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☆ Yellen says World Bank needs 'cultural change' to better mobilize private capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEN GUERIR, Morocco, Oct 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Tuesday the World Bank had made progress in reforming its operations to better address climate change and other global challenges, but still needed "cultural change" to mobilize private sector capital. But more efforts were needed to equip World Bank staff to deliver the desired results, Yellen said. The reforms of the World Bank and other multilateral development banks (MDBs) are a key topic at this week's annual meetings in Morocco of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. But government funding would never suffice, Yellen added, calling on the MDBs to establish concrete private capital mobilization targets and incentives for staff to meet them. She said the World Bank's International Finance Corp and MIGA divisions should expand their lending, guarantee and insurance instruments, and find new ways to smartly manage foreign exchange risk.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Elizabeth Frantz, BEN GUERIR, Ajay Banga, Yellen, Banga, Andrea Shalal, Catherine Evans Organizations: Treasury, Treasury Department, REUTERS, . Treasury, Bank, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Bank's International Finance Corp, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Morocco, Ben Guerir

☆ IMF says global economy 'limping along', cuts growth forecast for China, euro zone
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

China Daily via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSummary Global growth forecast unchanged at 3.0% in 2023Inflation dropping but 'not quite there yet'-IMF chief economistIMF raises U.S. forecast, cuts outlook for China, euro areaMARRAKECH, Morocco, Oct 10 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday cut its growth forecasts for China and the euro zone and said overall global growth remained low and uneven despite what it called the "remarkable strength" of the U.S. economy. In its latest World Economic Outlook, the IMF left its forecast for global real GDP growth in 2023 unchanged at 3.0% but cut its 2024 forecast to 2.9% from its July forecast of 3.0%. Even in 2028, the IMF is projecting global growth of just 3.1%. You put all these things together and you have a slowdown in medium-term growth," Gourinchas told Reuters. If the real estate crisis deepened, China's growth could be lowered by as much as 1.6% percentage point, which in turn would knock 0.6 percentage points off global growth, Gourinchas said.

Persons: Pierre, Olivier Gourinchas, Gourinchas, It's, it's, Andrea Shalal, Andrea Ricci, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, IMF, Monetary Fund, World Bank, Reuters, Research, Labor, U.S, autoworkers, Thomson Locations: Jinhua, Zhejiang province, China, MARRAKECH, Morocco, U.S, COVID, Ukraine, Israel, Marrakech, United States, Japan

Because higher yields signal a rise in borrowing costs, the selloff has raised questions about the long-term sustainability of Italy's huge debt pile. Meloni has said she is not worried by the rise in yields, saying: "Italy is solid." Most of the sources said there is no hurry to end reinvestments or even to formally open this discussion on the policy-making Governing Council. Some argued that PEPP reinvestments should end before any talk of a rate cut, now expected by markets around mid-2024. Spreads of Italian 10-year bonds over their German counterparts are up roughly 30 basis points this month in their biggest jump since last December.

Persons: Wolfgang Rattay, Giorgia, Christine Lagarde, Meloni, PEPP, Balazs Koranyi, Catherine Evans Organizations: European Central Bank, ECB, REUTERS, Rights, Central Bank, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Italy

STOCKHOLM, Oct 9 (Reuters) - American economic historian Claudia Goldin won the 2023 Nobel economics prize for her work examining wage inequality between men and women, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said on Monday. "This year's Laureate in the Economic Sciences, Claudia Goldin, provided the first comprehensive account of women's earnings and labour market participation through the centuries," the prize-giving body said in a statement. Goldin, who in 1990 became the first woman to be tenured at the Harvard economics department, is only the third woman to win the Nobel economics prize. "Claudia Goldin's discoveries have vast societal implications," said Randi Hjalmarsson, member of the Economic Prize committee. As with the other Nobel prizes, the vast majority of the economics awards have gone to men.

