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☆ Morning Bid: Markets on hold for US CPI
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Tom WestbrookSterling and the euro seem to be losing steam as currency markets tuck themselves in for a nap. Today's inflation data, due at 1230 GMT, could offer a jolt if the surprise factor is big enough. Economists polled by Reuters see core CPI steady at a monthly 0.4%. Beyond the inflation data, U.S. default risks and banking wobbles loom as the next likely focus. Key developments that could influence markets on Wednesday:U.S. CPI dataReporting by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Edwina GibbsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ IMF still concerned by banking sector wobbles - chief economist
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

FILE PHOTO: A participant stands near a logo of IMF at the International Monetary Fund - World Bank Annual Meeting 2018 in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, October 12, 2018. REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo/File PhotoPARIS (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund remains concerned about recent turbulence in the banking sector despite actions by the U.S. and Swiss authorities to deal with troubled banks on their watch, its chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas said on Monday. Speaking to journalists in Paris, he added that “the story is not over” and that EU banks were not immune to problems as long as the bloc did not go further to complete long-discussed mechanisms to deal with failed banks.

☆ Arsenal win 2-0 at Newcastle to stay in title hunt
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEWCASTLE, England, May 7 (Reuters) - Arsenal showed no sign of raising the white flag in the Premier League title race with a 2-0 victory at Newcastle United on Sunday to close the gap on leaders Manchester City to one point. Newcastle stay third on 65 but Manchester United could overtake them later on Sunday if they win at West Ham United and Liverpool will sense some anxiety as they continue to chase. They also had the bitter memory of a 2-0 defeat at Newcastle a year ago that scuppered their top-four hopes. But this Arsenal side, despite the recent wobbles that have cost them top spot, are made of much sterner stuff. Pope came to Newcastle's rescue again in stoppage time at the end of a frenetic first half, keeping out Odegaard's shot with his legs after the Norwegian looked favourite to score.

☆ Why Should Charles III Be King?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Tanya Gold | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

King Charles(Francis Xavier,Professor X) III Prof. King Charles III, a telepath and the leader of the X-Men, is powerfully gifted, like the real Charles III (a noted gardener and watercolorist). King Charlize (Theron) III Charlize III is a gifted actor, which all good monarchs need to be, and an extraordinarily beautiful woman. King Charles III, theMadame Tussauds waxwork Wax Charles III lives in Madame Tussauds on Baker Street, and more people met him in 2022 — 2.5 million — than the real king will meet during his whole reign. King Charlie (Sheen) III Another actor, who has the advantage of already being from a famous dynasty: his father played Jed Bartlet, the philosopher king from “The West Wing.” King Charlie (Sheen) III would be handsome but not as handsome as King Charlize (Theron). King Charles (Dickens) III could not function in a country with failing public services and a system that taxes earnings, not wealth.

☆ DeSantis’s Electability Pitch Wobbles, Despite G.O.P. Losses Under Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Shane Goldmacher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ron DeSantis knows the statistics by heart. “There is no substitute for victory,” Mr. DeSantis said last week during his first trip to New Hampshire in his still-undeclared presidential bid. He denounced the “culture of losing” that he said had engulfed Republicans in recent years, swiping at Donald J. Trump in all but name. “If the election of 2024 is a referendum on Joe Biden and his failed policies — and we provide a fresh vision for American renewal — Republicans will win the White House, the House and the U.S. Senate,” he told the crowd. “So we cannot get distracted, and we cannot afford to lose, because freedom is hanging in the balance.”Electability has emerged as one of the early pressure points in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.

☆ Stocks and gold cheer U.S. inflation picture, while dollar slides
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, March 10, 2023. The annual 5% headline rise for U.S. inflation was the smallest since May 2021 and down from 9.1% last June. The dollar index was down 0.2%, near its lowest in two months, while U.S. stock futures , rose 0.1-0.2%, suggesting a modest rally at the open. The Aussie dollar rose 0.6% on the back of surprise surges in both Chinese exports, which rose 14.8% compared with last March, and domestic Australian jobs. Alibaba shares (9988.HK) fell by as much as 5% at one stage, but later pared losses to close 2% lower.

