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☆ Asia stocks hold gains as confidence grows on rate outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Selena Li | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

China's benchmark share index (.CSI300) fell 0.16% on Thursday, with the real estate sub-index (.CSI931775) retrieved earlier losses to gain 2.11%. Chinese government advisers will recommend to an annual policymakers' meeting that economic growth targets for next year be set at 4.5% to 5.5%, Reuters reported on Wednesday. Markets have generally been buoyant this month, with stocks rallying on expectations of a more benign interest rate backdrop. The next set of forward-looking flash November PMIs will help investors to assess recession risks and how quickly rate cuts might begin. The minutes of the European Central Bank's October meeting and flash PMIs for a host of European countries are Thursday's highlights.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, shrugged, Redmond Wong, Brent, Sterling, Jeremy Hunt, Changpeng Zhao, Bitcoin, Selena Li, Edmund Klamann, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Bloomberg, Garden Holdings, HK, Reuters, U.S, The, Federal Reserve, Saxo Markets, Nikkei, Nasdaq, European Central, PMI, OPEC, FTSE, UK Finance, Thomson Locations: Exchange, Hong Kong, China, HONG KONG, Asia, Pacific, Japan, United States, The U.S, Greater China, Australia, Britain, U.S

☆ Morning Bid: Watching what the ECB giveth
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Vidya Ranganathan. The forward-looking flash November PMIs due out globally should help investors assess recession risks and how quickly rate cuts will begin. Interest rate futures show the market is pricing in rate cuts by April and more aggressively so in June . Later on Thursday, Sweden's central bank will announce its latest policy decision in what is expected to be a very close call on whether to hike again. A Reuters poll showed 10 of 19 economists looked for a rise, while market pricing is leaning against a move.

Persons: Vidya Ranganathan, haven't, Mario Centeno, Joachim Nagel's, Christine Lagarde's, Jeremy Hunt's, Van Haaren, ECB's Isabel Schnabel, Robert Holzmann, Francois Villeroy de, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Vidya, European Central, PMI, ECB, Reuters, Ubezpieczen SA, Virgin Money, Bank of France, Thomson Locations: Japan, United States, Britain, U.S, Sweden's

☆ Asia stocks hold recent gains as confidence grows on rate outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Selena Li | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Investors are also looking to Chinese policymakers for clues on possible support for the long-suffering property market, in line with broader growth targets they are hammering out. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) edged down 0.11% in thin trading, with Japan and the United States on holiday. Chinese government advisers will recommend to an annual policymakers' meeting that economic growth targets for next year be set at 4.5% to 5.5%, Reuters reported on Wednesday. Markets have generally been buoyant this month, with stocks rallying on expectations of a more benign interest rate backdrop. The next set of forward-looking flash November PMIs will help investors to assess recession risks and how quickly rate cuts might begin.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, shrugged, Redmond Wong, Brent, Sterling, Jeremy Hunt, Changpeng Zhao, Selena Li, Edmund Klamann Organizations: REUTERS, Federal Reserve, Saxo Markets, Nikkei, Reuters, Nasdaq, OPEC, FTSE, UK Finance, Thomson Locations: Exchange, Hong Kong, China, HONG KONG, Asia, Pacific, Japan, United States, U.S, Greater China, Australia, Britain

Israel's response has been a fierce military campaign that has killed more than 14,000 people inside Gaza so far. Israel regards the entire Hamas leadership as terrorists, accusing Haniyeh, Meshaal and others of continuing to "pull the strings of the Hamas terror organisation." The plan, drawn up by the Hamas military council in Gaza, was such a closely guarded secret that some Hamas officials seemed shocked by its timing and scale. During the decade in which Haniyeh was Hamas' top leader in Gaza, Israel accused his leadership team of helping to divert humanitarian aid to the group's military wing. Three senior officials told Reuters that Khamenei told the Hamas leader in that meeting, that Iran would not enter the war having not been told about it in advance.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Israel, Khaled Meshaal, Yahya Sinwar, Adeeb Ziadeh, Meshaal, Iran's, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, Yassin, Samia Nakhoul, Stephen Farrell, Edmund Blair Organizations: Palestinian, Gaza, Al, Hamas, Qatari, Qatar University, Reuters, Islamic University, Thomson Locations: Qatar, Gaza, Israel, Turkey, Doha, Iran, Al Jazeera, Meshaal, Muslim Iran, Egypt, Tehran, Iranian, Al, Gaza City, Al Jura, Ashkelon, Dubai

