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☆ Big Tobacco turns to rooibos tea to counter upcoming ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Emma Rumney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Tobacco companies have yet to publish any research showing the health implications of rooibos or other zero-tobacco sticks, Simonavicius added. PMI (PM.N) CEO Jacek Olczak told shareholders that its zero-tobacco sticks could avoid the regulatory scrutiny that tobacco products face. BAT's zero-tobacco sticks are not subject to current EU tobacco rules, the company told Reuters. That means it can sell rooibos sticks in flavours like peppermint and tropical fruit even after a ban on flavoured heated tobacco products is implemented across the bloc later this month. Across the European Union, heated tobacco products must be taxed at a minimum of 20% of the retail price, though national governments can go higher.

Persons: Erikas Simonavicius, Simonavicius, Philip Morris, Jacek Olczak, Jefferies, Owen Bennett, Bennett, Phil Gorham, Gorham, Fabienne, Morningstar's Gorham, Shabab, Emma Rumney, Matt Scuffham, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Big Tobacco, British American Tobacco, Union, Tobacco, BAT, Reuters, King's College, King's College London . Tobacco, Philip Morris International, PMI, Rivals Imperial Brands, Japan Tobacco International, Morningstar, EU, Dunhill, Lucky, European Union, University College London . Tobacco, Thomson Locations: Cape, Germany, Greece, King's College London

☆ Half of Israel's Hotel Rooms Filled With Gaza War Evacuees
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Steven ScheerJERUSALEM (Reuters) - Half of Israeli hotel rooms are being used to house families evacuated from communities near the Gaza Strip, where an Oct. 7 rampage by Hamas gunmen triggered a cross-border war, the head of the Israel Hotel Association said on Monday. Israel has 56,000 hotel rooms and 28,000 are being provided to evacuees with the state footing the bill, said association chief executive Yael Danieli. She told a parliamentary panel debating compensation for residents impacted by the war that an additional 27,000 from border towns near Lebanon were expected. The Israeli-Lebanon border has seen an increase in hostilities as the Gaza war rages. Yogev Gardos, Israel's budget director, said the country's initial response was to finance the military's needs and now it would turn to the economy as a whole.

Persons: Steven Scheer JERUSALEM, Yael Danieli, Danieli, Isrotel, Yogev, Steven Scheer, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Israel Hotel Association Locations: Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Herzliya, Red, Eilat

☆ Hapag Lloyd expects three tough years for shipping industry -Welt am Sonntag
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN, Oct 14 (Reuters) - The head of German shipping firm Hapag Lloyd (HLAG.DE), Rolf Habben Jansen, expects the next three years to be difficult because demand for shipping services is growing more slowly than available shipping capacity, he told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. Freight rates had fallen by around 60% year-on-year, he added. "Container shipping has always been a cyclical business," he told the newspaper. "I don't think it will be as bad as in 2008 and 2009, though." Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Hapag Lloyd, Rolf Habben Jansen, Thomas Escritt, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Welt, Sonntag, Container, Thomson

☆ Proxy adviser Glass Lewis backs Mediobanca outgoing board's slate for board renewal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Proxy adviser Glass Lewis said on Friday it was recommending that investors in Italian bank Mediobanca (MDBI.MI) vote in favour of the outgoing board's slate of nominees for the new board. The board is elected for a three-year term, and the current one expires on Oct. 28, when Mediobanca shareholders will vote on its renewal, including the chief executive. Mediobanca's outgoing board has proposed 15 members, including a new term for current CEO Alberto Nagel and Chairman Renato Pagliaro. On Wednesday, proxy adviser Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) said it was recommending that Mediobanca investors vote in favour of the outgoing board's slate of nominees. Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro; editing by Gavin Jones and Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Glass Lewis, Alberto Nagel, Renato Pagliaro, Delfin, Leonardo Del Vecchio, Nagel, Del Vecchio, Gianluca Semeraro, Gavin Jones, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: MILAN, Services, Thomson Locations: Italian

Traders work on the floor of the London Metal Exchange in London, Britain, September 27, 2018. Rebuilding the London nickel contract is clearly very much work in progress. FIXING NICKELOthers, meanwhile, are looking to muscle into the LME's nickel price discovery domain. The Shanghai market also took a big collateral hit from the London turmoil, volumes on its nickel contract collapsing by 53% last year relative to 2021. The blow-out of the nickel contract and the resulting near-death experience of both brokers and exchange have sapped confidence in the historical market of last resort.