☆ Tech drags Hong Kong stocks, dollar squeezed as US inflation slows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SINGAPORE, April 13 (Reuters) - Asian stocks struggled on Thursday, dragged by selling in Hong Kong tech shares, while the dollar was under pressure and short-dated bonds were firm as softening U.S. inflation seemed to suggest the U.S. rate hike cycle was nearing its end. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) slid 0.3%, largely pressured by a 1.5% drop in Hong Kong tech stocks (.HSTECH) in the wake of the Financial Times reporting SoftBank was selling down its Alibaba stake. Alibaba shares (9988.HK) were down 3% in early trade and SoftBank (9434.T) shares flat and neither immediately responded to Reuters enquiries. Elsewhere oil prices held sharp gains made in the wake of the inflation data, with Brent crude futures steady at $87.22 a barrel. Shares of embattled Chinese property developer Sunac China (1918.HK) resumed trade after a more than year-long suspension in Hong Kong, with the company in the midst of a debt restructure.

☆ Asian stocks subdued ahead of US inflation data, Fed minutes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Data on Tuesday showed China's consumer inflation in March was at its slowest since September 2021. The consumer price index is expected to show core inflation rose 0.4% on a monthly basis and 5.6% year-over-year in March, according to a Reuters poll of economists. Markets are now pricing in a 66% chance of the Fed raising interest rates by 25 basis points in May and then pausing for the subsequent meetings, according to the CME FedWatch tool. The Fed last month raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point, taking it to a range of 4.75% to 5.00%. "Investors seem to be getting ahead of themselves in expecting the Fed to begin cutting interest rates", said Luca Paolini, chief strategist at Pictet Asset Management.

☆ Morning Bid: Have payrolls resurrected the 'soft landing'?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An employee hiring sign with a QR code is seen in a window of a business in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., April 7, 2023. Earnings for Citi, Wells Fargo and JP Morgan Chase & Co later in the week will be in focus for colour on financial conditions. Inflation figures due Wednesday can also help markets to gauge how aggressive the Federal Reserve may need to be. Friday's jobs data lifted yields, but didn't substantially shift a bigger picture view that hikes are all but finished and cuts are coming. China is running military exercises in the wake of Taiwan's president visiting the United States, while the U.S. scrambles to find the source of a damaging document leak.

LONDON, April 6 (Reuters) - Banking sector turmoil has not dented demand for equities, with MSCI's world stock index up 7% so far this year. But under the surface, bad omens for world stocks are building. Central bank surveys show U.S. and European banks are already tightening lending standards, historically a predictor of dismal stock market performance. Credit tightening predicts poor stock market returns2/ MANUFACTURING SLOWDOWNRecessions starting in the United States tend to flow to the rest of the world and consequently global stocks. Seven mega-cap tech stocks were responsible for 92% of the S&P 500's first-quarter rise, Citi notes.

☆ 'Nationalizing bond markets' left central banks unprepared for inflation, top HSBC economist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"Part of the problem with QE was the fact that you're basically nationalizing bond markets. Bond markets have a very very useful role to play when you've got inflation, which is they're an early warning indicator," King told CNBC's Steve Sedgwick. Central banks around the world have hiked interest rates aggressively over the past year in a bid to rein in soaring inflation, after a decade of loose financial conditions. The swift rise in interest rates has intensified concerns about a potential recession and exposed flaws in the banking system that have led to the collapse of several regional U.S. banks . The prolonged period of loose monetary policy after the global financial crisis equated to central banks "nationalizing bond markets," and meant policymakers were slow off the mark in containing inflation over the past two years, according to HSBC Senior Economic Adviser Stephen King.

The PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Nintendo Switch is a full-sized gamepad with a budget-friendly price. If you're looking for a full-sized Switch controller that won't break the bank, check out the PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller. PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Nintendo Switch The PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Nintendo Switch is a full-sized gamepad that offers bigger buttons, better joysticks, and extra customizable buttons. William Antonelli/InsiderCompared to the Joy-Cons that come packaged with every Nintendo Switch, the Enhanced Wired Controller feels fantastic. Without Bluetooth or motion controls, the Enhanced Wired Controller isn't versatileThe Enhanced Controller plugs into the Switch's dock.

☆ SVB sale puts too-big-to-fail risk in a new bottle
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( John Foley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The sale of SVB to rival First Citizens Bancshares (FCNCA.O) addresses the first part, and doubles down on the second. First Citizens snapped up $110 billion of SVB’s assets over the weekend, at a generous $16.5 billion discount to book value. And for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, which is handling SVB’s sale, First Citizens chief Frank Holding is a known quantity. In SVB’s case, the FDIC has agreed to absorb some potential losses in the failed bank’s loan book. The FDIC expects its fund for managing failed banks will take a $20 billion hit.