☆ Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh Leads Group's Diplomacy as Gaza War Rages
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

By Stephen Farrell and Samia Nakhoul(Reuters) - Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader based in Qatar, has been the tough-talking face of the Palestinian group's international diplomacy as war has raged back in Gaza where his family home was destroyed in an Israeli air strike in November. Israel regards the entire Hamas leadership as terrorists, accusing Haniyeh, Meshaal and others of continuing to "pull the strings of the Hamas terror organisation." The plan, drawn up by the Hamas military council in Gaza, was such a closely guarded secret that some Hamas officials seemed shocked by its timing and scale. During the decade in which Haniyeh was Hamas' top leader in Gaza, Israel accused his leadership team of helping to divert humanitarian aid to the group's military wing. Three senior officials told Reuters that Khamenei told the Hamas leader in that meeting, that Iran would not enter the war having not been told about it in advance.

Persons: Stephen Farrell, Samia Nakhoul, Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Israel, Khaled Meshaal, Yahya Sinwar, Adeeb Ziadeh, Meshaal, Iran's, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, Yassin, Edmund Blair Organizations: Palestinian, Gaza, Al, Hamas, Qatari, Qatar University, Reuters, Islamic University Locations: Qatar, Gaza, Turkey, Doha, Iran, Israel, Al Jazeera, Meshaal, Muslim Iran, Egypt, Tehran, Iranian, Al, Gaza City, Al Jura, Ashkelon, Dubai

☆ China says Philippines enlists foreign force to stir trouble in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Chinese military will maintain high vigilance, resolutely defend sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and resolutely safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, China's military said. "The Philippines enlisted forces out of the region to patrol ... stirred up trouble and engaged in hype, undermining regional peace and stability," the southern theatre command of the Chinese military said. Relations have soured between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr as he pivots towards closer ties with the U.S., which supports the Southeast Asian nation in its maritime disputes with China. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday China had warned the U.S. and the Philippines in connection with their patrols. A Chinese navy ship shadowed three U.S. and Philippine warships conducting joint patrols on Thursday, the Philippine armed forces chief, Romeo Brawner, told reporters.

Persons: Carlos Dominguez, Gao Hucheng, Damir Sagolj, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Mao Ning, Romeo Brawner, Brawner, Ella Cao, Bernard Orr, Liz Lee, Neil Jerome Morales, Edmund Klamann, Robert Birsel Organizations: Philippine, China's, REUTERS, U.S, Philippines, U.S ., Relations, South China, China, Philippine -, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Philippines, BEIJING, MANILA, Philippine, U.S, South China, Taiwan, South, Palawan, United States, Manila

☆ Israel–Hamas war: The hostage deal and ceasefire explained
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Israeli tanks take position near a border with Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, November 22, 2023. The pause will be extended by a day for each additional batch of 10 hostages released, Israel said in a statement. Qatar's chief negotiator in ceasefire talks, Minister of State at the Foreign Ministry Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, said that under the deal there would be "no attack whatsoever. The deal was announced 46 days after the start of the war, one of the most fierce conflicts to erupt between the two sides. The initial negotiations for a deal between Israel and Hamas, both sworn enemies, began within days of the Oct. 7 attack but progress was slow.