Persons: Claudia Goldin, Alfred Nobel, Goldin, Hans Ellegren, Claudia Goldin's, Randi Hjalmarsson, Jakob Svensson, Friedrich August von Hayek, Milton Friedman, Paul Krugman, Ben Bernanke, Elinor Ostrom, Esther Duflo, Simon Johnson, Mark John, Niklas Pollard, Johan Ahlander, Terje Solsvik, Catherine Evans Organizations: Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Sveriges, Economic Sciences, Harvard, Pew Research, Commission, Social, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, COVID, Norwegian, Iranian, United States, Europe, U.S

☆ Weight-loss drugs fuel boom for firms that fill syringes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/5] Catalent's automated visual inspection systems that check every pre-filled syringe to ensure product integrity are seen, in Brussels, Belgium, 2023. Eli Lilly's (LLY.N) Mounjaro is expected to be approved for weight-loss in the United States this year. The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act is also boosting development of biologic drugs, some of which are injected. Injectables are increasingly used in elderly care settings, and some new Alzheimer's and generic arthritis drugs are administered by injection. One healthcare investor said CDMOs' ability to boost capacity will determine how fast the obesity drug market grows.

Persons: Wegovy, it's, Savant, Morgan Stanley, Eli Lilly's, Mounjaro, Chris Chen, Cornell Stamoran, Fujifilm Diosynth, Germany's Vetter, Lilly, Marc Casper, CDMOs, Luke Sergott, Catalent, Catalent's Stamoran, Maggie Fick, Patrick Wingrove, Josephine Mason, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Pfizer, HK, Fujifilm, Fujifilm Corp, Novo, Reuters, Research, Insight Partners, Barclays, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Handout, United States, WuXi, Europe, GLP, Anagni, Italy, Bloomington , Indiana, U.S, New York

☆ Novo Nordisk's Wegovy bonanza looms large in Denmark
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

COPENHAGEN, Oct 5 (Reuters) - The whirlwind success of weight-loss treatment Wegovy is providing a bonanza not just for its developer, Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO), but also for its home country of Denmark. Interviews with Danish economists, analysts, and executives at the Novo Nordisk Foundation which controls Novo highlight the benefits to the economy from jobs to private wealth - but also the potential pitfalls of relying on a single, outsized company. Record profits for Novo are projected to generate returns for the Foundation of more than $12 billion in coming years. Novo Nordisk added 3,500 jobs in Denmark in 2022, bringing the total in the country to 21,000 employees, out of 59,000 worldwide, a company spokesperson said. Before Wegovy, "we used to be kind of, 'Isn't Denmark the place where Stockholm is the capital?'"

Persons: Danes, Lars Skovgaard Andersen, Lars Christensen, Wegovy, Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, " Thomsen, Moller, Thomsen, Melinda Gates, Rasmus Kristian Feldthusen, Maggie Fick, Jacob Gronholt, Alexander Smith, Josephine Mason, Michele Gershberg, Catherine Evans Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Danske Bank, Copenhagen Business School, Novo, Foundation, Reuters, Novo Holdings, Carlsberg, Maersk, U.S, Melinda Gates Foundation, UK's Wellcome Trust, Wegovy, University of Copenhagen, Nokia, Pedersen, Thomson Locations: COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Danish, Novo, Europe, North America, Asia, OUTGROWING DENMARK, Finland

☆ Choppy waters as Europe navigates China-US rivalry
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Mark John | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The fracturing of the rules and bonds tying the global economy together - so-called "geo-economic fragmentation" - seemed implausible only a few years ago. Nowhere is it more pressing than for Europe, whose wealth has always relied on trade, from its rapacious colonial history through to its reinvention as self-styled champion of WTO rules. Both the United States and Europe have been hardening their stance towards Beijing while stressing the rules of world trade must be fairly applied. The main EU concern is that the U.S. proposals could break WTO rules by discriminating against third parties. "And we really hope ... that after the election in the United States this is going to continue."