Persons: Simon Dawson, Elliott, Nicolas Aguzin, Matthew Chamberlain, hasn't, it's, Ireland's, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: London Metal Exchange, REUTERS, U.S, Elliott Associates, Jane, Trading, Hong Kong Exchanges, HK, Bloomberg, London, Global Commodities Holdings, Abaxx Commodities Exchange, Canadian, Technologies Inc, Shanghai Futures Exchange, EV, CME, Reuters, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, London's, China, Shanghai, U.S

Unlike Russia, one of the world's top oil and gas producers, Israel has very modest energy production. But there is a risk the war could spread to major energy producers in the Middle East and affect oil and gas flows. Second, a deal being brokered by Washington to normalise relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which could see the kingdom increase oil output, could be derailed. Saudi Arabia told the White House it is willing to boost oil production early next year to help secure the deal, the Wall Street Journal reported last week. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak added on Thursday that current oil prices factored in the conflict and reflected the market's belief that risks posed by the clashes were not that high.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Brent, David Goldwyn, Rob Thummel, Janet Yellen, Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji, Joe Biden, Helima Croft, Biden, Ben Cahill, Prince Abdulaziz, Alexander Novak, Vladimir Putin, Natalie Grover, Ahmad Ghaddar, Alex Lawler, Laura Sanicola, Kirsten Donovan, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, Hamas, U.S . State Department, Tortoise, Iran, U.S, Treasury, Iranian Oil Minister, RBC Capital Markets, Macquarie, SAUDI, Israel, Wall Street, Washington, Strategic, International Studies, Saudi Arabia's Energy, CNBC, OPEC, Organization of, Petroleum, Thomson Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Russia, U.S, Iran, Hormuz, Washington, Saudi Arabia, Strait, Riyadh, Moscow, United States, Tehran, Washington . Saudi Arabia, Saudi, OPEC, London, New York

Germany's property sector is in stress, underscoring a major change of fortune for real estate in Europe's largest economy after an end to the era of cheap money. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsFRANKFURT, Oct. 13 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is facing fresh demands to stem a property crisis in Europe's largest economy after a recent summit aimed at rescuing the sector disbanded in acrimony. The industry's demands reflect alarm that Germany is being sucked further into a global property rout that has been most acutely felt in China. There is also concern that the government is dragging its feet after a contentious industry meeting with the chancellor on Sept. 25. The number of people employed in the building sector has begun to drop for the first time in a decade.

Persons: Kai Pfaffenbach, Olaf Scholz, Wolfgang Schubert, Raab, Schubert, Nicole Razavi, Scholz, Francesco Fedele, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, International Monetary Fund, chancellery, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Germany's, Europe's, China, Razavi, United States

Crude oil storage tanks are seen from above at the Cushing oil hub, appearing to run out of space to contain a historic supply glut that has hammered prices, in Cushing, Oklahoma, March 24, 2016. Prices pared gains after U.S. government data showed U.S. crude inventories (USOILC=ECI) rose by 10.2 million barrels in the last week to 424.2 million barrels, much higher than analyst expectations for a 500,000-barrel rise. U.S. crude output also hit a record 13.2 million barrels per day in the week, the data showed. Meanwhile, the IEA lowered its oil demand growth forecast for 2024, suggesting harsher global economic conditions and progress on energy efficiency will weigh on consumption. However, it raised its 2023 demand forecast to 2.3 million bpd from a forecast of 2.2 million.