Persons: Amir Cohen, Israel, Salah al, Foreign Ministry Mohammed Al, Mahmoud Abbas, Joe Biden, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's, Edmund Blair, Howard Goller Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, REUTERS, State, Foreign Ministry, Committee, WHO, U.S, Palestinian Prisoners Society, West Bank and, Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Qatari, United, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Qatar, Egypt, Gaza ., Argentina, Britain, Chile, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, U.S, West Bank and Jerusalem, Doha, United States, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Israeli, Cairo

☆ Morning Bid: Nvidia shares take bumpy ride after hours
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The logo of NVIDIA as seen at its corporate headquarters in Santa Clara, California, in May of 2022. Courtesy NVIDIA/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsA look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Wayne Cole. The early focus was on Nvidia (NVDA.O), which in AI tech terms is the only company selling shovels during a gold rush. Volumes were so large and orders so backlogged that the price was - unusually - still moving erratically hours into the Asian day. A Reuters poll showed 10 of 19 economists looked for a rise, while market pricing is leaning against a move.

Persons: Wayne Cole, Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, didn't, Hunt, ECB's Centeno, Elderson, Mester, Macklem, Edmund Klamann Organizations: NVIDIA, Handout, REUTERS, Nvidia, Treasury, Fed Bank of Cleveland, Bank of Canada, Thomson Locations: Santa Clara , California, Wayne, China, Sweden's

BEIJING, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Arab and Muslim ministers called on Monday for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as their delegation visited Beijing on the first leg of a tour to push for an end to hostilities and to allow humanitarian aid into the devastated Palestinian enclave. Saudi Arabia has sought to press the United States and Israel for an end to hostilities in Gaza, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, gathered Arab and Muslim leaders to reinforce that message. Gaza's Hamas-run government said at least 13,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli bombardments since then, including at least 5,500 children. 'BROTHER AND FRIEND'China's Wang said Beijing was a "good friend and brother of Arab and Muslim countries," adding it has "always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights and interests." Reporting by Yew Lun Tian, Laurie Chen and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Edmund Klamann & Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Wang Yi, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Israel, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Sameh Shoukry, Beijing Irit Ben, Abba, China's Wang, COVID lockdowns, Xi, Wang, Zhai Jun, Yew Lun Tian, Laurie Chen, Edmund Klamann, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: . Security, of Islamic Cooperation, Saudi Foreign, Court, Hamas, Western, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Arab League, EU, Palestine, United Nations, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Gaza, Beijing, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, Palestine, Riyadh, Palestinian, United States, Israel, China, China's

☆ Three more journalists killed in Gaza in Israeli offensive, relatives say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Palestinians mourn local journalists Hassouna Sleem and Sary Mansour, who were killed in an Israeli strike on a house, at a hospital in the central Gaza Strip November 19, 2023. The CPJ, whose list covers journalists killed on both sides of the conflict although most have been in Gaza, said it seeks at least two sources to verify each death. Reuters could not independently verify this report or the report of the other two journalists killed this weekend. One of the journalists on CPJ's list of those killed is Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah who was killed in Lebanon near the border with Israel on Oct. 13. In addition to Jadallah, two freelance journalists - Hassouna Sleem and Sary Mansour - were killed on Saturday in an Israeli assault on Bureij refugee camp, in the centre of the Gaza Strip, their relatives and Palestinian health officials said.

Persons: Hassouna Sleem, Sary Mansour, Stringer, Sherif Mansour, Belal, Jadallah, Issam Abdallah, Hassouna, Edmund Blair Organizations: REUTERS, Protect Journalists, Journalists, Reuters, Press, Thomson Locations: Gaza, New York, Israel, CPJ's, East, North Africa, Palestine, Gaza City, Zeitoun, Lebanon

An Israeli military spokesman indicated on Friday that the military operation against Hamas would advance into southern Gaza but gave no indication of timing. "They asked us, the citizens of Gaza, to go to the south. With Palestinians now effectively cornered, the second stage in Israel's military campaign is fraught with even more risks than the first. Assessing Israel's gains till now, Eiland said he believed the IDF had dealt with "something like 50%" of Hamas' military capacity. "I'm not sure that all foreigners understand the Israeli mood: Israel will not stop the operation before the hostages are back," said Eiland.

