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WASHINGTON — Conservative hard-liners are consolidating power in the narrow new House majority, presenting early challenges for Republicans in swing districts ahead of the 2024 election as Democrats seek to paint the entire party as beholden to extremists. Twenty House GOP hard-liners have set the tone, extracting a series of concessions from Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to change House rules while securing plum committee assignments and winning assurances about advancing their legislative priorities. “If you can’t win independent voters, you can’t win elections.”Democrats are targeting 25 districts to win back the House majority next year, including 18 Republican-held seats that Biden carried in 2020. In the narrow Republican majority, McCarthy has only four votes to spare before he requires Democratic support to pass measures. Lance, the former congressman, argued that renominating former President Donald Trump could cost Republicans the House.

SINGAPORE, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Japan's central bank appears to have scored an interim win in its long-drawn battle with bond bears. The Bank of Japan's (BOJ) policy meeting this week was, at first glance, a damp squib for excited markets. It maintained its cap on 10-year yields, defying market expectations for change, and modified a funds-supply operation such that it offers more money for longer tenors to banks. After Wednesday's decision to retain ultra-low rates, 10-year bond yields, which had been testing the BOJ's 0.5% cap for a week, settled below 0.4%, suggesting many speculators were closing positions. "Most people are concerned about market liquidity in the bond market," a senior trader at a global bank in Asia told Reuters.

☆ Ronaldo, Messi roll back the years in nine-goal thriller
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Both teams kept their foot on the gas in the second half, but Ekitike's 78th-minute strike eventually made the difference on the night. Played through on goal by Neymar, Messi was able to poke the ball past goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Owais, who he last faced in Saudi Arabia's shock World Cup win over Argentina in November. Despite going behind early, the Riyadh Season Team - a combined Saudi Pro League XI featuring players from Al Nassr and Al Hilal - had numerous chances. Ronaldo was an ever-present threat and won a penalty when goalkeeper Keylor Navas clattered into him. It was Mbappe's last contribution, as he was taken off shortly after, along with team mates Messi and Neymar, as well as Ronaldo.

☆ U.S. dollar advances vs major currencies as risk appetite fades
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The earlier sell-off in the dollar came after the Bank of Japan maintained ultra-low interest rates. In afternoon trading, the U.S. currency rose against the commodity-linked currencies such as the Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian dollars, which sensitive to risk appetite. The Australian dollar fell 0.7% to US$0.6936, after hitting its highest since August last year. In Japan, the BOJ kept intact its yield curve control (YCC) targets, set at -0.1% for short-term interest rates and around 0% for the 10-year yield, by a unanimous vote. The dollar rose as much as 2.7% to 131.58 yen before gains were pared.

As it stands, a frantic Fed tightening campaign that supercharged the buck looks to be nearing an end amid evidence of steady disinflation. Taken in isolation, that would appears to have lopped more than 10% off the buck over the past three months. "Global growth is showing signs of buoyancy, macro and inflation uncertainty are waning, and the dollar is rapidly losing its carry advantage." DXY halves gainsU.S. import price inflation and the dollarReal yields, inflation and the dollarLESS CROWDEDTo what extent investors are already positioned for this ongoing slide is less clear. Policy pushback from the Fed always has the power to check prevailing dollar moves - but the flipside of dollar strength overseas could be even more powerful as European economies and Japan have to cope with volatility in dollar-priced energy and commodities.

☆ Smartphones, used cars and bacon: 10 things with the biggest price drops in 2022, despite inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The largest declines, on a percentage basis, were concentrated in categories like consumer electronics, beef, and cars and trucks, according to the consumer price index. watch nowUsed cars and trucks, rental vehiclesA used car dealership in New York on Jan. 19, 2022. Pablo Monsalve | View Press | Corbis News | Getty ImagesPrices for used cars and trucks were among the first to spike as inflation took hold in early 2021. The category inflated by 37.3% that year — the most of any item outside of energy commodities like gasoline and fuel oil, according to the consumer price index. "Rental car companies were buying — and now completely stopped buying — used vehicles," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics.