Persons: Nick Oxford, Bob Yawger, Yawger, Giovanni Staunovo, Prince Abdulaziz, Novak, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Alexander Novak, Stephanie Kelly, Ahmad Ghaddar, Trixie Yap, David Gregorio, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Brent, . West Texas, U.S, Mizuho, EIA, European Central Bank, UBS, Saudi Energy, IEA, Organization of, Petroleum, Thomson Locations: Cushing , Oklahoma, Lower U.S, Saudi, Israel, Russia, New York, London, Singapore

☆ Fresenius Medical: effect of drugs like Ozempic on patient numbers is neutral
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Ludwig Burger | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Pens for the diabetes drug Ozempic sit on a production line at Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk's site in Hillerod, Denmark, September 26, 2023. "Based on currently available clinical data and scientific evidence, Fresenius Medical Care assesses the overall effect of GLP-1 analog use on its own patient flow model as neutral," it said in a statement to Reuters. Novo said on Wednesday that the Ozempic trial was stopped ahead of schedule because independent supervisors had ruled the drug's positive effect on chronic kidney disease had become clear enough. In its statement, Fresenius Medical said that the early termination of the study, known as FLOW, does not allow for clear conclusions. Earlier on Thursday, rival DaVita (DVA.N) said that Novo's FLOW trial would only have a limited impact on overall dialysis patient numbers.

Persons: Tom Little, DaVita, Novo, Fresenius, Ludwig Burger, Jane Merriman, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Novo Nordisk's, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Hillerod, Denmark

LONDON/FRANKFURT, Oct 12(Reuters) - Brooks Macdonald (BRK.L) is working with a defence adviser on its strategy amid takeover interest, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Raymond James has had a longer-term mandate for financial advice which recently developed into defence strategy, one of the people said. Brooks Macdonald and Raymond James declined to comment. Shares in Brooks Macdonald have dipped since peaking in late 2021 as market conditions soured. Britain's fragmented wealth management industry has seen increased consolidation in recent years driven by both private equity and strategic players.

Persons: Brooks Macdonald, Raymond James, Charles Stanley, Brewin, Andrew Shepherd, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Victoria Farr, Amy, Jo Crowley, Anousha Sakoui, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, British, London, Emma

☆ Dollar pauses ahead of Fed minutes, US yield moves weigh
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Iain Withers | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Four thousand U.S. dollars are counted out by a banker counting currency at a bank in Westminster, Colorado November 3, 2009. U.S. Treasury yields continued to slide, pinning the dollar close to two-week lows as markets digest recent comments from policymakers that the Fed may not need to tighten monetary policy further. The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield dropped ten basis points, extending declines from Tuesday after a sharp sell-off in September left bonds cheap. On Tuesday, Atlanta Fed Bank President Raphael Bostic said the central bank did not need to raise borrowing costs any further, while Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said it was "possible" that further hikes might not be needed. The European Central Bank has made "important progress" in getting inflation back down to target but there is still a long road ahead and a further rate hike cannot be ruled out, Dutch central bank chief Klaas Knot said on Wednesday.

Persons: Rick Wilking, Raphael Bostic, Neel Kashkari, Sterling, Klaas Knot, Iain Withers, Rae Wee, John Stonestreet, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Federal, Treasury, Hamas, ING, Atlanta Fed Bank, Minneapolis, Bank's, ECB, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: Westminster , Colorado, Israel, Palestinian, U.S, London, Singapore

☆ Planisware postpones Euronext, marking third European float fail in a week
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Nathan Vifflin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Euronext stock exchange is pictured at the La Defense business district in Paris, France, September 30, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 11 (Reuters) - French software company Planisware said on Wednesday it would postpone its initial public offering on Euronext Paris, despite closing the books on the same day, making it the third European float to fail in a week. Planisware follows the steps of German gearbox supplier Renk, which pulled its listing last week despite having indicated its share pricing, also citing a "clouded" market environment. Another German company, DKV Mobilit, on Tuesday postponed its listing until next year, citing an uncertain market environement. Earlier on Wednesday, a bookbuilder said Planisware had priced its shares at 16 euros ($16.98) each, the lower end of the 16-18 euro bracket indicted last week.

Persons: Benoit Tessier, Planisware, Pierre Demonsant, DKV, Nathan Vifflin, Kirsten Donovan, Sharon Singleton Organizations: La Defense, REUTERS, Euronext Paris, Thomson Locations: Paris, France

☆ Hedge funds expected to ramp up returns on higher rates - BNP survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Nell Mackenzie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Investors expect hedge funds to produce higher returns with the prospect of interest rates staying higher for longer, a BNP Paribas [RIC:RIC:BNPPL.UL] investor survey showed on Wednesday. Investors now expect hedge funds to return an average of 9.75% annually within an average of 19 months, up from 6.85%, according to the survey. However, hedge funds themselves think this will take longer, up to 29 months, the survey showed. BNP Paribas said historical evidence shows hedge funds tend to perform well in higher and stable interest rate environments and less so when rates are lower. BNP Capital Introduction Group surveyed 82 hedge fund managers in what it called the "summer" of 2023.

