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A child collecting chunks of coal looks on at a colliery while smoke rises from the Duvha coal-based power station owned by state power utility Eskom, in Emalahleni, in Mpumalanga province, South Africa, June 2, 2021. South Africa is facing its worst power crisis, with Eskom's ageing, coal-fired plants often breaking down. "It's a policy development loan which supports critical reforms," Marie-Nelly said of the potential World Bank funding. The World Bank loan would also support South Africa to make a "just transition" away from coal, to ensure vulnerable people do not suffer as a result, Marie-Nelly said. In November 2022, the World Bank approved $497 million in financing to decommission and repurpose one of Eskom's coal-fired power plants.

Persons: Siphiwe, Marie Francoise Marie, Nelly, Marie, Eskom, Rachel Savage, Jorgelina, Kopano Gumbi, Mark Potter, Mike Harrison Organizations: REUTERS, World, Reuters, Bank, South, World Bank, Thomson Locations: Emalahleni, Mpumalanga province, South Africa, MARRAKECH, Morocco, Marrakech, Africa, Rosario

☆ ‘The Big Short’ investor Steve Eisman says he would avoid these stocks now, including homebuilders
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Steve Eisman, the investor who called and profited from the subprime mortgage crisis, said Tuesday that he would advise against buying homebuilders and consumer-related stocks given higher interest rates. "I wouldn't own homebuilders right now," Eisman said on CNBC's " Fast Money ." "The homebuilders have been subsidizing their customers with lower rates, but even that's gonna bite. Eisman shot to fame by betting against subprime mortgage loans before the 2008 financial crisis, as chronicled in Michael Lewis' "The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine," and the subsequent Oscar-winning movie based on the book. The investor also reiterated that the banking sector is uninvestable due to risks from crimped margins and tougher regulations.

Persons: Steve Eisman, Eisman, Neuberger Berman, Michael Lewis Organizations: Federal

☆ US yields revisit highs, Asia stocks sag on hawkish Fed angst
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Kevin Buckland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Asia-Pacific stock benchmarks sagged along with gold, while crude oil continued to drift back from 10-month highs. Westpac strategists see risks skewed toward even higher yields in the near term, pulling up the dollar as well. "We expect 10yr yields to establish a new, higher, yield range in coming weeks," with a possible peak around 4.75%, they said. The European Central Bank and Bank of England have also touted higher rates for longer in policy meetings since the middle of the month. Crude oil remained weak amid concerns that fuel demand will be crimped by major central banks holding interest rates higher for longer, even with supply expected to be tight.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Hong, HSI, Austan Goolsbee, Sterling, Gold, Kevin Buckland, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Rights, Treasury, Federal Reserve, U.S, Tokyo's Nikkei, Traders, Westpac, Chicago Fed, Fed, European Central Bank and Bank of England, Brent, U.S . West Texas, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Britain

☆ Oil prices dip as high interest rate outlook outweighs tight supply
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Oil prices slipped in early trade on Tuesday amid concerns that fuel demand will be crimped by major central banks holding interest rates higher for longer, even with supply expected to be tight. The world's top economic policy makers, the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank, have over the recent days reiterated their commitment to fight inflation, signalling tight policy may persist longer than previously anticipated. With China's Golden Week holiday starting from Sunday, oil prices could gain support from a pick-up in travel and resulting oil product demand from the world's second biggest oil consumer. We expect oil to trade above $90 per barrel during the week," ANZ Research said in a note. Oil prices have risen by around 30% since mid-year driven mostly by tighter supply, wiping off 0.5 percentage points from the global GDP growth in the second half of this year, according to JP Morgan.

Persons: Moody's, Fitch, JP Morgan Organizations: Brent, . West Texas, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, ANZ Research Locations: U.S, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Moscow

Pump jacks operate at sunset in an oil field in Midland, Texas U.S. August 22, 2018. REUTERS/Nick Oxford/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO/BEIJING, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Tuesday amid concerns that fuel demand will be crimped by major central banks holding interest rates higher for longer, even with supply expected to be tight. Higher interest rates slow economic growth, which curbs oil demand. With China's Golden Week holiday starting from Sunday, oil prices could gain support from a pick-up in travel and resulting oil product demand from the world's second biggest oil consumer. Oil prices have risen by around 30% since mid-year driven mostly by tighter supply, wiping off 0.5 percentage points from the global GDP growth in the second half of this year, according to JP Morgan.

