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☆ Hedge funds boost bearish bets on US equities amid market jitters
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Carolina Mandl | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., August 15, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Hedge funds increased their bearish bets mainly on U.S. stocks last week when the major stock indexes plunged, Goldman Sachs (GS.N) showed in a report. The bank said its clients mostly added short positions while also getting rid of long positions. Hedge funds added short positions mainly in so-called macro products, including equity index and exchanged-traded funds, the bank said. Goldman Sachs also said hedge fund managers decided to unwind risk last week, mostly by selling long equity positions.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Carolina Mandl, Richard Chang Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Nasdaq, The Bank of Japan, Carolina, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Japan, New York

☆ Climate change: The world has just experienced the hottest summer on record
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —As heat waves continue to bake parts of the world, scientists are reporting that this blistering, deadly summer was the hottest on record – and by a significant margin. The planet experienced its hottest June on record, followed by the hottest July – both breaking previous records by large margins. August was also the warmest such month on record, according to the new Copernicus data, and warmer than every other month this year except for July. The global average temperature for the month was 16.82 degrees Celsius – 0.31 degrees warmer than the previous record set in 2016. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty ImagesCountries in the Southern Hemisphere have also experienced startlingly warm winters, with well-above average temperatures recorded in Australia, several South American countries and Antarctica.

Persons: Copernicus, It’s, ”, António Guterres, Petteri Taalas, Richard A, Brooks, Patrick T, Fallon, El, Samantha Burgess, CNN Burgess Organizations: CNN, Northern, United Nations, “, World Meteorological Organization, Getty, Southern, North Atlantic Locations: United States, Europe, Japan, Tokyo, AFP, Phoenix , Arizona, Australia, Antarctica, Atlantic, Pacific, Florida

☆ Women’s World Cup: Sweden to play Spain in semifinals after impressive victory over Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Sweden will face Spain in the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup after beating Japan 2-1 in a thrilling encounter on Friday. Despite sustained pressure throughout 10 minutes of stoppage time, Japan was unable to find a second goal as Sweden held on to reach a fifth Women’s World Cup semifinal. Winners in 2011, the team’s performances in Australia and New Zealand had given fans hope of claiming a second World Cup title. Japan was halted in its quest to win a second Women's World Cup. But rather than spark Japan into action, the team seemed to retreat further into its shell against a Sweden team that was now brimming with confidence.

Persons: Amanda Ilestedt, Filippa, Riko Ueki, Honoka, Abbie Parr, Ilestedt, Japan’s, Phil Walter, Japan –, Kosovare Asllani, Ayaka Yamashita, Esther Staubli, Angeldal, Aoba Fujino, Zećira Mušović, Madelen Janogy, Riko, Ueki, Honoka Hayashi pounced Organizations: CNN, Japan Locations: Sweden, Spain, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, United States, Fuka Nagano

☆ FTX customers who lost all their money when the exchange collapsed should blame the SEC, Mark Cuban says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Zinya Salfiti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

FTX customers who lost all their money when the exchange collapsed should blame the Securities and Exchange Commission, according to Mark Cuban. "Of course they chose to litigate to regulate," Cuban said. FTX filed for bankruptcy in November after a bombshell report sparked a run on its deposits, with its collapse wiping out billions of dollars worth of customers' money. "When FTX crashed, no one in FTX Japan lost money," Cuban wrote. "If the USA/SEC had followed their example by setting clear regulations that required the separation of customer and business funds and clear wallet requirements, no one here would have lost money on FTX," he added.

Persons: Mark Cuban, Cuban, —, FTX, Sam Bankman Organizations: Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Service, Dallas Mavericks Locations: Japan, FTX Japan, USA

CNN —When President Joe Biden referred to his Chinese counterpart as a dictator late Tuesday in California, the response from Beijing was swift and angry. Whether the new acrimony further derails a “thaw” in US-China ties, something that Biden has openly hoped for, remained an open question. “He didn’t know about it,” Biden told donors. Biden and Xi last met at a G20 conference in Bali. “You just saw what’s happened in Italy in that election,” Biden told the donors and Democratic officials at a Washington, D.C. fundraiser.