Persons: Khan Younis, Abu Mustafa, Gazans, Israel, Abu, Giora, Daniel Hagari, Hagari, Matthew Miller, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yahya Sinwar, Ahmed, Eiland, Osama Hamdan, Al Mawasi, I'm, Jonathan Saul, Nidal, Simon Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk, Matt Spetalnick, Edmund Blair, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Gazans, Israel Washington, Israel's National Security Council, Reuters, U.S, U.S . State Department, United Nations, IRNA, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, GAZA, Israeli, Gaza City, United States, Washington, U.S, Beirut, U.N, Egypt, Rafah, Eiland, London

☆ Washington Is Lousy at Managing Classified Documents—and Has Been for Years
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Annie Linskey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The classified-documents scandals that have rocked the current occupant of the White House and his immediate predecessor have revealed the startling extent to which top officeholders of both major parties stretching back decades mishandled secret papers. Documents marked secret were found in papers donated by former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger, Edmund Muskie, Madeleine Albright, Dean Acheson and Cyrus Vance, along with about a dozen members of Congress, former ambassadors and leading scientists, according to notes released by National Archives and Records Administration, the agency that preserves important documents including of the Declaration of Independence.

Persons: WASHINGTON, Henry Kissinger, Edmund Muskie, Madeleine Albright, Dean Acheson, Cyrus Vance Organizations: White, National Archives, Records Administration Locations: Independence

The stockpile continues to grow, the reports say, even though Iran has consistently denied wanting nuclear arms. "The political debate is really not going to be about negotiating with Iran, it's going to be about confronting Iran," he said. This week's IAEA reports showed Iran was making steady nuclear progress and indicated that Tehran continued to stonewall the agency in monitoring its work. Two diplomats said all that could be done in coming months was to support IAEA chief Rafael Grossi's efforts to strengthen oversight of Iran's nuclear programme. "It's way too early to say whether Iran will become a nuclear state or whether it will stay a threshold state like now," one diplomat said.

Persons: Leonhard Foeger, Biden, Trump, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Israel, Robert Einhorn, Rafael Grossi's, John Irish, Francois Murphy, Arshad Mohammed, Edmund Blair Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, REUTERS, Trump PARIS, Reuters, U.S, Hamas, Pentagon, U.S . State Department, IAEA Washington, Governors, Thomson Locations: Vienna, Austria, stoke, WASHINGTON, VIENNA, United States, Tehran, Gaza, Iran, European, Washington, Iraq, Syria, U.S, IRAN, IAEA, stonewall, Paris

☆ German police raid Iran-linked centre over suspected Hezbollah support
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] German police officers walk towards the Islamic Center Hamburg, during a raid, due to suspicion of members acting against a constitutional order and supporting the militant group Hezbollah in Hamburg, Germany, November 16, 2023. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Nov 16 (Reuters) - German police conducted raids early on Thursday in seven states over the Islamic Centre of Hamburg's suspected support for the militant group Hezbollah, the interior ministry said. "I want to make clear that we are acting against Islamists, not against a religion or another state," said German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. In Hamburg alone, 300 officers conducted 31 searches in connection with the centre, the city's interior senator said. "The suspicions against the Islamic Centre of Hamburg are serious," and it has long been monitored by the domestic intelligence agency for Islamist activities, said Faeser.