Persons: Jon Nazca, Gordon Brown, Brown, Brad Setser, Biden, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Wang Huiyao, Petra Sigmund, Philip Blenkinsop, Joe Cash, Belen Carreno, Mark John, Catherine Evans Organizations: Triple, Majestic, APM, REUTERS, Trade Organization, USA, International Monetary, European, Reuters, for, Thomson Locations: Algeciras, Spain, China, Europe, America, American, United States, Moroccan, Marrakech, Beijing, Washington, Brussels, U.S, EU, for China, IMF, Madrid

☆ Warburg Pincus to invest in Everise, valuing US healthcare outsourcing company at $1bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Yantoultra Ngui | Thomson Reuters | Yantoultra Ngui Is A Southeast Asia Deals Correspondent With Reuters In Singapore | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We have continued to see strong underlying demand for quality customer experience, driven by an increasing outsourcing trend across the global healthcare industry," Warburg Pincus' Mumbai-based managing director Viraj Sawhney said in the statement. Warburg Pincus has invested in the healthcare sector for over five decades and counts Ensemble Health Partners, which offers revenue cycle management for healthcare firms, and U.S consumer healthcare navigation company Quantum Health among its portfolio companies, according to the statement. The entry of Warburg Pincus into Everise will see Singapore-headquartered private equity firm Everstone Group exiting the company, according to the statement, which said the transaction is expected to close by the end of this year. Founded in 2016, Everise has over 19,000 employees in eight markets from Singapore to India, according to its website. Brookfield, with some $850 billion in assets under management, agreed to buy into Everise from Everstone in 2020.

Persons: Warburg Pincus, Everise, Viraj Sawhney, Yantoultra Ngui, Kane Wu, Catherine Evans, Emelia Organizations: Health Partners, Quantum Health, Everstone Group, Brookfield, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Everise, U.S, Brookfield, Mumbai, Singapore, India, Everstone

☆ Novo Nordisk owner readies for big Wegovy windfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

COPENHAGEN, Oct 3 (Reuters) - The CEO of Novo Holdings said on Tuesday the controlling shareholder of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) is ready for a huge windfall from the runaway success of weight-loss drug Wegovy. Novo Holdings invests and manages the wealth and assets of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, whose newly bulging coffers could make it a major philanthropist and environmental, social and governance (ESG) investor. He was speaking to a group of journalists in Copenhagen, where the investment company, its owner Novo Nordisk Foundation, and the drugmaker Novo Nordisk are all headquartered. [1/4]Novo Holdings A/S CEO Kasim Kutay speaks at Novo Nordisk Foundation in Hellerup, Denmark, October 3, 2023. Novo Holdings' early-stage investments team now has $200 million to deploy each year, Soren Moller, who heads the seed division, told Reuters.

Persons: Kasim Kutay, Wegovy, Kutay, I've, Morgan Stanley, Ali Withers, Peter Lawaetz Andersen, Andersen, Soren Moller, Maggie Fick, Josephine Mason, Louise Heavens, Catherine Evans Organizations: Novo Holdings, Novo Nordisk, Novo Nordisk Foundation, The Foundation, Holdings, Moelis, REUTERS, Foundation, Norway's Coalition, Reuters, Thomson Locations: COPENHAGEN, Danish, Copenhagen, Novo, United States, Hellerup, Denmark, Shanghai, China, Singapore, Boston, San Francisco

MANCHESTER, England, Oct 2 (Reuters) - British finance minister Jeremy Hunt poured cold water on growing calls for tax cuts within the governing Conservative Party on Monday, saying he could not commit to any "inflationary" reduction before the next election. But his message was overshadowed by calls from senior Conservative lawmakers, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's predecessor, for tax cuts to try to close the gap in opinion polls with the opposition Labour Party before an election expected next year. He said any tax cuts this year would be inflationary, making it more difficult to achieve Sunak's pledge made in January to halve inflation by the end of the year. Yes, but it means difficult decisions and we're prepared to take those difficult decisions," Hunt told Sky News, adding that voters understood "how difficult these decisions are". "So ahead of this year's Autumn Statement, we must make the Conservative Party the party of business once again, by getting Corporation Tax back down to 19%.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Hunt, Rishi Sunak's, Sunak, we're, Liz Truss, Alistair Smout, Elizabeth Piper, Andrew MacAskill, Kylie MacLellan, Sachin Ravikumar, Sarah Young, Emelia Sithole, Catherine Evans Organizations: Conservative Party, Conservative, Labour Party, Times, Sky News, Labour, Corporation, Tax, Thomson Locations: MANCHESTER, England, British, Manchester