☆ Stock futures fall as earnings season continues
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A trader works on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, August 3, 2022. Shares of Goldman Sachs tumbled —and dragged on the 30-stock index — after the bank posted an earnings miss. Those moves follow earnings results from big banks that suggested diverging paths ahead even for names within the same sector. It's no longer just about the Fed," Young added. Corporate earnings season will continue with earnings from J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Charles Schwab, PNC Financial Services Group and Discover on deck for Wednesday.

☆ A string of Russian failures got scores of troops killed in a Ukrainian strike, and Moscow's reaction only made things worse
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Scores of Russian troops were killed over the New Year holiday in a Ukrainian HIMARS strike. A string of Russian command failures allowed the deadly attack to happen. If they did, it is unclear if Russian troops were explicitly told not to use their phones and did anyways, or if these rules were actually enforced. It backfired though, as Russian milbloggers expressed anger with Russian military leadership after it came out that Russia's claims were made up. The Ukrainian strike on Makiivka is not the only time where Kyiv has been able to take advantage of Russian command failures during the nearly 11-month-long war, either.

☆ Op-ed: Oil CEO Sultan Al Jaber is the ideal person to lead the UN climate conference this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Frederick Kempe | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Nowhere is this shift among climate activists more evident than in Germany, where Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, the Green Party leader, is serving as the pragmatist-in-chief. Some climate activists were aghast this Thursday when the UAE named Sultan Al Jaber, the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), as president of this year's COP 28. Al Jaber, speaking to the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum on Saturday, captured his ambition to drive faster and more transformative results at COP 28. "We are way off track," said Al Jaber. "We will work with the energy industry on accelerating the decarbonization, reducing methane, and expanding hydrogen," said Al Jaber.

☆ Major reversal in bank stocks power late-day market comeback — listen to 'The Homestretch'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

THAT'S WHAT EVERYBODY IS FOCUSEDON TODAY, THE EXPENSEOPPORTUNITY WITHIN WELLS FARGOAND ALSO THE FACT THAT THEY'LLBE BUYING BACK SHARES THISQUARTER. I WANT TO POINT OUT A MARKET LEDBY THE FINANCIALS HAS ALWAYSBEEN MY FAVORITE KIND OF MARKET. I DON'T KNOW IF HE'LL BE THATRADICAL. I THINK THAT'S REACTION TO LASTYEAR. IF INFLATION COMES DOWN, IF THEFED DOESN'T BECOME AS AGGRESSIVEAS SOME BELIEVE THEY WILL BE, IDON'T THINK THAT'S A REASON TOGO IN AND RUSH IN AND BUY HIGHMULTIPLE STOCKS.

☆ Mexico’s buck-toothed cartoon president ruled 'electoral violation'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY — A buck-toothed cartoon version of Mexico’s president constitutes an “electoral violation,” the country’s electoral tribunal ruled Wednesday, arguing use of the popular caricature in official propaganda gave party candidates an unfair advantage. It argued “capitalizing on the image” of the president, whose approval rating hovers around 60%, gave his party’s candidates an undue advantage. The chamber called on “political-electoral propaganda campaigns” to limit themselves to candidates, their proposals, party ideology and platforms. Morena had earlier appealed, arguing there was no legal ban in force on using the caricature. “Now the (electoral tribunal) has confirmed the action was illegal and sanctioned them,” Jorge Alvarez, an opposition party organizer who filed the complaint, said in a tweet.

☆ One of the most powerful rich families in American politics just got their son in the Senate
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ricketts' family owns the Chicago Cubs and has broadly supported conservative causes. Ricketts will replace former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse who left the chamber. Pete Ricketts will be joining the US Senate, an appointment that caps his political comeback and cements his family, which owns the Chicago Cubs, as one of the most powerful forces in American politics. Sen. Deb Fischer, a two-term Republican incumbent and loyal ally of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, is also up for reelection then too. Along with owning the Cubs, the Ricketts family has long been among the biggest funders of Republican campaigns.