Persons: Fabian Bimmer, Nancy Faeser, Linda Pasquini, Miranda Murray, Madeline Chambers, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Islamic Center, Hezbollah, REUTERS, Rights, Islamic, Authorities, of, Lebanese, Thomson Locations: Islamic Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany, Israel, Gaza, Iran, of Hamburg

☆ Microsoft introduces its own chips for AI, with eye on cost
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Microsoft said it does not plan to sell the chips but instead will use them to power its own subscription software offerings and as part of its Azure cloud computing service. Microsoft and other tech giants such as Alphabet are grappling with the high cost of delivering AI services, which can be 10 times greater than for traditional services such as search engines. The Maia chip, they said, is optimized for that work. Microsoft also said that next year it will offer its Azure customers cloud services that run on the newest flagship chips from Nvidia (NVDA.O) and Advanced Micro Devices. He said the Maia chip would allow Microsoft to sell AI services in the cloud until personal computers and phones are powerful enough to handle them.

Persons: Maia, OpenAI, Scott Guthrie, Ben Bajarin, Bajarin, Microsoft's Guthrie, Guthrie, Rani Borkar, Borkar, Stephen Nellis, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Reuters, Microsoft, REUTERS Acquire, Wednesday, Ignite, Nvidia, Devices, Amazon Web Services, Arm Holdings, Amazon, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Thomson Locations: Redmond , Washington, Seattle, San Francisco

☆ Morning Bid: UK inflation to test market's upbeat mood
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ten-year and two-year Treasury yields dropped 20 basis points and the dollar marked its steepest selloff in a year, highlighting how much markets' expectations - and cash - were riding on the data. A pivot from hikes to cuts is now priced for May in the interest rate futures markets, with a 30% chance it happens as soon as March. Expectations are for a big shift down for October, mainly due to falling energy prices, with annual headline inflation seen slipping below 5% for the first time since 2021. Chipmaker Infineon (IFXGn.DE) and troubled energy company Siemens Energy (ENR1n.DE) post earnings on Wednesday, although the latter's numbers are likely to be overshadowed by Tuesday's promise of an $8 billion government backstop from Germany. A drop is forecast, while a strong reading could dampen the exuberance over rate cut expectations.

Persons: Kevin Coombs, Tom Westbrook, Sterling, Al, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Tuesday's, Biden, Tom Wesbtrook, Edmund Klamann Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, CPI, Infineon, Siemens Energy, Alstom, Target, San Francisco Bay Area, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, East, Israel, Gaza, Al Jazeera, United States, China, Singapore, Germany, San Francisco Bay

☆ Stocks surge, dollar slumps as traders cheer inflation surprise
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Overnight the Nasdaq (.IXIC) jumped 2.4%, bonds surged and the dollar slumped more than 1.6% on the euro. Yields fall when bond prices climb. In foreign exchange trade, the dollar suffered its heaviest selling in 12 months, with the sharpest losses against risk-sensitive currencies such as the Australian dollar. In Japan, the Bank of Japan stepped back and pared its regular bond buying as markets rallied. Ten-year Japanese government bond yields hit a one-month low of 0.775%.

Persons: Androniki, Sam Rines, Chetan Seth, Brent Donnelly, Tom Westbrook, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Nikkei, REUTERS, Nasdaq, Federal, CPI, Japan's Nikkei, New Zealand, Nomura, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, SINGAPORE, Asia, Pacific, Texas, U.S, Canada

☆ Morning Bid: Frail yen teeters as US CPI looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Economists polled by Reuters expect headline U.S. consumer price inflation to slow to 3.3% in October from 3.7% in September, with the core inflation rate that strips out volatile components seen unchanged from September at 4.1%. If the battered currency breaks through last year's trough of 151.94, it would mark a 33-year low. In the corporate world, investors will keep an eye on Europe's most valuable company, Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO). Shares of the Danish drugmaker rose on Monday after data showed that the heart-protective benefits of its popular obesity drug Wegovy are not solely due to weight loss. Key developments that could influence markets on Tuesday:Economic events: UK average weekly earnings for September, Euro Zone Q3 flash GDP, Euro Zone employment flash Q3Reporting by Ankur Banerjee; Editing by Edmund KlamannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ankur Banerjee, David Cameron's, Jerome Powell, Shunichi Suzuki, Edmund Klamann Organizations: U.S, Japan, Ankur, Reuters, Federal Reserve, Japanese Finance, Novo Nordisk, Walmart, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Britain, Danish