Persons: Nick Oxford, Tina Teng, Moody's, Fitch, CMC's Teng, JP Morgan, Baden Moore, Katya Golubkova, Andrew Hayley, Sonali Paul Organizations: Midland , Texas U.S, REUTERS, Rights, Brent, U.S, West Texas, CMC Markets, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, bbl, National Australia Bank, Thomson Locations: Midland , Texas, Rights TOKYO, BEIJING, Auckland, U.S, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Moscow, Tokyo, Beijing

☆ ‘Big Short’ investor Steve Eisman says the whole bank sector is 'uninvestable'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Steve Eisman, the investor who called and profited from the subprime mortgage crisis, said Thursday that he's staying away from bank stocks due to risks from crimped margins and tougher regulations. "I happen to think the whole bank sector is uninvestable," Eisman, senior portfolio manager at Neuberger Berman, said on CNBC's " Squawk Box. " Uncertainty caused by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank earlier this year triggered outflows at other regional banks and larger institutions. With short-term rates spiking higher than long-term rates, bank margins have been hurt. The SPDR S & P Regional Banking ETF , which tracks 140 regional banks, has fallen more than 33% this year.

Persons: Steve Eisman, he's, Eisman, Neuberger Berman, Eisman's, Banks, Michael Lewis Organizations: Federal, Regional Banking ETF Locations: Silicon

☆ Gas Prices Have Crept Higher This Summer, a Challenge for the Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Santul Nerkar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Your eyes are not deceiving you: Gas prices are rising yet again. On Wednesday, the national average for unleaded gasoline was $3.88 per gallon, according to AAA, the highest level since October. But it’s still much higher than historical averages, even for summer, when prices tend to rise. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, by comparison, gas prices soared more than 40 percent in less than four months. High gas prices are a headache for elected officials and consumers, particularly less affluent Americans, and they present a challenge for policymakers at the Federal Reserve, who have sought to rein in rapid inflation over the past 18 months.

Persons: it’s Organizations: AAA, Federal Reserve Locations: That’s, Ukraine

☆ This internet stock nearly cut in half this year is ready for a big comeback, Wolfe Research says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( John Melloy | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Etsy , saying the one-time pandemic darling down nearly 50% this year is ready for a sizeable comeback. The firm raised its rating on Etsy to outperform from peer perform and set a $100 price target, representing more than 54% upside over the next 12 months. ETSY 5Y mountain Etsy - 5 years Etsy shares are down 46% so far in 2023 and about 80% from their pandemic high as inflation crimped consumers' wallets and investors dumped growth stocks in the wake of higher interest rates. Wolfe gave three reasons why the stock could rebound: a recovery in consumer spending with the improving economy, margin improvement potential and a better focus on its core franchise. "Our scenario analysis suggests that there are several paths for ETSY to reach over $850m in EBITDA in FY24," the note stated.

Persons: Wolfe, Deepak Mathivanan Organizations: Wolfe Research Locations: EBITDA

☆ The S&P 500 looks risky and expensive - and could plunge 25% if something shocks the system, Morgan Stanley's stock chief warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The S&P 500 is priced for perfection and could plunge 25% if problems crop up, Mike Wilson says. Morgan Stanley's stock chief says the outlook for company earnings and the economy is pretty grim. The benchmark S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite have rallied 17% and 33% respectively this year. He suggested a shock to the system of that kind could send the S&P 500 plummeting from nearly 4,500 points today to the low 3,000s — a drop of more than 25%. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn short, Wilson sees very limited upside and material downside to investing in the S&P 500 today.