The data, compiled by NielsenIQ, showed overall sales volumes for shower gel, tampons, dishwashing products, laundry detergent and toilet paper declined in the year ended Sept. 17. Reuters GraphicsMajor brands like Ariel laundry detergent and Dove soaps have for years dominated the market versus retailers' private label goods. But the NielsenIQ data shows volumes for private label personal products are inching up while those for big brands decline. For instance, shower gel volumes fell 6% overall and 10% for big brands but rose 14% for private label products. Similarly, while laundry detergent volumes were down about 2% across the category and fell 10% for big brands, they surged 28% for private label brands.

Persons: Sarah Meyssonnier, NielsenIQ, Anton Delbarre, Emmanuel Macron's, Bernstein, Bruno Monteyne, Alexandre Bompard, Henkel, Eurocommerce, Richa Naidu, Helen Reid, Matt Scuffham, Catherine Evans Organizations: Carrefour, REUTERS, Unilever, Reuters, Nestle, Pepsico, Reuters Graphics, Consumer, Procter, Gamble, Delbarre, Thomson Locations: Montesson, Paris, France

☆ Global central banks unite in "higher for longer" credo
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Mark John | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The so-called "higher for longer" mantra is now the official stance of the U.S. Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and the Bank of England, as well as being echoed by monetary policy-makers from Oslo to Tapei. U.S. Federal Reserve policymakers had a similar message on Wednesday. Turkey's central bank confirmed its hawkish turn while in Asia, Taiwan's central bank flagged continued tight policy. Reuters Graphics"TIPPING POINT"Belgian central bank chief and ECB board member Pierre Wunsch - an early voice urging tougher central bank action to counter inflation from end-2021 - said on Thursday that monetary policy was now at the right level. That said, the prospect that global interest rates are pretty close to peak will be of huge relief to emerging economies suffering from heavy debt servicing loads.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Christine Lagarde, Kazuo Ueda, Ann, BoE, Andrew Bailey, Pierre Wunsch, Wunsch, COVID lockdowns, Jerome, Powell, Krishna Guha, Howard Schneider, Balazs Koranyi, Catherine Evans Organizations: European Central Bank, Bank of Japan, Kansas City Federal, REUTERS, U.S . Federal Reserve, Bank of England, U.S . Federal, Swiss National Bank, South African Reserve Bank, People's Bank of, Reuters, ECB, Reuters Global Markets, Economics, Sterling, Swiss, United, Thomson Locations: Jackson Hole , Wyoming, U.S, Central, Oslo, Tapei, Europe, Norway, Sweden, Asia, People's Bank of China, Belgian, United States, Ukraine, Washington, Frankfurt, London, Stockholm, Zurich, Ankara

A day after Britain's fast pace of price growth unexpectedly slowed, the BoE's Monetary Policy Committee voted by the narrowest margin of 5-4 to keep Bank Rate at 5.25%. But rate futures suggested they still saw a 50% chance of Bank Rate rising to 5.5% by the end of this year. Britain's economy, hit hard by Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic and the surge in gas prices triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has been struggling with the highest inflation rate in the Group of Seven. But growth remains fragile, heightening the risk that the BoE's 14 back-to-back rate hikes will push the economy into a recession. Last week, the European Central Bank raised rates but suggested its move might be the last for now.

Persons: Andrew Bailey, Jon Cunliffe, Megan Greene, Jonathan Haskel, Catherine Mann, BoE, Reuters Graphics Sterling, Bailey, Rishi Sunak, Peter Nicholls, Frances Haque, Reuters Graphics Bailey, Yael Selfin, Hugh Gimber, William Schomberg, Catherine Evans Organizations: Bank of England, Reuters Graphics, U.S ., MPC, REUTERS, Santander UK, IF, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, KPMG, Investors, Bank of, Morgan Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, London, Britain

Sept 20 (Reuters) - Consumer goods firms like Nestle (NESN.S), Lindt (LISN.S) and Unilever (ULVR.L) may face increased pressure across Europe to cut prices after being singled out by French retailers and politicians, industry experts say. France is a crucial country for consumer goods companies, having long outstripped Germany, Italy, Spain and others as the European Union's biggest market for groceries by supermarket revenues, according to research firm IBISWorld. That means consumer groups will face pressure to rein back prices across the European Union. Because these supermarkets are in different countries and do not compete with one another, they often combine forces to negotiate with consumer goods makers. Consumer goods makers have for more than two years grappled with sky-rocketing input, supply chain and labour costs that they have either absorbed - taking a hit to margins - or passed on to retailers.

