, which was at a discount to the 368.43 rupees per share at which the Roys sold their stake.

☆ Indian shares snap four-day losing run in low-volume session
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Indian shares rose for the first time in five days in a low-volume session on Monday, with the rebound helped by mixed U.S. data that bolstered bets of smaller interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. The Nifty 50 index (.NSEI) was up 1.08% at 17,999.85 by midday, and the S&P BSE Sensex (.BSESN) gained 1.08% to 60,494.09. The Nifty fell 3.3% in the previous four sessions and dropped below the psychologically key 18,0000 mark on Friday. Banking stocks also rose with (.NSEBANK) and (.NIFTYPSU) rising over 1% and 3% respectively. Index heavyweight Larsen and Toubro (LART.NS) advanced 1.95% after bagging orders worth 10 billion rupees and 25 billion rupees.

☆ India federal police arrests Videocon chairman Dhoot in loan fraud case
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MUMBAI, Dec 26 (Reuters) - India's federal investigating agency has arrested Videocon Group (VEDI.NS) chairman Venugopal Dhoot in connection with a loan fraud case involving ICICI Bank (ICBK.NS), a source from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) told Reuters on Monday. In early 2019, the CBI filed a case of criminal conspiracy and fraud against Dhoot, former ICICI Bank Chief Executive Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar. The agency alleged that ICICI Bank, under Chanda Kochhar, sanctioned 'high value' loans to Videocon, violating the bank's lending policies, in exchange for an investment by the consumer electronics company's owner in a business headed by Kochhar's husband. The CBI arrested Chanda and Deepak Kochhar on Friday. Reporting by Arpan Chaturvedi; writing by Sudipto Ganguly; Editing by Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. retail sales grows 7.6% in holiday season -Mastercard data
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 26 (Reuters) - U.S. retail sales rose 7.6% between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24, which encompasses a majority of the holiday season, as steep discounts lured deal-hungry consumers, a Mastercard report showed on Monday. However, sales of electronics dropped 5.3% over the broader roughly two-month period, according to the Mastercard SpendingPulse report. Online sales jumped 10.6% in the period, slightly less than the 11% increase last year, the Mastercard report said. Meanwhile, during the cyber week, total retail sales had jumped about 11%, a separate Mastercard SpendingPulse report in late November showed. Mastercard SpendingPulse measures in-store and online retail sales across all forms of payment.

☆ UK's FTSE 100 flat on caution ahead of long holiday weekend
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Johann M Cherian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies FTSE 100 flat, and 250 rises 0.1%Hurricane Energy gainsDec 23 (Reuters) - UK's FTSE 100 was flat on Friday, with investors cautious ahead of the long holiday weekend after unexpectedly strong U.S. economic data fanned fears of interest rates staying higher for longer. The export-oriented FTSE 100 (.FTSE) shed 0.2%, while the domestically oriented FTSE 250 added 0.1% by 0924 GMT. Gains of 0.2% in miners (.FTNMX551020) were overshadowed by losses of 0.3% in healthcare firms such as GSK (GSK.L). The blue-chip FTSE 100 is currently trading above its 200-day moving average, an indicator used by traders to determine if the market is trading at a bullish or bearish pace. Meanwhile, data showed UK car production rose 5.7% in November but remained below pre-pandemic levels as global chip shortages and supply-chain issues continued to hurt the sector.

☆ European shares eye upbeat end to week on banks, healthcare boost
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Amruta Khandekar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SummarySummary Companies STOXX 600 rises 0.2%Banks, healthcare firms gainBavarian Nordic at the top of STOXX 600Italian business morale rises in DecemberDec 23 (Reuters) - Europe's STOXX 600 edged higher on Friday, with gains in healthcare firms and banks putting the index on course to end the last week before Christmas on an upbeat note. The region-wide STOXX 600 (.STOXX) rose 0.2% at 0915 GMT and was bound for a 0.8% weekly advance. Morale amongst Italian businesses and consumers rose in December, data showed on Friday, although the manufacturing sector was more downbeat. On the economic data front, a report showed Spain's economy expanded 0.1% in the third quarter, slowing from a 2.0% growth rate in the previous three-month period. Among STOXX 600 sectors, shares of retailers (.SXRP) rose 0.6% to lead gains.

The U.S. central bank hiked rates by 50 basis points (bps) on Wednesday, slowing down from four back-to-back 75 bps hikes, although Fed Chair Jerome Powell said recent signs of slowing inflation have not brought any confidence yet that the fight had been won. The Fed's policy-setting committee projected it would continue raising rates to above 5% in 2023, a level not seen since a steep economic downturn in 2007. Money market participants currently expect at least two 25 bps rate hikes next year and borrowing costs to peak at 4.9% by May next year, before falling to around 4.4% by year-end. Wall Street's main indexes have staged a strong recovery since hitting 2022 lows in October on hopes of a less aggressive Fed, but the rally stalled in December due to mixed economic data and worrying corporate forecasts. Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) fell 2.9% after CEO Elon Musk disclosed another $3.6 billion in stock sales, taking his total near $40 billion this year and frustrating investors as the company's shares wallow at two-year lows.

☆ Futures slide as hawkish Fed quashes policy pivot hopes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Sruthi Shankar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Investors currently expect at least two 25 bps rate hikes next year and borrowing costs to peak at 4.9% by May next year, before falling to around 4.4% by year-end. Both central banks are expected to hike borrowing costs by 50 bps. Shares of megacap companies, including Apple (AAPL.O), Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O), Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Nvidia Corp , fell between 1.1% and 2.1% in premarket trading. Trade Desk Inc (TTD.O) slipped 4.1% after Jefferies downgraded its rating for the adtech firm to "hold" from "buy". Reporting by Sruthi Shankar and Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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