The Gaza Strip has been under a total Israeli blockade since Hamas launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7. An Israeli ground incursion since then has brought fighting to streets around the hospital in the centre of Gaza City in the north of the strip. "Luckily they are still 36, we didn’t lose any of them overnight," Dr Ahmed El Mokhatallali, a surgeon, told Reuters by telephone from Al Shifa. 'NO CLEAR MECHANISM'The military did not say what steps it would take to make an evacuation possible, amid intense air strikes and ongoing fighting in the vicinity of Al Shifa hospital. What we care most is about the wellbeing and the lives of those babies," Gaza health ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qidra said, speaking by telephone from the hospital.

Persons: Gaza's Al Shifa, Dr Ahmed El Mokhatallali, Al Shifa, Shani Sasson, Arthur Edelman, Ashraf Al, Qidra, Israel, Al Shifa's Mokhatallali, Nidal al, Dan Williams, Abir Al, Estelle Shirbon, Andrew Heavens, Edmund Blair Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Israel, Al, Gaza's, Reuters, Israeli Defence Ministry, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, West Bank, Medical, Israel's Coordination, Administration, Al Shifa Hospital, Thomson Locations: Gaza's Al, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza City, Gaza, GAZA, JERUSALEM, Al Shifa, Israeli, Al, Egypt, Jerusalem, Abir Al Ahmar, Dubai

☆ Morning Bid: Chip stocks cheered while the rest retreat
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, October 30, 2023. Monthly retail sales data is due on Wednesday but the country's Singles Day shopping extraganza over the weekend - equivalent to Black Friday sales elsewhere - recorded only meagre growth. A sub-index of tech shares remained firmly positive but another of mainland property developers slumped more than 1%. U.S. retail sales data is also due on Wednesday, preceded by CPI a day earlier. ECB President Christine Lagarde last week said that rates will stay restrictive at least for several quarters.

Persons: Kevin Buckland Chip, Christine Lagarde, Luis de Guindos, Catherine L, Mann, Huw Pill, BoE's Mann, Sweden SEB, Kevin Buckland, Edmund Klamann Organizations: REUTERS, Staff, Wall, Reuters, Nikkei, CPI, Federal Reserve, Finance, Bank of England, New York Fed, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, China, Hong Kong, Elswhere, Sweden

☆ Lebanon front with Israel heats up, stoking fears of wider war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Israeli strikes killed two people in south Lebanon on Monday, according to a first-responder organisation affiliated to the Hezbollah-allied Amal Movement. Hezbollah has been trading fire with Israeli forces since its Palestinian ally Hamas went to war with Israel on Oct. 7. The exchanges mark the deadliest violence at the border since Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006. So far, more than 70 Hezbollah fighters and 10 civilians have been killed in Lebanon, and 10 people including seven troops have been killed in Israel. The 2006 war killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 157 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

Persons: Israel, Hamas, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Nasrallah, Najib Mikati, Al, Lloyd Austin, Mohanad Hage Ali, Phil Stewart, Crispian Balmer, Dan Williams, Edmund Blair Organizations: Amal, Israel Electric Company, Hezbollah, United, Israeli, U.S . Defense, Carnegie Middle East Center, Thomson Locations: Israel, BEIRUT, JERUSALEM, Lebanese, Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, United States, Beirut, Al Jazeera, Israel's, Seoul, U.S, Jerusalem

The capacity payments will be calculated based on fixed costs of 330 yuan ($45.25) per kilowatt per year for coal plants. Analysts said the move was important to ensure the financial viability of seldom-utilised, backup coal power, which is used for demand peaks or when renewable power generation is insufficient. However, observers also cautioned that the policy could risk entrenching inefficient coal power in China's energy system, despite its rapid expansion of renewable power generation capacity. "Capacity-based electricity pricing for coal power will further incentivise state-owned enterprises in China to build new coal power projects in the short term. Capacity payments should be for all power producers, not only for coal power," said Zhang Kai, deputy program director for Greenpeace East Asia in Beijing.