Persons: It's, Laurent Thoumine, Thoumine, Ferrero's, Pernod Ricard's Ricard, Systeme, Germany's, Switzerland's, Italy's, Philippe Michaud, Leclerc, Bruno Le Maire, Le Maire, Richard Saldanha, Lindt, Saldanha, Richa Naidu, Helen Reid, Matt Scuffham, Catherine Evans Organizations: Consumer, Nestle, Unilever, Carrefour, PepsiCo, European, Reuters, European Union, Epic Partners, French Finance, Aviva Investors, Paris, Thomson Locations: Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Eurelec

A view shows the placards of the political parties in front of the European Central Bank (ECB) building in Frankfurt, Germany, September 14, 2023. The central bank for the 20 countries that use the euro has already raised interest rates 10 times to record levels but inflation remains well above its 2% target. ECB President Christine Lagarde said last week that policymakers had not discussed the bond-buying schemes at their latest policy meeting. She described the PEPP as the ECB's "first line of defence" to preserve policy transmission - central bank jargon for bond market stability in the most indebted countries. Slovenian central bank governor Bostjan Vasle recently backed selling bonds bought under the ECB's older Asset Purchase Programme, which is less flexible than the PEPP.

Persons: Wolfgang Rattay, Christine Lagarde, Bostjan Vasle, Peter Kazimir, Catherine Evans Organizations: European Central Bank, REUTERS, Central Bank, Reuters, ECB, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Italy, FRANKFURT, Athens, Slovenian, PEPP, Sintra

☆ Bank of England readies what may be its final rate hike
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A general view of the Bank of England (BoE) building, the BoE confirmed to raise interest rates to 1.75%, in London, Britain, August 4, 2022. All but one of 65 economists polled by Reuters in recent days predicted the BoE will raise Bank Rate to 5.5% on Thursday from 5.25%, which would mark its highest level since 2007. If Bank Rate does peak at 5.5% - from a starting point of 0.1% - it would rank fourth on the list of Britain's biggest tightening cycles of the last century, behind surges that took place in the late 1980s and in the early- and late-1970s. The European Central Bank also cited a weak economic outlook when it hiked rates last week and signalled that would be its last such move in the current cycle. Inflation figures for August due on Wednesday are likely to buck the falling trend thanks to rising petrol prices.

Persons: BoE, Maja Smiejkowska, Andrew Bailey's, Bailey, Benjamin Nabarro, Catherine Mann, Catherine Evans Organizations: Bank of England, REUTERS, Reuters, Monetary, European Central Bank, Barclays, Data, MPC, Citi, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

National flag flies over the Russian Central Bank headquarters in Moscow, Russia May 27, 2022. On Friday, it gave hawkish guidance that it would consider further rate increases at upcoming meetings and said inflationary risks remained significant. The central bank adjusted its year-end forecast for inflation to 6.0-7.0% from 5.0-6.5%. "Russia's central bank is a hawkish institution that takes its commitment to inflation fighting seriously," said Senior Emerging Markets Economist Liam Peach. Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina will shed more light on the bank's forecasts and policy in a media briefing at 1200 GMT.

Persons: Maxim Shemetov, jacking, Liam Peach, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Alexander Marrow, Elena Fabrichnaya, Darya Korsunskaya, Maria Kiselyova, Amruta Khandekar, Andrew Osborn, William Maclean, Catherine Evans Organizations: Russian Central Bank, REUTERS, Kremlin, Capital Economics, Central Bank Governor, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian, Ukraine MOSCOW, Ukraine, London

"The inflation momentum is simply too strong for the ECB to pause," Danske Bank economist Piet Haines Christiansen said. In contrast, markets have fully priced in unchanged rates at next week's meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve, which started raising rates earlier and has moved higher than the ECB. "We doubt that this will be possible and expect that a decision to hold rates steady today would mark the end of the tightening cycle." The euro zone's biggest economy, Germany, is bearing the brunt of an industrial slump and heading for recession, according to several forecasts. ECB President Christine Lagarde will hold a news conference at 1245 GMT.