Persons: Mike Wilson, Morgan Stanley's, Wilson, Rosenberg, Morgan, China's, Sharp, aren't Organizations: Big Tech, Service, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, Wall, Bank of, Nvidia, Microsoft Locations: Wall, Silicon, Bank of Japan

☆ With housing, Buffett chooses a great location
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Ben Winck | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, Aug 30 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Mortgages are pricey, but Warren Buffett seems to think that’s a good thing for homebuilders. Horton (DHI.N), Lennar (LEN.N) and NVR (NVR.N), just as mortgage rates hit the highest level in nearly 23 years. That’s 3% less than last year, and 7% less than the average used-home price today. Horton, NVR and Lennar on Aug. 14. The conglomerate, run by billionaire investor Warren Buffett, purchased $726 million, $71 million and $17 million of DR Horton, NVR and Lennar shares, respectively, throughout the second quarter, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Persons: Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, D.R . Horton, Horton, NVR, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics, Buffett, Berkshire, Securities and Exchange Commission, Mortgage Bankers Association, Census, Thomson Locations: . Berkshire, D.R ., Horton, U.S, New York, Los Angeles, Berkshire, that’s, homebuilders D.R, DR

☆ Why some are calling the German economy 'the sick man of Europe'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

London CNN —It’s been nearly two decades since Germany shrugged off its “sick man of Europe” label with a series of labor market reforms that ushered in years of economic outperformance. Sticky inflation and three straight quarters of falling or stagnating output have put Europe’s biggest economy in the doldrums. “Sticky” inflation is eroding Germans’ purchasing power, fueling “pessimism among households,” according to Thomas Obst, senior economist at the Cologne Institute for Economic Research. “[German] industrial order books have emptied over the last 12 months,” Carsten Brzeski, global head of macroeconomic research at ING, told CNN. “Germany is in a very singular position.”Bright spotsHolger Schmieding, the economist who first called Germany the “sick man of Europe” in 1998, thinks the “current wave of pessimism” over its economy is overdone.

Persons: London CNN — It’s, Stefan Kooths, Europe ”, Kooths, Thomas Obst, Obst, ”, Klaus Wohlrabe, Frank Soellner, ” Carsten Brzeski, Sam Reeves, Brzeski, David Hecker, Holger Schmieding, Schmieding, “ Organizations: London CNN, International Monetary Fund, Kiehl Institute, Cologne Institute, Economic Research, CNN, European Central Bank, ifo, Volkswagen, Siemens, Global, ING, Getty, China Locations: Germany, Europe, Berlin, ifo, Bad, China, Duisburg, AFP, Ukraine, Australia, France

☆ BHP sees China demand bright spots, logs 37% profit drop
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Melanie Burton | Sameer Manekar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A small toy figure and mineral imitation are seen in front of the BHP logo in this illustration taken November 19, 2021. Western demand for commodities on the other hand has been seen hurt by the lagging impact of interest rate hikes. “You can’t deny that commodity prices have come off a fair bit from where they were, (but) they are still pretty healthy, the iron ore price in particular,” Forster said. Inflation is also expected to raise the floor for commodities prices, including copper and iron ore, BHP said, seeing prices for the latter trade around $80-$100 a ton. BHP produces iron ore in Western Australia for $17.79 a ton.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Mike Henry, BHP, Andy Forster, ” Forster, “ Capex, That’s, Jansen, Henry Organizations: MELBOURNE, BHP Group, BHP, REUTERS, Macquarie, Argo Investments, Oz Minerals Locations: China, India, Australia, Canada, Western Australia

With equipment idling as construction slows and dwindling exports curb manufacturing, diesel demand is likely to ebb. Rystad Energy lowered its forecast for China's diesel demand for July to December this year to 3.81 million barrels per day (bpd) from an earlier outlook of 3.9 million bpd, though the new forecast is up 3.8% from the first half of 2023. "Diesel demand is still growing, but at a lower-than-expected rate," said Lin Ye, a Beijing-based downstream analyst at Rystad, citing the ailing property sector and deteriorating trade environment. An uptick in Chinese diesel demand earlier this year, driven by resurgent road freight transport in the first quarter, has lost momentum. August diesel exports are estimated at 650,000 to 800,000 tons, down from July's estimate of 1 million tons, data compiled by consultancy Longzhong and China-based trading analysts showed.