Persons: Joe Biden, ”, Biden, Xi Jinping, ” Biden, –, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Blinken hasn’t, Blinken’s, “, John Kerry, Xi, Donald Trump, John Kirby, Kirby, “ We’re, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: CNN, White, Democratic, APEC, Biden, Mar, National Security, Japan –, New York City Locations: California, Beijing, China, Marin County, “, –, Washington, India, Bali ., San Francisco, United States, Australia, Japan, Russia, New York, Italy, America, Cornish, England

That’s what’s a great embarrassment for dictators, when they didn’t know what happened,” Biden told attendees at the fundraiser in the Bay Area, referring to the Chinese spy balloon that the US shot down earlier this year. “He called me and told me not to do that because it was putting him in a bind,” Biden said, referring to the Chinese president. The region has taken on a greater importance for Washington as China has become increasingly assertive over its territorial claims in the area, expands its naval capabilities and militarizes islands in the South China Sea. “Now we have India, Australia, Japan and the United States working hand in glove in the South China Sea, in the Indian Ocean. We have a situation where I’ve met with all 50 of the major maritime states in East Asia,” Biden said in California.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, ”, Antony Blinken, what’s, ” Biden, Biden, Blinken’s, “, John Kerry, Blinken –, Xi, “ We’re, ” Blinken, I’ve Organizations: San Francisco , CA CNN, CNN, House, Japan –, South Pacific Locations: San Francisco , CA, California, Washington, Beijing, Bay, China, United States, India, Australia, Japan, South, South China, East Asia

☆ How Modi went from being banned to embraced by the United States
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was once shunned by the United States. But in the nine years since that ban was lifted, Modi has been progressively embraced by the White House – now more than ever. Modi will also lead celebrations for the International Day of Yoga at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Wednesday, illustrating the influence of India’s soft power. US President Joe Biden meets with Modi during the Quad leaders summit at Kantei Palace in Tokyo, on May 24, 2022. Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for photographs at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, on December 6, 2021.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Joe Biden, Evan Vucci, Biden, Delhi’s, Modi’s, Daniel S, Markey, ” Markey, ”, “, Anthony Albanese, James Marape, Volodymyr Zelensky, aren’t, Saeed Khan, “ Modi, –, John Sifton, Sushant Singh, ’, Tanvi Madan, Vladimir Putin, Narayan, Madan, Vinay Kwatra, ” Madan Organizations: CNN, Indian, White, International, United Nations, Biden, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, United States Institute of Peace, Washington, Australian, Australia's, Admiralty House, Getty, Rights Watch, Amnesty International, BBC, Policy Research, Brookings Institution, Kremlin, Russia, Bloomberg, Indian Air Force, India’s Locations: United States, Washington, New York, Tokyo, India, South Asia, China, Sydney, Papua New Guinea, Japan, AFP, Asia, Gujarat, New Delhi, Delhi, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, Hyderabad

☆ Gifu, Japan shooting: Two dead after JGSDF member allegedly opens fire in military shooting range
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Junko Ogura | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Tokyo CNN —Two people were killed Wednesday after a cadet allegedly opened fire on members of his own unit at a military training center in central Japan, the country’s Ground Self-Defense Force (SDF) has told CNN. The shooting took place during a live-fire training exercise and several other people were wounded, the SDF confirmed to CNN. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the incident happened around 9 a.m. at a shooting range in Hino City in the central Japanese prefecture of Gifu. Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported that the suspect was a teenage member of the SDF who allegedly fired an automatic rifle. Last month, four people – including two police officers – died in a shooting and stabbing incident in Nakano City in central Japan.

Persons: Hirokazu Matsuno, Staff Yasunori Morishita, –, Shinzo Abe Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Defense Force, CNN, Staff, NHK, National Police Agency Locations: Japan, Hino City, Japanese, Gifu, Nakano City

☆ Japanese city of Hiroshima rose from the ashes and now it welcomes millions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Emiko Jozuka | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Within the bomb’s hypocenter, only the half-exploded Genbaku Dome – formerly the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall – was left standing as the bombing razed Hiroshima city to the ground. A man relaxes alongside the river on a bench overlooking the Genbaku Dome. ET), Hiroshima city lost roughly 40% of its population, which numbered around 300,000 people at the time. Full-scale reconstruction only began in August 1949 after the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law was promulgated, allowing the national government to extend special financial support to Hiroshima. “It’s impressive how Japanese people rebuilt the city from scratch again – building a beautiful city full of green spaces.

☆ Russia and China hit back at a G7 that saw them as a threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Moscow and Beijing lashed out against the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima, where leaders of major democracies pledged new measures targeting Russia and spoke in one voice on their growing concerns over China. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday slammed the G7 for indulging in their “own greatness” with an agenda that aimed to “deter” Russia and China. G7 member countries are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Concern about such incidents was reflected in the G7 statement on ensuring economic security and countering economic coercion, which did not explicitly mention China. “The bottom line is that the G7 has shown it will increasingly focus on China and will try to maintain a coordinated policy approach.

☆ Binance 'could be in big trouble' as the CFTC lawsuit alleges the crypto behemoth dodged regulators and breached laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Binance is being blow-torched from all angles as US regulators close in on the world's largest crypto exchange. The CFTC sued the exchange this week for violating US financial laws, whilst some reports suggest Binance has engaged in secret fund transfers. On Monday, the Commodities Futures and Trading Commission (CFTC) sued Binance and Zhao himself, for allegedly breaching US financial laws. Following the shocking implosion of Sam-Bankman Fried's FTX exchange late last year, concerns have risen whether Binance faces similar risks. If US authorities decide the links meant the crypto exchange had control over the US platform, it could expose the company to enforcement action.