☆ Take Five: And let there be calm
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON, March 23 (Reuters) - At the incredible end to the first quarter for financial markets, rattled by bank turmoil, some stability will be much hoped for in coming days. SNB chief Thomas Jordan reckons the next two weeks will be vital to securing UBS's Credit Suisse takeover. Market cap of US regional banks included in the S&P 500 regional bank index3/ DID YOU SAY AT1? Potential legal action is also possible after Swiss authorities ruled that holders of Credit Suisse AT1 bonds would get nothing in the deal. And U.S. and European banks turmoil show how quickly a crisis can surface, giving Ueda even more reason for caution.

☆ Hardline US Republicans oppose bank deposit guarantees beyond $250,000 limit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] A sign reads “FDIC Insured” on the door of a branch of First Republic Bank in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Brian SnyderWASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - Hardline Republicans in the House of Representatives on Monday vowed to oppose any universal federal guarantee on bank deposits above the current $250,000 limit, throwing a major roadblock to a key tool regulators could deploy if bank runs re-emerge as financial confidence wobbles. The upheaval has been marked by uninsured business depositors fleeing smaller community and regional lenders toward the largest banks perceived as "too big to fail." Independent Community Bankers Association President Rebeca Romero Rainey said in a statement that depositors in safely run small banks should get the same guarantees that uninsured depositors in SVB and Signature Bank received. Runs could re-emerge if another bank falters, and if the institution is large enough, regulators will again declare a systemic risk exception and guarantee its uninsured deposits, he added.

☆ Stock futures nudge higher on Credit Suisse buyout
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

S&P 500 futures rose 0.5% in bumpy early trade. Over the weekend, UBS said it will buy Credit Suisse for 3 billion francs ($3.2 billion) and assume up to $5.4 billion in losses, in a shotgun merger engineered by Swiss authorities. "The news overnight from Switzerland has helped," he said, though added that the central bank moves had calmed as well as created nerves. It's great we're seeing this concerted effort from central banks, and it's positive, but it does also highlight how troubling the circumstances are and how worried central banks appear to be as well." In foreign exchange trade, the Swiss franc , which took a beating as worries about Credit Suisse grew last week, rose about 0.4% to 0.9264 to the dollar.

☆ Scholz to seek reforms to boost EU competitiveness at Brussels summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, March 16 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday he will seek to boost European competitiveness through reforms at an EU summit in Brussels next week, including making state aid more flexible and completing capital markets and banking unions. In a speech to the German Bundestag, Scholz urged the European Union to pull together to face a raft of challenges, including in response to a massive U.S. subsidy programme for clean technologies known as the Inflation Reduction Act. The EU is unveiling a Critical Raw Materials Act aimed at keeping pace with the United States and China in access to raw materials. Scholz said raw material security will also top the agenda when he visits Japan for talks this week. Turning to the war in Ukraine, Scholz said that EU member states will agree further measures to improve the continued supply of arms and ammunition to Kyiv, without going into specifics.

☆ Bank runs don’t change Fed’s focus on high prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Ben Winck | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The federal government took emergency action to stave off other implosions, but SVB’s collapse cast a shadow over the Fed’s next rate decision. Economists at Goldman Sachs and Barclays scrapped their forecasts for a rate hike and now expect the central bank to hold rates steady when it meets on March 22. That is three times the central bank’s inflation target. Inflation remains much too hot for the Fed’s liking, and the central bank has more reason to repeat February’s 25-basis-point hike than to deviate from it. Its last policy meeting concluded with the central bank lifting the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to a range of 4.5% to 4.75%.

☆ Analysis: Door slams on Japan bank rally as focus turns to bond holdings in wake of SVB
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Losses in Silicon Valley Bank's bond portfolio have highlighted similar risks for Japanese lenders' gigantic foreign bond holdings, which are carrying over 4 trillion yen ($30 billion) in unrealised losses. Three days of selling has the Tokyo Stock Exchange banks index (.IBNKS.T) down 16% - its sharpest drop since the days after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami struck Japan. Reuters GraphicsBONDS GETTING HITMost of the time, bond losses aren't a problem for banks, which typically hold their investments to maturity. An annual Bank of Japan report published on Tuesday said Japanese financial institutions have sufficient capital buffers. "And maybe some concerns Japanese banks have exposures, and some profit taking," he said.