Persons: Carlo Allegri, Michael Oliver Weinberg, “, ”, Weinberg, Nell Mackenzie, Dhara Ranasinghe, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: New York Stock, REUTERS, BNP, RIC, Investors, Group, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S

☆ EU's Breton gives Meta's Zuckerberg 24 hours to detail disinformation response
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

EU flag and Meta logo are seen in this illustration taken, May 22, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The EU's industry chief Thierry Breton on Wednesday gave Meta Platforms (META.O) 24 hours to inform him of measures taken to counter the spread of disinformation on its platforms following Palestinian Islamist group Hamas' surprise attack on Israel. "I would ask you to be very vigilant to ensure strict compliance with the DSA rules on terms of service, on the requirement of timely, diligent and objective action following notices of illegal content in the EU, and on the need for proportionate and effective mitigation measures," Breton told Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a letter. The Digital Services Act (DSA) forces very large online platforms to remove illegal online content on their platforms. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Thierry Breton, Breton, Mark Zuckerberg, Foo Yun Chee, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Wednesday, DSA, EU, Digital Services, Thomson Locations: Rights BRUSSELS, Israel

☆ Miners Being Evacuated After Fire at Evraz-Owned Mine in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Miners were being evacuated from a coal mine owned by Russian steel producer Evraz in the Kemerovo region after a fire broke out, local emergency services said on Tuesday. "Evacuation of the miners is being carried out," the Kemerovo emergency services said, reporting that a degassing box had caught fire on the surface. "There was a report of a fire on the territory of the Yerunakovskaya mine, the mine was stopped, the workers are independently rising to the surface," Interfax quoted emergency services as saying earlier. Interfax quoted a Raspadskaya spokesperson as saying that the fire would not affect operations. "There is no open fire, but people are being taken out according to regulations," Interfax quoted the spokesperson as saying.

Persons: Evraz, Alexander Marrow, Kirsten Donovan, Jason Neely Organizations: Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, Kemerovo

"The most serious outcome for crude is that the conflict escalates into a more devastating proxy war which could affect crude supply," said Rebecca Babin, senior energy trader at CIBC Private Wealth US. Israel's port of Ashkelon and its oil terminal have been shut in the wake of the conflict, sources said. Goldman Sachs said the conflict reduced the likelihood of normalization of Israel's relations with Saudi Arabia, and the associated boost to Saudi production over time. The conflict is likely to lead to higher volatility and speculation in oil markets, the CEO of Brazil's Petrobras (PETR4.SA) said. High oil price due to the conflict could bolster inflation, analysts said, forcing rate hikes that could dampen demand.

Persons: recouping, Brent, WTI, Israel, Rebecca Babin, Agustin Marcarian, Goldman Sachs, Caroline Bain, Saxo Bank's Ole Hansen, Nicolas Maduro, Arathy Somasekhar, Natalie Grover, Andrew Hayley, Emily Chow, Kirsten Donovan, Lisa Shumaker, David Gregorio Our Organizations: HOUSTON, . West Texas, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Hamas, CIBC Private Wealth, Israel, REUTERS, Saudi, Analysts, Capital Economics, U.S, Petrobras, PETR4, Thomson Locations: Saudi, Israel, Ashkelon, Israel US, Venezuela, Palestinian, Gaza, Saudi Arabia, Washington, Riyadh, Vaca, Patagonian, Neuquen, Argentina, Moscow, U.S, Iran, Russia, Caracas, Mexico, Tel Aviv, Houston, London, Beijing, Singapore

Brent crude was up $3.24, or 3.8%, to $87.85 a barrel by 11 a.m. ET (1500 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $86.19 a barrel, up $3.40 or about 4.1%. Oil rigs are seen at Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas drilling, in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina January 21, 2019. Analysts suggested the implications of the conflict could include a potential slowdown in Iranian exports, which have grown significantly this year, despite U.S. sanctions. Any production and export disruption would exacerbate supply tightness as most analysts expect markets to be in a deficit in the second half of the year.