☆ Subway is reportedly looking to put itself up for sale in a deal that could exceed $10 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Subway is looking to put itself up for sale in a deal that could fetch more than $10 billion, according to the WSJ. The reported decision comes a little more than a year after the company's last surviving founder died in 2021. Subway is undergoing a revamp under CEO John Chidsey after facing slumping sales and store closures. The sandwich chain is reportedly looking to court corporate buyers or private-equity companies but is still early in the process. In a statement to Insider, a Subway spokesperson said: "As a privately held company, we don't comment on ownership structure and business plans.

☆ Mexico's buck-toothed cartoon president ruled 'electoral violation'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Carlos Jasso/File PhotoMEXICO CITY, Jan 11 (Reuters) - A buck-toothed cartoon version of Mexico's president constitutes an "electoral violation," the country's electoral tribunal ruled Wednesday, arguing use of the popular caricature in official propaganda gave party candidates an unfair advantage. The tribunal said it was sanctioning President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's ruling Morena party for "using the caricature of the President of the Republic in its propaganda, which violates the constitutional principles of neutrality and fair contest." It argued "capitalizing on the image" of the president, whose approval rating hovers around 60%, gave his party's candidates an undue advantage. The chamber called on "political-electoral propaganda campaigns" to limit themselves to candidates, their proposals, party ideology and platforms. "Now the (electoral tribunal) has confirmed the action was illegal and sanctioned them," Jorge Alvarez, an opposition party organizer who filed the complaint, said in a tweet.

☆ U.S. House Republicans who bucked McCarthy are powered by small-dollar donors
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Jason Lange | Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives Republicans who tried to block Kevin McCarthy’s leadership bid last week share more than far-right political views. That’s about twice the share reported by the rest of the Republican House conference. Trump raised massive amounts of cash from small donors, thanks to a supply of controversial statements that drew him constant media attention. Close to 60% of his funding came from small donors. Both Gaetz and Boebert were in the top 15 House Republican campaigns ranked by funds raised.

☆ The House speaker battle showed a 'schism within a schism' in the GOP as MTG and Matt Gaetz were on opposite sides and even a plea from Trump couldn't sway some of his biggest supporters
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Kevin McCarthy was elected speaker on Friday night after a week of disarray and 15 rounds of voting. Thanks to the events of the past week, McCarthy may struggle to manage the slim GOP majority. "It's a schism within a schism," Kevin Kosar, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who studies Congress and US politics, told Insider. But during the House speaker battle this week, some of them found themselves on opposites sides, even after their would-be leader, Trump, took a stance. With new divisions and animosities on display after the House speaker battle, it's unclear how effectively McCarthy will be able to do just that.

☆ Chaos in the House: McCarthy's plea, and begging for votes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Mary Clare Jalonick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

It was nearing midnight, and he had already lost 13 votes for speaker over four long days. U.S. Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz (R-FL) (L) talks to House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in the House Chamber during the fourth day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2023 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesGaetz, who had hurled personal insults at McCarthy just hours earlier on the House floor, said no. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images NewsThe chaos on the House floor came exactly two years after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. US Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks to US Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) in the House Chamber at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2023.

WASHINGTON — House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy and his conservative detractors on Wednesday night inched closer to a deal designed to flip some no votes to the yes column. And because of the GOP’s new razor-thin majority, McCarthy can only afford four GOP defections on any speaker vote. “We have zero trust in Kevin McCarthy. “We’ll see,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, one of the 20 defectors, when asked if McCarthy will be speaker. “If it takes till tomorrow, it takes till tomorrow; if it takes till the 4th of July, it takes till the 4th of July,” said Rep.

☆ After flipping 13 votes in his favor, McCarthy loses yet another floor vote in seemingly endless speaker bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kevin McCarthy lost his 12th speaker ballot Friday. The converts are still reviewing rules changes McCarthy has promised in exchange for the gavel. "Watch here and you'll see some people who have been voting against me voting for me," McCarthy told reporters at the US Capitol. Republican Reps.-elect Ken Buck of Colorado and Wesley Hunt of Texas, both McCarthy supporters, were both absent Friday morning because of personal reasons. "You only earn the position if you get the votes," Gaetz said on the House floor, a taunt that caused McCarthy supporter Rep-elect Mike Bost of Illinois to shout his disapproval.