[1/3] FILE PHOTO-Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a meeting with heads of foreign media outlets in Moscow, Russia, February 15, 2023. Last July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov walked out of a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, also in Bali, after the West strongly denounced the war. The G20 bloc includes the wealthy G7 democracies, as well as Russia, China, India, Australia, Brazil and Saudi Arabia among other countries. The foreign ministers' meeting will also be watched for how tensions between Washington and Beijing play out, including over the Ukraine war. "It is unlikely that G20 foreign ministers can agree on common language suggesting ways and mechanisms to deal with the situation in Ukraine," he said.

☆ 'The worst is over': Tech investors are bullish on investing in China again
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Liu Ranyang | China News Service | Getty ImagesTech investors say the worst is over as China reopens and exits its zero-Covid policy. The firm raised nearly $500 million for a new China tech fund set to close by early this year — more than earlier plans for $400 million. Tech companies see government supportInvestors are not worried of new challenges on the regulatory front. Gobi's Tang said, "I do think that they're going to do everything they can to try to spur the economic growth. "There's still a lot to catch up [in semiconductor tech] for China.

☆ World Cup Round of 16: Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal face Switzerland for a place in the quarterfinals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Switzerland, meanwhile, navigated a difficult group with victories against Cameroon and Serbia seeing them through to the knockout stages despite a loss to Brazil. The last time the two sides met was in the Nations League in June when Portugal dismantled Switzerland 4-0 in Lisbon. Switzerland celebrates defeating Serbia 3-2 and qualifying for the knockout stages. Like Portugal, Spain is entering its round of 16 match against Morocco immediately after a shock defeat to an Asian nation – a 2-1 loss to Japan – in the group stages. “We said we wanted to give everything we’ve got to get out of the group stages,” said Regragui, according to the Guardian.

☆ South Korea spent $200 billion, but it can’t pay people enough to have a baby
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Paula Hancocks | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —The season of baby fairs is here once again in South Korea. Nurses at a nearly empty infant unit of a hospital in Seoul, South Korea, in February 2017. According to President Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea has spent more than $200 billion in the past 16 years trying to solve its population problem. While having a baby is very much expected of married couples in South Korea, society still frowns on single parents. In South Korea, the job does not end when the office closes for the day.

☆ Costa Rica shocks Japan with a 1-0 victory
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Straight after half-time, however, the pace immediately lifted with the introduction of two new faces for Japan – Takuma Asano and Hiroki Ito. Hidemasa Morita shimmied his way to the penalty box and lined up a shot on goal that was batted away by Keylor Navas. Costa Rica bounced back from a 7-0 defeat against Spain in its opening match. With just nine minutes of regular time remaining, Japan saw its hopes of sealing a spot in the knockout stages slip away, and a chance late on with the ball ricocheting around the box was marshalled by Navas as Costa Rica held on for the win. With Spain and Germany playing later on Sunday, both teams’ fates will be decided in the last round of fixtures.

☆ Special Report: FTX's Bankman-Fried begged for a rescue even as he revealed huge holes in firm's books
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Angus Berwick Anirban Sen Elizabeth Howcroft Lawrence Delevingne | Angus Berwick | Anirban Sen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +22 min

Sequoia was shocked at the amount of money Bankman-Fried needed to save FTX, according to the sources, while Apollo first asked for more information, only to later decline. The booklet flagged the risks of crypto trading, particularly how sudden sales of tokens could trigger a "domino effect" that would lead to a "cascading set of liquidity failures." Using profits from Alameda, Bankman-Fried launched FTX in 2019. From almost nothing in 2019, FTX handled about 10% of global crypto trading this year, a September document shows. At one point, he lived in a penthouse overlooking the Caribbean, valued at almost $40 million, according to two people who worked with FTX.

☆ Japan's best castles to visit at least once
▼ + stars: | 2022-01-20 | by ( David Mcelhenney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

CNN —During Japan’s Sengoku “Warring States” era (1467-1615), castles were constructed, bolstered and fortified all across the Japanese archipelago, resulting in approximately 5,000 individual keeps. Here are some of Japan’s best castles that you can still visit. Edo CastleEdo Castle, bearing the former name of Tokyo, has one of the longest lineages of all Japan’s castles. Edo Castle was huge in its prime, surrounded by a 15-kilometer outer moat crossed by over 30 gates and bridges. Bicchu Matsuyama CastleThe 13th-century Bicchu Matsuyama Castle, perched above quiet Takahashi City in Okayama prefecture, is thought to be Japan’s original yamajiro (mountain castle).

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