Persons: recouping, Brent, WTI, Tudor Pickering, Matt Portillo, Agustin Marcarian, Saxo Bank's Ole Hansen, Caroline Bain, Arathy Somasekhar, Natalie Grover, Andrew Hayley, Emily Chow, Kirsten Donovan, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: U.S, West Texas, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Saturday, REUTERS, Israel, White, Capital Economics, Thomson Locations: Saudi, Israel, HOUSTON, Palestinian, Holt, Gaza, Vaca, Patagonian, Neuquen, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Washington, Riyadh, Moscow, Russia, U.S, Iran, Houston, London, Beijing, Singapore

"There's been very little marking down of (private) assets," said Con Keating, head of research at Brighton Rock Group, an insurance company for pension schemes. "No-one knows where the next big blow-up for pensions will come from," said Henry Tapper, founder of pension market analysis group AgeWage. He said heavy selling of commercial property and private equity stakes by pension schemes is raising questions over private capital valuations. "It's the right approach to obviously put some scrutiny on private market valuations." But in deals where private equity firms and investors buy and sell portfolios of investments, assets are being valued at less.

Persons: Yann Tessier, Con Keating, Henry Tapper, EY's, Paul Kitson, Burgiss, Ben Leach, Willis Towers Watson, IOSCO, Wilfred Small, Sinead Cruise, John O'Donnell, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: City of, REUTERS, Britain's, Authority, Brighton Rock Group, Reuters, Numis Securities, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, Canary, London, Britain, Germany, Sweden

Russian exports of gasoline and cross-border supplies of diesel by rail and road are still prohibited, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Monday. On Sept. 21 Russia temporarily banned most exports of gasoline and diesel to cope with a domestic market shortage, with pipeline operator Transneft (TRNF_p.MM) halting diesel shipments from Primorsk from Sept. 22. TASS news agency cited a spokesman for Transneft as saying that the oil pipeline monopoly had restarted diesel exports on Saturday. Of that, 3.5 million tons of gasoline and 6.6 million tons of diesel were exported by rail, according to the LSEG data. Since the ban was introduced, wholesale diesel prices on the local exchange have fallen by 21%, while gasoline prices are down 10%.

Persons: Vasily Fedosenko, Alexander Novak, Pavel Sorokin, Russia's, Vladimir Soldatkin, Natalia Chumakova, Kirsten Donovan, Susan Fenton Organizations: Irkutsk Oil Company, REUTERS, Baltic Sea's, TASS, RBC, Diesel, Thomson Locations: Russian, Irkutsk Region, Russia, Baltic, MOSCOW, United States, Primorsk, Russian Baltic

Metro Bank and the Bank of England declined to comment. Metro Bank's largest shareholder is Colombian billionaire Jaime Gilinski, who owns around a 9% stake through his investment vehicle Spaldy Investments. Metro Bank's customer deposits, like those of other UK banks, are backed by a government guarantee up to 85,000 pounds. Metro Bank said on Thursday its options included a combination of equity and debt issuance, as well as refinancing and asset sales. The news wiped a quarter off Metro Bank's share value on Thursday as its shares hit a record low.

Persons: Jaime Gilinski, Dorita, Iain Withers, Anousha, Kirsten Donovan, Chris Reese Organizations: Metro Bank, Metro, Bank of England's Prudential, Authority, Bank of England, Metro Bank's, Spaldy Investments, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Colombian

☆ S.Africa's first virtual renewable electricity transfer model to go live next year
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Oct 6 (Reuters) - South Africa's first virtual electricity transfer model is likely to go live by end of next year, a top government official said on Friday, a move that could rapidly ramp up renewable power consumption and reduce the burden on ailing state utility Eskom. The utility in August signed an agreement with Vodacom (VODJ.J), the African telecoms arm of Vodafone (VOD.L), to introduce an electricity transfer model known as virtual wheeling, which will allow a consumer to buy renewable power from any producer anywhere in the country. This is expected to make power from large renewable producers available to smaller users such as standalone buildings, housing societies and factories. "What we're trying to resolve really is to ensure that we protect the South African economy from total collapse," Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said during a conference. Vodacom's South Africa Chief Executive Sitho Mdlalose told Reuters this would help it to run its 15,000 network sites on renewable power.