Persons: David Fishman, Xuewan Chen, Group's Fishman, Zhang Kai, Colleen Howe, Andrew Hayley, Edmund Klamann, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Kim Coghill Organizations: National Development, Reform Commission, Reuters, Analysts, Lantau, LSEG, Jinneng Holding, Power Co, Centre for Research, Energy, Clean, Greenpeace East, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Shanghai, Beijing, Shanxi, Jiangxi Ganneng, Hunan, Greenpeace East Asia

☆ Morning Bid: 'Not confident' Powell drags markets lower
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Since the Fed left rates unchanged last week, markets had increasingly grown confident that the peak in U.S. rates was in sight. But up stepped Powell to squash any hopes of an impending rate cut. "[The Fed] is committed to achieving a stance of monetary policy that is sufficiently restrictive to bring inflation down to 2% over time," Powell said. That led stocks lower, with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) skidding 1% to their lowest in a week. The rise in yields boosted the dollar, which is headed for its best week against the yen in three months.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Kevin Lamarque, Ankur Banerjee, Powell, Christine Lagarde, Walt Disney, policymaker Joachim Nagel, SNB's Thomas Moser, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Monetary Fund's, REUTERS, Ankur, European bourses, Treasury, Industrial, Commercial Bank of China's, U.S . Treasury, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Asia, Pacific, Japan, European, U.S, Commercial Bank of China's U.S, Norway, Sweden

☆ HonestReporting accepts news groups had no prior warning of Oct. 7 Hamas attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

HonestReporting's Gil Hoffman told Reuters his organisation had not claimed to know that there had been any prior knowledge by the news groups of the Hamas attack. "I was so relieved when all four of the media organisations said they didn't have prior knowledge," Hoffman said in an interview by telephone about the article. "I still very much think that the questions were legitimate and the answers were adequate from the media organisations themselves." Reacting to the HonestReporting article posted on X, the Israeli Foreign Ministry had described the use of the various images by the four news groups as "a serious violation of journalistic ethics." Despite HonestReporting's suggestions that the Palestinian photojournalists had secured their images in coordination with Hamas, he said he was "happy" their pictures had been published.

Persons: Esa Alexander, HonestReporting, HonestReporting's Gil Hoffman, Hoffman, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Danny Danon, photojournalists, Crispian Balmer, Edmund Blair Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Associated Press, CNN, The New York Times, Palestinian, Israeli Foreign Ministry, Likud, United Nations, AP, Jerusalem Post, HonestReporting, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Beirut, Lebanon, Israeli

☆ ‘The Killer’ Review: He’s a Deadly Bore
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Manohla Dargis | More About Manohla Dargis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

In Hobbesian terms, life in a Fincher film tends to be solitary and poor, nasty and brutish, if not necessarily short. That’s the case again in his most recent movie, “The Killer,” about a nameless hit man — played by Michael Fassbender — a chatty loner first seen waiting for a victim to show up. In time, the mark appears, the Killer shoots but misses, and spends the remainder of the story trying to clean up the mess. “The Killer” is based on a French comic book with the same title written by Alexis Nolent (who goes by Matz) and illustrated by Luc Jacamon. What makes him ostensibly interesting isn’t his job or body count; what’s intriguing, at least before your eyes finally glaze over, is that he’s dull.

Persons: David Fincher can’t, Fincher, ”, Edmund Kemper, “ Mindhunter ”, “, —, Michael Fassbender —, Alexis Nolent, Matz, Luc Jacamon, Christ Organizations: Netflix

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