☆ How 'Real Housewife' Jen Shah's fabulous life came crashing down
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Stephanie Clifford | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +43 min

The woman wrote to the judge overseeing Shah's case that she'd had to remortgage her house, almost divorced, and "thought about ending my own life." The couple decided that he should get his degree while Jen Shah dropped out of college to work. (Shah told a judge at her 2022 plea hearing that she had been treated for "alcohol and depression" two years prior. Koa Johnson, Jen Shah's former fashion designerWhen Sharrieff Shah did participate in filming, he quickly became a fan favorite, calm and sensible. Once the show aired and Jen Shah developed a fan base, her behavior became more dramatic, Johnson said.

☆ GOLDMAN SACHS: Buy options on these 33 stocks that are most likely to make under-the-radar, price-moving announcements in the first 2 weeks of January
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Goldman Sachs' Vishal Vikek says options traders are "distracted" by macro trends. He shared 33 stocks he thinks have the best chance of volatile price swings. Investors looking to make a buck through options trading should be on high alert during the first half of January, Goldman Sachs says. "We believe options investors are missing the potential for key company preannouncements over the next two weeks. Straddles are options that allow investors to profit when a stock price moves far enough up or down in a set time.

☆ UK car sales hit 30-year low
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The supply constraints saw many manufacturers prioritize the delivery of battery electric vehicles, which enjoyed record sales and overtook diesel cars for the first time in the UK market. Sales picked up in the last five months of the year, allowing the country to reclaim the position of Europe’s second-largest new car market by volume, behind only Germany. According to the SMMT, electric vehicles are now the second-most popular choice for new buyers after gasoline-powered cars. Diesel’s UK market share shrank by 40% on the previous year. In its most recent outlook, published in October, SMMT forecasts 1.8 million new car registrations in 2023, worth about £8.4 billion ($10 billion).

WASHINGTON — Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., doesn't care that former President Donald Trump backs Kevin McCarthy for speaker of the House. "Endorsements don't matter to me," said Norman, one of 20 Republican holdouts who have blocked McCarthy, R-Calif., from winning the majority he needs on a series of deadlocked votes for House speaker. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., another anti-McCarthy voter, took umbrage at Trump calling recalcitrants on behalf of the beleaguered House GOP leader. "I think it actually needs to be reversed; the president needs to tell Kevin McCarthy that, sir, you do not have the votes, and it’s time to withdraw." "But I don't think when you have eyes on an institution for years and you've made up your mind, I don't think President Trump or anyone else is going" to change it.

☆ Damar Hamlin’s sudden collapse sent ESPN scrambling. How Scott Van Pelt shifted from covering a game to a crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

And suddenly it’s not.”Those were the salient words of “SportsCenter” host Scott Van Pelt Monday night after Damar Hamlin suddenly collapsed on the field during the high stakes Bills-Bengals game. Within moments, Van Pelt knew that the injury was very different than those normally sustained on the football field. And I was scared.”Later in the evening, after Joe Buck and Troy Aikman concluded their broadcast, hosting duties fell to Van Pelt. “I don’t work for a news network that covers traumatic events when they happen,” Van Pelt noted to me. “My personal preference was that I didn’t want to bring in a physician to speculate,” Van Pelt told me.

☆ NBA roundup: Giannis Antetokounmpo pours in career-high 55
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

January 4 - Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 55 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished seven assists as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the visiting Washington Wizards 123-113 on Tuesday. Coming into the contest, Antetokounmpo and teammate Bobby Portis were tied for third-most double-doubles in the NBA with 21 each. Portis kept pace with his fellow Buck, coming off the bench for 17 points and 13 rebounds. Bradley Beal scored eight points in 13:18 before his night ended in the second quarter due to a hamstring injury. Malcolm Brogdon and Payton Pritchard each finished the game with 17 points.

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