☆ Dollar wobbles near eight-month low ahead of c.bank meetings
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The dollar held close to an eight-month low against its peers on Thursday, as a gloomy U.S. corporate earnings season stoked recession fears and as traders stayed on guard ahead of a slew of central bank meetings next week. Trading was thin, with Australia out for a holiday and some parts of Asia still away for the Lunar New Year. "There are now signs the U.S. economy may be slowing in a more meaningful manner," said economists at Wells Fargo. Ahead of that, the Commerce Department is due to release advance estimates of U.S. fourth-quarter gross domestic product later on Thursday. Meanwhile, markets expect policymakers at the Bank of England and European Central Bank (ECB), which will also meet next week, to deliver 50 bps rate hikes.

☆ There'll be a rude awakening for investors who haven't realized the Fed's got a whole new playbook, says BlackRock iShares strategist
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

There's likely to be further pain ahead for US stocks, a BlackRock iShares strategist told Insider. Karim Chedid expects the Federal Reserve to hold interest rates above 5% for the whole of 2023. "Goldilocks doesn't save the day in our new playbook," he said, given the Fed is focused on inflation. "Goldilocks doesn't save the day in our new playbook," Chedid said. That reflects a new environment where the Fed's only priority is taming inflation, according to Chedid.

☆ Yen tests seven-month high ahead of BOJ policy decision; dollar wobbles
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE, Jan 16 (Reuters) - The Japanese yen held near an over seven-month peak on Monday, as traders, in the lead up to the Bank of Japan's monetary policy decision this week, ramped up bets that the central bank could make further tweaks to its yield control policy. The yen was last 0.1% lower at 128.01 per dollar, having surged to 127.46 per dollar on Friday, its highest since May last year. Markets have been pressing for the BOJ to shift away from its ultra-easy monetary policy, which on Friday caused the yield on Japan's benchmark 10-year government bonds to breach the central bank's new ceiling. With the BOJ due to announce its monetary policy decision on Wednesday, expectations are for further tweaks to its yield control policy or a full abandonment of it. Against a basket of currencies, the U.S. dollar index fell 0.13% to 102.13, languishing near Friday's seven-month low of 101.97.

☆ Dollar wobbles as U.S. inflation fuels hopes of slower Fed rate path
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The dollar index , which measures the U.S. currency against six others, rose 0.059% to 102.220 but was languishing around its lowest level since June. Traders of futures tied to the Fed's policy rate bet heavily on a downshift to quarter-percentage-point rises starting at the Jan. 31 to Feb. 1 meeting and a pause just below 5%, with interest rate cuts priced in for later in the year. Carol Kong, a currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, said the Fed would likely take comfort in the inflation report and the U.S. dollar would continue to ease. Meanwhile, the yen strengthened 0.12% to 129.10 per dollar, having touched a fresh seven-month high of 128.65 per dollar earlier in the session. The Australian dollar fell 0.11% to $0.696, while the kiwi fell 0.34% to $0.637.

☆ I make fake snow for films like 'Fantastic Beasts.' It's fun to make but painstaking to clean up — now I never look at winter movies the same.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Jem Bartholomew | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Jon Llewellyn works at Snow Business International, a company that produces fake snow. I work at Snow Business International, where we make fake snow for all kinds of movie sets and more. There's a lot of secrecy around Christmas TV ads in the UKPeople talk, so we use code names to muddy the water. Jon LlewellynRecently, we cleaned up this entire area of fake snow on a shoot in Ireland. But it's funny because I thought it looked a bit unrealistic on the cars, even though it was real snow.

☆ Analysis: Investors count on bonds to rescue battered 60/40 portfolio in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( David Randall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A 60/40 portfolio, which typically allocates 60% of assets into stocks and 40% into bonds, counts on moves in the two asset classes to offset one another, with stocks strengthening amid economic optimism and bonds rising during uncertain times. So-called 60/40 portfolios, which mix stocks and bonds, are on place for their first down year since 2018. Though market participants tend to avoid bonds during inflationary times, they are a popular destination for haven-seeking investors when the economy wobbles. Consecutive annual declines in the 60/40 portfolio have been rare. Higher-than-expected borrowing costs or rebounding inflation could deal another blow to investors in both stocks and bonds.

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