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The path to the pause will roll out in marquee monthly data on the key topics of jobs and prices, but also weekly series tracking emerging concerns about the financial industry. Here's a guide to what's ahead:JOBS: Next release May 5The data calendar will let the Fed receive two monthly jobs reports, covering April and May, before its June 13-14 policy meeting. For the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, the measure used to set the Fed's 2% inflation target, only the April report will be available. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsReuters GraphicsFEDSPEAK: OngoingThe Fed's internal communications rules set a "blackout" period around each policy meeting. The curtain of silence around the May meeting lifts on Friday, May 5, and Fed officials can speak publicly about their views through Friday, June 2.

As a member of the Fed's Board of Governors a decade ago, Powell called certain possible debt default responses by the Fed "loathsome." Accepting defaulted securities as collateral for Fed loans, or swapping "good" federal debt already held by the Fed for impaired debt held by private investors, would be an extreme variation on the theme - yet one that may prove less "loathsome" than the alternative economic collapse some predict would follow a default. To a central bank, with no budget constraint and an elastic time horizon, it's just a matter of waiting out the politicians. Powell joined the Fed in 2012 from a think tank where he focused on debt and deficit issues. A debt default may pose another tough decision for a Fed chair who's motto could well be to never say never.

☆ Financial conditions 'not that tight' relative to rate hikes, says Dreyfus and Mellon's Reinhart
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFinancial conditions 'not that tight' relative to rate hikes, says Dreyfus and Mellon's ReinhartVincent Reinhart, chief economist and macro strategist at Dreyfus and Mellon, joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss his expectation from the next Federal Reserve meeting and more.

☆ Australia may inadvertently fuel cyber crime, says data theft victim service
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SYDNEY, April 5 (Reuters) - An Australian government-backed service for victims of identity theft blasted a plan to toughen privacy laws amid an explosion of online data theft, saying it would spur compromised companies to pay ransom and invite more hacking. IDCare, a non-profit that helps internet crime victims, said by making it easier for regulators to fine companies for poor data security and failing to criminalise ransom payment, Australia may inadvertently fuel a cyber-crimewave. Canberra raised the maximum fine to A$50 million ($34 million) from A$2.2 million for companies that fail to stop data theft after the first major attack in October, when some 10 million customer accounts at No. DEMAND SPIKESince Australia made it compulsory for companies to report data breaches in 2018, IDCare's submission said community demand for its services had rocketed. ($1 = 1.4806 Australian dollars)Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Praveen Menon and Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia bans TikTok on government devices over security concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] The logo of Chinese-owned video app TikTok is seen on a smartphone in front of an image of the Australian national flag in this illustration picture taken April 4, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/IllustrationSYDNEY, April 4 (Reuters) - Australia banned TikTok on Tuesday from all federal government-owned devices over security concerns, becoming the latest U.S.-allied country to take action against the Chinese-owned video app. TikTok's Australia and New Zealand General Manager Lee Hunter said TikTok should not be singled out. "Things are going well, but of course, it'll take some time to turn this ship around," Trade Minister Don Farrell told Sky News, referring to prospects for improving trade relations. TikTok has said the administration of President Joe Biden demanded its Chinese owners divest their stakes or face a potential U.S. ban.

☆ Australia to ban TikTok on government devices over security concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Australian government said on Tuesday it will remove TikTok from all federal government-owned devices over security concerns, becoming the latest U.S. allied country to initiate action against the Chinese-owned video app. The move underscores growing worries that China's government could use the Beijing-based company, owned by ByteDance, to harvest users' data to advance its political agenda, undermining Western security interests. It risks renewing diplomatic tensions between Canberra and Beijing that have eased somewhat since the Labor government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese returned to power in May. The ban will come into effect "as soon as practicable," Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement, adding that exemptions would only be granted on a case-by-case basis and with appropriate security measures in place. With Australia's ban, all members of the so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network — which consists of Australia, Canada, the United States, Britain and New Zealand — have banned the app from government devices.

☆ Australia bans TikTok on federal government devices
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Australia has joined other Western countries in banning the use of TikTok on government devices as the Chinese-owned video app comes under increasing pressure over claims it presents a security concern. So far, there’s no evidence the Chinese government has accessed TikTok user data, and no government has enacted a broader ban targeting TikTok on personal devices. During a high profile congressional hearing on the matter, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was grilled about the tech firm’s alleged ties to the Chinese government. Chew has said the Chinese government had never asked TikTok for its data and that the company would refuse any such request. For its part, China’s Commerce Ministry said it would “firmly oppose” any decision resulting in the forced sale of TikTok, adding that it would “seriously damage” global investors’ confidence in the United States.

☆ Australia govt introduces Indigenous referendum bill in parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Introducing the bill in parliament, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the referendum, to be held between October and December, would be an opportunity to acknowledge history and help Australians come together "for a more reconciled future." The main opposition Liberal party has not yet decided if it would support the proposed constitutional amendments but its junior coalition partner, the rural-based National Party, has said it would oppose them. A Guardian poll last week showed public support for the referendum was down 5% but was still backed by a majority, with 59% in favour. Any constitutional alterations in Australia require a national referendum. To succeed a referendum requires a national majority of votes as well as a majority of votes in at least four of the six states.