Persons: Sun, Siphiwe, Ramokgopa, Onicah Rantwane, Sitho Mdlalose, Nqobile, Promit Mukherjee, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Kendal Power, REUTERS, Rights, Vodacom, Vodafone, Electricity, Eskom, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Kendal, Witbank, Mpumalanga, South Africa, Rights JOHANNESBURG

Spot gold was up 0.6% at $1,831.09 per ounce by 1:41 p.m. EDT (1741 GMT) but on track for its second straight weekly loss, down 0.9% so far. Reuters GraphicsBenchmark Treasury yields headed for a weekly increase, denting the appeal of gold. The bounce in gold prices despite the strong jobs data indicates that selling pressure has been exhausted and there is covering of short positions, said Tai Wong, a New York-based independent metals trader. Spot silver gained 3.1% to $21.54 an ounce, platinum rose 2.6% to $876.73 and palladium firmed 1.8% to $1,161.72. All were on track for weekly losses.

Persons: サマリー, Tai Wong, Ole Hansen, Hansen, Ashitha Shivaprasad, Brijesh Patel, Rod Nickel, Kirsten Donovan 私たち Organizations: Graphics, U.S . Labor, Traders, Saxo Bank Locations: U.S, New York, Bengaluru

Citigroup also convened a meeting of its managing directors on Wednesday, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Citigroup declined to comment on the memo, town hall and meeting with managing directors. Citi had 240,000 employees at the end of the second quarter. CONSULTATIONS IN THE UKThe bank is also beginning the consultations required in the UK after earlier warning employees about possible redundancies. In the second quarter, net income tumbled 36% to $2.92 billion, beating analyst expectations.

Persons: Sara Wechter, Jane Fraser, Fraser, Lananh Nguyen, Tatiana Bautzer, Saeed Azhar, Megan Davies, David Gregorio, Kirsten Donovan, Sonali Paul Organizations: Citigroup, Reuters, Bankers, Citi, Bank of America, Milana, Svea Herbst, Thomson Locations: Wells Fargo, London, New York, Svea

☆ Poland's CD Projekt sells over 3 mln copies of 'Phantom Liberty'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Adrianna Ebert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Phantom Liberty" was released just over a week ago and has been highly rated by players. "Phantom Liberty" is CD Projekt's first major game premiere since the bug-ridden launch of "Cyberpunk 2077" in December 2020, which has now sold 25 million copies. CD Projekt estimates total expenditure on the production of "Phantom Liberty" of around 275 million zlotys ($62.81 million). On Steam platform, which sells digital copies of games for PCs, "Phantom Liberty" is rated "very positive" with 88% of 6,353 user reviews positive. Pointing to the successful release of "Phantom Liberty", CD Projekt CEO Adam Kicinski said he had the peace of mind to plan his next professional step.

Persons: Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba, Adam Kicinski, Kicinski, Adam Badowski, Michal Nowakowski, Adrianna Ebert, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Steam, Thomson Locations: GDANSK

☆ Exclusive: Russia’s Lukoil lends Socar $1.5 billion in deal to supply its Turkish STAR refinery
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Dmitry Zhdannikov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A general view shows the oil refinery of the Lukoil company in Volgograd, Russia April 22, 2022. Turkey has not imposed sanctions on Russia and continues to import Russian oil and gas. The STAR refinery, however, had to cut Russian crude imports this summer due to complications arising from international financial restrictions on business with Moscow. Neither Lukoil, Socar nor STAR responded to requests for comment. Since cutting imports of Russian oil, it has relied on Kazakh, West African and Iraqi oil grades, according to LSEG data.

Persons: Lukoil, Celeste, Ocean Faye, Socar, Dmitry Zhdannikov, Nailia Bagirova, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Turkish STAR, Moscow, STAR, Fidelity, Thomson Locations: Volgograd, Russia, Ukraine, MOSCOW, Russian, Turkish, Turkey, Moscow, Urals, Primorsk, Bulgaria, Romania, Dubai, Geneva, Kirkuk, Kazakh, West African, LONDON

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