Persons: Aly, Lin Ye, Xia Shiqing, Wood Mackenzie, Mia Geng, Andrew Hayley, Trixie Yap, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Energy, International Energy Agency, IEA, Reuters, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: Huangpu, Shanghai, China, Rights BEIJING, Beijing, Asia, Longzhong, Singapore

☆ Russia’s Moves to Shore Up Ruble Reflect War’s Toll on Economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Anatoly Kurmanaev | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The Russian currency fell nearly 25 percent since the beginning of the year. “The ruble exchange rate is only an indicator,” said Alexandra Prokopenko, a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and a former Russian central bank official. The ruble plummeted to as low as 135 per dollar and the central bank took a series of dramatic measures, including capital controls, to stave off a full-blown meltdown. The most immediate concern for Russian financial policymakers is the possibility of significant inflation. The country’s central bank reacted to that risk late last month with a higher-than-expected rise in interest rates, to 8.5 percent.

Persons: ”, Alexandra Prokopenko, Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V Organizations: Bank of Russia, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Soviet Union

☆ India's imports from China across at least 25 major commodity groups rise on year
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, Aug 9 (Reuters) - India's imports from China across at least 25 major commodity groups such as consumer electronics, auto components, and iron and steel products rose in fiscal 2023, the government told parliament on Wednesday. The statement, which listed Chinese imports in a total of 31 commodity groups, comes amid New Delhi's concerted efforts to reduce its trade deficit with China since border tensions flared in 2020. Imports of electronics instruments from China grew 14% year-on-year in fiscal 2023, while imports of organic chemicals imports and iron and steel products rose 9% and 12.3%, respectively, as per the statement. Imports of all listed commodity groups were higher than shipments in fiscal 2021. India's trade gap with China widened 13.5% in fiscal 2023 year-on-year, as India's strong domestic demand continued to support Chinese imports while COVID lockdowns in China crimped imports from India.

Persons: Shivangi Acharya, Janane Organizations: Thomson Locations: DELHI, China, India

☆ U.S. mortgage rates spike to highest since November, approach 22-year high
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Safiyah Riddle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

New townhomes are seen under construction while building material supplies are in high demand in Tampa, Florida, U.S., May 5, 2021. REUTERS/Octavio JonesAug 9 (Reuters) - The average U.S. 30-year mortgage rate jumped to a nine-month peak on Wednesday and hit the second-highest rate since 2001, as interest rates reacted sharply to a downgrading of U.S. government debt. Rates have not been that high since November 2022, which were then the highest levels since 2001. Recent data has suggested that the home price cooling engineered by the Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate hiking campaign could be slowing down. But the recent data showing higher mortgage rates and crimped demand could be welcome news for overall shelter costs and the U.S. central bank's effort to bring inflation down.

Persons: Octavio Jones, Joel Kan, Safiyah Riddle, Andrea Ricci Organizations: REUTERS, Mortgage, Association, Association's, Federal, Thomson Locations: Tampa , Florida, U.S

☆ Russia's economy is being propped up by Wagner Group's gold-smuggling operations, UK government report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's economy is being sustained by the Wagner Group's gold smuggling operations, the UK government says. A report says the mercenary group has been sneaking "significant" amounts of gold out of Sudan. That gold is then used in trade that's boosting Russia's economy, it added, despite the nation being targeted by western sanctions amid Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine. "Wagner's gold-smuggling operations from Sudan are significant, with one calling them 'critical to Russia's ability to withstand significant sanctions deployed against it for its illegal invasion in Ukraine,'" the report said. And though Putin has downplayed the effect of sanctions, non-government statistics show that Russia's economy is spiraling and in a far worse state than it appears, two Yale researchers said.