☆ Mindy Kaling, Bruce Springsteen, Colson Whitehead Are Among Recipients of National Arts Awards
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Jennifer Calfas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Colson Whitehead and Mindy Kaling will both be honored this week. President Biden will honor actors, artists, authors, musicians and scholars Tuesday with the federal government’s highest awards for contributions to the arts and humanities. Recipients of the National Medal of Arts will include comedians and actors Mindy Kaling and Julia Louis-Dreyfus , legendary singers Gladys Knight and Bruce Springsteen , and fashion designer Vera Wang . Authors including Bryan Stevenson , Amy Tan and Colson Whitehead , and academics including Henrietta Mann are among those who will receive the National Humanities Medal.

☆ Biden honors Springsteen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Mindy Kaling
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueWASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden made an observation when conferring the National Medal of Arts on rocker Bruce Springsteen on Tuesday: "Bruce, some people are just born to run, man." Springsteen and a host of actors, authors, singers and other artists joined Biden in the White House East Room where they received either a National Medal of Arts or National Humanities Medal for their contributions to American society. Comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus, whose "Veep" show made light of the vice presidency - an office Biden once held - was also honored. Actress Mindy Kaling, a main character on the long-running television show, "The Office," set in Biden's hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, received a medal as well. "I'm trying to go back to back myself," said Biden, who has said he intends to run for re-election in 2024.

☆ Adam Sandler honored with Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Jeff Mason | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Actor and comedian Adam Sandler waves as he is awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center in Washington, U.S., March 19, 2023. REUTERS/Joshua RobertsWASHINGTON, March 19 (Reuters) - Actor and comedian Adam Sandler became the 24th recipient of the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday, at an evening event featuring stars Jennifer Aniston, Chris Rock and Conan O’Brien to celebrate his comedy and career. With the White House a short distance from the Kennedy Center, some presenters touched on politics. Sandler joins the ranks of other comedians who have received the Mark Twain Prize, including Jon Stewart, Dave Chappelle, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Letterman, Carol Burnett, Eddie Murphy and Ellen DeGeneres. The prize is named after novelist and essayist Samuel Clemens, better known by his pen name, Mark Twain.

☆ Women aren't investing at the same rate as men. Here's why it matters—and how the gap can be closed
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

BNY Mellon also interviewed 100 global asset managers with $60 trillion in assets under management. One is that the investment industry isn't engaging women to the same degree as men, BNY Mellon's research found. Then there is the high hurdle of the disposable income women think they need to have before they invest. On average, women around the world believe they need $4,092 a month before they would consider investing any of it, BNY Mellon found. "Once you control for income, many of those differences between men and women and investing behaviors kind of disappear.

☆ UN torture prevention panel terminates visit to Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Feb 21 (Reuters) - A U.N. torture prevention panel terminated its suspended visit to Australia, saying it continued to face obstacles in getting access to some detention centres in the country. The U.N. Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) on Monday said it had requested several assurances in order to resume its visit but some guarantees were not provided, and it could not decide on a "reasonable timeframe" for a visit. An optional protocol against torture and degrading treatment, which Australia is a signatory to, allows for SPT to visit prisons, police stations and other detention centres unannounced. The offices of the premiers of New South Wales and Queensland did not immediately respond to a Reuters request seeking comment. Jabbour said a report based on what the panel had observed during its October visit would be shared with the Australian authorities.

☆ Sundance Movies: Brett Kavanaugh and Steph Curry Docs, "Cat Person"
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Alison Brower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Sundance Film Festival was back in person for the first time since 2020. In five days I saw eight films, and while I'm not a critic, I can affirm that not one of them was a clunker. Asked about the film's aspect ratio in an audience Q&A, Jalali said, "It was prettier that way." The bulk of the films I saw were more commercial, and four of them centered on relationships. And then there was "Cat Person," based on a 2017 New Yorker story about dating by Kristen Roupenian.

"It's going to take some time" for disinflation to spread through the economy, Powell said in a news conference following the Fed's latest quarter-point interest rate increase. He said he expects a couple more rate hikes still to go, and, "given our outlook, I just I don't see us cutting rates this year." Rate cuts, they expect, will start in September - a view Powell said Wednesday is driven by the expectation of fast-receding inflation. Since the 1990s, the interlude between rate hikes and rate cuts has varied from as long as 18 months in 1997-1998 to as short as five months in 1995. The Fed, Powell said Wednesday, cannot risk doing too little.

☆ The Sundance Film Festival stirs buzz, draws A-list stars, and screens movies that get you talking, but it can't hide the crisis facing independent filmmakers.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Alison Brower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Sundance Film Festival was back in person for the first time since 2020. A-list stars like Anne Hathaway and Jason Momoa were present to promote their buzzy films. It was impossible not to feel optimistic about the state of independent film at the opening weekend of the Sundance Film Festival. In five days I saw eight films, and while I'm not a critic, I can affirm that not one of them was a clunker. At an event like Sundance, even amid some hand-wringing over the future, the excitement is contagious.