Persons: Piet Haines Christiansen, Dirk Schumacher, Christine Lagarde, Catherine Evans Organizations: ECB, European Central Bank, Reuters, Danske Bank, U.S . Federal Reserve, Services, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, Germany

☆ Twenty years after euro "No" vote, Swedes fret over weak crown
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Simon Johnson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Think Sweden, where a nosedive in the local crown currency over the past 18 months is proving a blessing for used-car dealers and other exporters. Companies like KP Energy, which imports solar panels to sell to trade buyers, cite the damaging effects of higher purchase costs and rising interest rates, which hit household spending. "It impacts us a huge amount when the crown weakens against the euro and when the demand picture changes," its CEO Filip Wiqvist said. A Demoskop poll this week showed 42% would vote "No" to joining the euro, while 34% would support it. Believing the crown is around 20% undervalued, the Riksbank has hedged its own foreign currency exposure in anticipation of future strengthening.

Persons: Joachim Agren, Registradores, Espania, Filip Wiqvist, Wiqvist, Jan Soderstrom, Annika Winsth, SEB, Robert Bergqvist, Martin Floden, Floden, Catherine Evans Organizations: STOCKHOLM, BCA, Reuters, Companies, KP Energy, European Union, Technologies, KPMG, European, NATO, Thomson Locations: Stockholm, Sweden, Swedish, Spain, EU, Ukraine, Turkey

☆ ECB cuts growth outlook but raises key 2024 inflation projection
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FRANKFURT, Sept 14 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank cut its growth projections for the next two years while lifting some of its inflation forecasts, raising the spectre of stagflation, a period when the economy suffers a double whammy of no growth and high inflation. Underlying inflation was also expected to remain above target with the 2024 reading seen at 2.9% and 2025 at 2.2%. That prompted the ECB to raise interest rates for the 10th straight time on Thursday, concerned that high inflation may be a bigger risk to the economy than economic stagnation. The growth outlook has meanwhile continued to sour and the ECB now sees a 2023 expansion of just 0.7% after predicting 0.9% three months ago. The following are the ECB's projections for inflation and economic growth.

Persons: Balazs Koranyi, Catherine Evans Organizations: European Central Bank, ECB, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT

The central bank for the 20 countries that share the euro faces a dilemma. "The inflation momentum is simply too strong for the ECB to pause," Danske Bank economist Piet Haines Christiansen said. Just 14 months ago, that rate was languishing at a record low of minus 0.5%, meaning banks had to pay to park their cash securely at the central bank. The euro zone's biggest economy, Germany, is bearing the brunt of an industrial slump and heading for recession, according to several forecasts. On Thursday, the ECB is also expected to cuts its growth projections for this year and next, leading some economists to argue it should hold off from raising rates this month.

Persons: Piet Haines Christiansen, Dirk Schumacher, Catherine Evans Organizations: ECB, European Central Bank, Reuters, Danske Bank, Services, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, Germany

☆ VIEW Reactions to EU probe of Chinese electric cars imports
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT URSULA VON DER LEYEN"Global markets are now flooded with cheaper electric cars. "So I can announce today that the Commission is launching an anti-subsidy investigation into electric vehicles coming from China. UK TRADE MINISTER KEMI BADENOCH"I think it just highlights the difficulties that all countries are having with the supply chain for electric vehicles. "China's apparent advantage and cost-competitive imports are already impacting European auto makers' domestic market share, with a massive surge in electric vehicle imports in recent years. At the same time, the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is also a game-changer in the electric vehicle value chain.