Persons: Wagner, Brian Nelson, Putin Organizations: Service, US Treasury, United Arab, Wagner Group, Central African, Terrorism, Financial, Wagner Groups, EU, Yale Locations: Sudan, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Central African Republic, Russia, Mali, United States, Africa

☆ IMF expects deal with Argentina in the coming days
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Miguel Lo Bianco/File PhotoBUENOS AIRES, July 23 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) should in the coming days finalize the basis for a staff level agreement with Argentina over a review of the country's $44 billion loan with the IMF, the Washington-based fund said on Sunday. "The teams of the Economy Ministry and Central Bank of Argentina and the IMF staff have finished the core aspects of the technical work of the next review," the IMF said on Twitter. "The central objectives and parameters that will be the basis for a "staff level agreement" have been agreed, which is expected to be finalized in the next few days before moving towards the review of the Argentina program," it added. Argentina faces maturities with the IMF worth some $3.4 billion between July 31 and Aug. 1, at a time when the central bank's net reserves are about $6.5 billion in the red. An Economy Ministry source told Reuters the disbursement program for the second half of 2023 has already closed and that the staff level accord could be sealed on Wednesday or Thursday.

Persons: Miguel Lo Bianco, Hernan Nessi, Nick Zieminski Organizations: IMF, REUTERS, Monetary Fund, Economy Ministry, Central Bank of, Twitter, Ministry, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, BUENOS AIRES, Washington, Central Bank of Argentina

☆ Who is Ken, really? The history of the world’s most misunderstood doll
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

March 11, 1961: When Ken met BarbieThis original Ken doll from 1961 was supposed to be so handsome and magnetic that Barbie fell instantly in love. 1970s -1990s: Ken tries to be trendyEven with an ever-fashionable companion like Barbie, Ken could never quite crack it when it came to personal style, though he certainly tried. Mod Hair Ken: A quintessentially ‘70s doll with a massive mop of hair, extra-long sideburns and bonus facial hair made for mixing and matching. Totally Hair Ken: It looks how it sounds — this ’90s Ken came with a long, unkempt mane, real hair gel and a small comb his owners could use to style him however they wanted. Mattel introduced a “new and improved” Ken doll almost two years to the day after his break-up with Barbie.

Persons: CNN — “ Barbie, Ken, Barbie, He’s, cinephiles, “ Barbie, Kenneth Carson, Ryan Gosling, Ruth Handler, ”, They’d, Ken wasn’t, diehard Barbie, ” M.G, Yvonne Hemsey, “ hipper, Dan Savage, ” Savage, Mattel, Savage, they’d, —, Russell Arons, Barbie “, ” Arons, Barbie – Blaine, Phillip Bloch, Bloch, Matthew McConaughey, Orlando Bloom, “ Ken, ” Bloch, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Michael Keaton, hadn’t, “, Valentine’s, Ryan Gosling cheesing, Gosling, Greta Gerwig, Robbie, Kenergy ”, ” Gosling, Ken’s, he’s, Jimmy Fallon, I’m, Ken —, Barbie ” Organizations: CNN, Warner Bros, Discovery, Mattel, New, Historical Society, New York Times, Pixar, ascot, Valentine’s, ” CNN, Facebook, Venice Locations: Barbie’s, Willows , Wisconsin, Cali, Europe, New York, Los Angeles

GANDHINAGAR, India, July 17 (Reuters) - Debt restructuring talks made little progress during the third finance meeting of the G20 countries in India as the bloc was unable to overcome key differences and low attendance due to domestic issues adding to the roadblocks. The finance ministers of the G20 countries gathered in the western Indian state of Gujarat, hoping to push for agreements on debt restructuring for vulnerable countries, global minimum taxation and reforms on multilateral development banks. "We are not making much headway with the debt restructuring issue," a senior official, who is part of the meeting, told Reuters on Monday. Officials said several finance ministers were forced to skip the meetings due to domestic issues that were a "priority". Finance ministers from Japan, Australia, Canada, Indonesia, South Korea, Indonesia, South Africa, along with the United States and India were present.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Joachim Nagel, Aftab Ahmed, Chizu Organizations: Reuters, United, Treasury, Officials, Finance, Thomson Locations: GANDHINAGAR, India, Gujarat, Zambia, United States, New Delhi, Japan, Australia, Canada, Indonesia, South Korea, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, France, Mexico, Germany's, Parisian, Germany

☆ Fugazetta Is a Better Cheesy Bread
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Sam Sifton | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

You can top the bread with fruit or herbs (or fruit and herbs). I like to split the bread and layer the interior with mortadella and pistachio cream, as they do at All’Antico Vinaio in Manhattan. In Argentina, home to a huge population of Italian immigrants, focaccia dough can be used to make fugazza, a kind of pizza hybrid topped with mozzarella, provolone and shaved onions. As Ham El-Waylly explains in his new recipe, some Argentines dial their fugazza up a few notches and make fugazetta (above), a kind of fugazza calzone, with the dough sandwiching the cheese before it’s crimped shut and topped with shaved onions. These soften and char in the heat of the oven, and offer a nice contrast to the molten cheese within.