☆ Grain trader ADM hikes dividend as quarterly profit tops estimate
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 26 (Reuters) - Archer-Daniels-Midland Co (ADM.N) on Thursday reported upbeat fourth-quarter profit and said it will raise its dividend payments, as the global grains merchant benefited from tight global supply and hefty demand for grain and oilseeds. The strong quarterly performance followed record third-quarter earnings as tight supply and strong demand for food, feed and biofuel propelled results for the Chicago-based agribusiness. Supply chain middlemen such as ADM tend to thrive when crises such as droughts or war trigger shortages in parts of the world. It also raised its quarterly dividend by 12.5% to 45 cents. Reporting by Sourasis Bose in Bengaluru and Karl Plume in Chicago; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Republicans went after BlackRock and sustainable investing in 2022. Meet 12 officials crusading against 'woke capitalism.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

A group of vocal conservative officials are criticizing aspects of ESG investing. Players in the ESG ecosystem, like S&P Global and BlackRock, the world's largest money manager and an influential proponent of ESG investing, are often the subject of their critiques. Instead, officials often paint large financial firms' ESG strategies as functions of left-leaning agendas. Here are key GOP players who are taking aim at ESG investing. Abbott, who is seeking reelection in November, was early to denouncing ESG investing.

☆ Housing slump to continue but some hopeful signs ahead
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

While that’s already had a negative impact on the housing market, we’ll get more details this week about how much worse the damage has become. A long list of housing data is on tap. On Tuesday the US Census Bureau will report housing starts and building permits figures for November, followed by Friday’s release of new home sales data for the same month. Housing market was frothy, but not a bubbleOthers in the industry are cautiously optimistic as well. That all amounts to a few good reasons why the housing market could avoid a severe and prolonged slump.

☆ Stephen Colbert and Julia Louis-Dreyfus among distinguished guests gathered for Biden's first state dinner for French President Emmanuel Macron
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The world leaders started the evening by posing for official photos on the North Portico of the White House. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden pose for photos with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron as they arrive for a State Dinner on the North Portico of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022. AP Photo/Patrick SemanskyPresident Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron to the White House on Thursday evening for the administration's first state dinner since his election. Several high-profile guests began to arrive ahead of the dinner's 8:50 p.m. ET start time, offering a glimpse into the A-list guest list and extravagant affair.

☆ Meet 12 Republican officials crusading against BlackRock and ESG investing
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

☆ US recession odds are 'extremely elevated' and a downturn is likely to hit within the next year, chief economist says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Vincent Reinhart, the chief economist of Dreyfus Mellon, is expecting a recession to hit within the next 12 months. "There is an extremely elevated chance of recession," he told Bloomberg on Thursday. "It's hard in a sense that they have to put pain on the economy to get inflation down," he said. "But it's spillover to service inflation, that's what you've got to worry about, that's what Powell's worried about. The durable part of inflation that's still above the Fed's goal."

☆ Australia unveils joint cyber police taskforce to 'hunt down' hackers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Australia on Saturday formalised a new cyber-policing model in a stepped-up effort to "hunt down" cyber criminal syndicates, following recent hacks impacting millions of Australians. Australia's biggest health insurer, Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX), last month was hit by a massive cyber attack, as Australia grapples with a rise in damaging hacks. O'Neil said around 100 officers would be part of the new partnership between the two federal agencies, which would act as "a joint standing operation against cyber criminal syndicates". The taskforce would "day in, day out, hunt down the scumbags who are responsible for these malicious crimes", she said. Attorney General Mark Dreyfus, speaking alongside O'Neil in Melbourne, refused to be drawn on whether the ransomware group REvil was responsible for recent cyber attacks on Australians.

☆ Australia to consider banning paying of ransoms to cyber criminals
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Australia's Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil on Sunday said the government would consider making illegal the paying of ransoms to cyber hackers, following recent cyber attacks affecting millions of Australians. Australia's biggest health insurer, Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX), last month suffered a massive cyber attack, as Australia grapples with a rise in hacks. Asked on ABC television on Sunday whether the government planned to look at outlawing ransom payments to cyber criminals, O'Neil said "that's correct". Around 100 officers would be part of the new partnership between the two federal agencies, which would act as a joint standing operation against cyber criminals. The AFP earlier this week said Russia-based hackers were behind the attack on Medibank, which compromised data from around 10 million current and former customers.

The approvals could reshape global trade flows and result in fewer sales for farmers in the United States, the world's top corn supplier. China relied on the United States and Ukraine for most of its corn supplies but Russia's invasion of Ukraine has disrupted exports. He said in an interview the list of approved Brazilian facilities that can export corn to China may be updated to include more units in coming weeks. Once China starts buying corn from Brazil, traditional Brazilian corn importers such as Spain and Egypt could shift some of their purchases to the United States. Beijing and Brasilia had signed a protocol for exporting corn from Brazil to China in 2014 but little trade had happened due to complex inspection requirements.

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