Persons: Annegret, URSULA VON DER, LAURENCE BOONE, BRUNO LE MAIRE, Von der, KEMI BADENOCH, MATTEO SALVINI, SIGRID DE VRIES, AIWAYS, ALEXANDER KLOSE, Aiways, KINGSMILL, they've, They've, STUART COLE, AJ BELL, DANNI HEWSON, Josephine Mason, Catherine Evans, Louise Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, European Commission, European Union, FRENCH FINANCE, EU, League, GENERAL, Volkswagen, BMW, Tesla, INSTITUTE SENIOR, CITI, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, China, Europe, Brussels

Yes to life" take part in a anti-lithium protest in Covas do Barroso, Portugal, August 15, 2023. With 60,000 tonnes of known reserves, Portugal is already Europe's biggest producer of lithium, traditionally mined for ceramics. Referring to the Barroso project and another in France, he said it would be "a disaster if either ... doesn't succeed". But with only 15 of 916 submissions in a public consultation supporting the project, Savannah faces a struggle to win over locals who have said they will fight it and the APA in court. "Politicians listen to those who shout loudest and have most money - and that's the mining industry," she said.

Persons: Catarina Demony, Maria Loureiro, Loureiro, Barroso, Martin Jackson, , Savannah's, Michael Schmidt, doesn't, Schmidt, Nelson Gomes, Greta Thunberg, Karin Kvarfordt Niia, LKAB's, Anders Lindberg, UDCB's Catarina Alves Scarrott, Aida Fernandes, Barroso's, Dale Ferguson, Ferguson, Emanuel Proenca, Teresa Camille, Gunilla Hogberg Bjorck, Miguel Pereira, Covas do Barroso, Pietro Lombardi, Simon Johnson, Aislinn Laing, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Savannah Resources, DO BARROSO, EU, Agriculture Organization, CRU, APA, State, Barroso, Reuters, UDCB, Thomson Locations: Covas do Barroso, Portugal, Barroso, China, London, Savannah, Europe, France, Kiruna, Sweden's, Montalegre, Scarrott, Portuguese, EUROPE, Chile, Covas, Karr, Covas do, Madrid, Stockholm

☆ Analysis: Wegovy launch in UK may underline Novo's need to get ahead of Lilly
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A 0.25 mg injection pen of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy is shown in this photo illustration in Oslo, Norway, August31, 2023. Studies have demonstrated more weight loss than with Wegovy. Novo's type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic has been on the market in Britain since 2019. A Lilly spokesperson declined to comment on Wegovy's launch or when exactly it would launch Mounjaro for diabetes treatment. Studies have shown that, used alongside exercise and lifestyle changes, Wegovy led to 15% weight loss over 68 weeks, while Mounjaro led to more than 22% over 72 weeks.

Persons: Victoria Klesty, Eli Lilly's, Wegovy, Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen, Novo, Lilly, Mounjaro, Ozempic, Eli Lilly, Maggie Fick, Alexander Smith, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Wegovy, Economic Co, Development, Reuters, National Health Service, stoke, NHS, Britain's Department of Health, Social Care, Diabetes, UBS, Novo, Thomson Locations: Oslo, Norway, August31, Victoria, Britain, British, Danish, United States, Denmark, Germany, Europe, England

☆ Climate change adds workplace costs and hazards
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Mark John | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The 57-year-old's death in hospital was announced in late August - just as his trade union was ratifying a deal with UPS on improved heat protections. In a statement to local media, UPS (UPS.N) said it was cooperating with the authorities as they investigated the cause of death. "We train our people to recognize the symptoms of heat stress, and we respond immediately to any request for help," it said. Many European and other usually temperate countries still have no laws establishing maximum work temperatures. "Climate change is such a paradigm shift that all of us need to rethink these legacy economic assumptions," said NELP's Christman.

Persons: patchily, Chris Begley, Halshka Graczyk, Graczyk, Chaya, Anastasia Christman, Owen Tudor, Tudor, Jerome Volle, NELP's, David Stanway, Catherine Evans Organizations: UPS, Teamsters, International Labour Organization, Chiang Mai University, . Occupational Health, Safety Authority, Employment Law, International Trade Union Confederation, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Texas, Paris, Thailand, Myanmar, China, Singapore

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