Persons: Ham, Waylly, crimped Locations: Manhattan, Argentina

☆ Rising imports, falling exports push US trade deficit to six-month high
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The trade deficit jumped 23.0% to $74.6 billion, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday. The government revised the goods trade data from 2018 while the trade services figures were revised from 2017. There were also increases in imports of industrial supplies and materials, though petroleum imports fell to the lowest level since August 2021. April's drop in goods exports was led by a sharp decline in exports of industrial supplies and materials, mostly crude oil and fuel oil. Adjusted for inflation, the goods trade deficit shot up 16.5% to $95.8 billion in April.

Persons: Christopher Rupkey, Lucia Mutikani, Toby Chopra, Andrea Ricci Organizations: Commerce Department, Trade, Consumer, Federal Reserve, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, U.S, New York

☆ Morning Bid: Fearless VIX, China miss, Canada hike?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Wall St's 'fear index', the VIX (.VIX) gauge of implied S&P500 equity volatility, closed below 14 on Tuesday for the first time since February 2020 - more than 5 points below its 33 year average. What's more, the OECD saw Fed rates peaking after just one more hike to the 5.25-5.5% range and "modest" cuts next year. Oil prices remain lower on the week despite new Saudi output cut plans and year-on-year prices are still falling at 36%. Events to watch for later on Wednesday:* Bank of Canada key policy interest rate announcement* U.S. April trade balance. Federal Reserve issues Consumer Credit report for April* Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak travels to Washington to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden* U.S. corporate earnings: Campbell Soup, Brown-FormanReuters GraphicsReuters GraphicsReuters GraphicsReuters GraphicsBy Mike Dolan, Editing by Louise Heavens <a href="mailto:mike.dolan@thomsonreuters.com" target="_blank">mike.dolan@thomsonreuters.com</a>.

Persons: Mike Dolan, you'd, eked, Tayyip Erdogan, Mehmet Simsek, Rishi Sunak, Joe Biden, Campbell, Brown, Forman, Louise Heavens Organizations: U.S, Organisation for Economic Cooperation, Development, World Bank, OECD, Bank of Canada, Canadian, Bank of, Federal, Britain's, Forman Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, York, Saudi, Asia, Bank of Canada, Washington

☆ Analysis: GM's 2025 EV output could be crimped by battery bottleneck
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Paul Lienert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"We have not changed our targets," GM spokesman Jim Cain said. Those targets include cumulative EV production of 400,000 from early 2022 through mid-2024, a revised goal that CEO Mary Barra reiterated earlier this year. "We believe GM’s targets are hittable despite hurdles to get there," Wedbush auto analyst Dan Ives said. GM has not issued specific North American EV production targets for 2024 and 2025. GM’s North American EV production targets beyond 2025 “will continue to push the limits” of its battery plants, according to AFS, including a recently announced fourth factory with new partner Samsung SDI (006400.KS) that isn’t expected to open until 2026.

☆ Fewer Adults Have Life Insurance, but Skipping It Can Be Risky
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +11 min

But financial planners say a basic life insurance policy, especially products known as term life insurance, should be an important part of many Americans’ financial plans. A life insurance policy:Replaces lost income: If you were to pass away, your family could use your life insurance policy’s death benefit to replace your income. How to shop for life insuranceIf you’re ready to start shopping for a life insurance policy, follow these steps:1. According to PolicyGenius, an insurance marketplace, typical rates for a whole life policy, the most common type of permanent life insurance, are about 10 times the cost of a term life policy. Term Life Insurance Because term life insurance expires, it's often a far cheaper option.

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