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BEIJING, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Mixed factory activity data for China in November suggests more stimulus will be needed to shore up economic growth, analysts said on Friday, as two surveys came to contrasting conclusions on the sector's health. That was the fastest expansion in three months, but stands in contrast to the official PMI which fell to 49.4 on Thursday. "At face value, the average of the two is consistent with factory activity remaining largely unchanged last month," said Sheana Yue, China economist at Capital Economics. The official and Caixin surveys have different samples, with the Caixin PMI focusing on export-oriented enterprises and small- and medium-sized enterprises in the country's coastal region. Payroll cuts in the sector persisted for the third month in the Caixin survey and a ninth month in the official PMI.

Persons: Sheana Yue, Dan Wang, Xi Jinping, Liangping Gao, Joe Cash, Jacqueline Wong, Lincoln Organizations: P Global, PMI, Capital Economics, HSBC, Hang Seng Bank, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Hang Seng Bank China, Shanghai

☆ UK housing market shows new signs of strength - Nationwide
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A rainbow is seen over apartments in Wandsworth on the River Thames as UK house prices continue to fall, in London, Britain, August 26, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - British house prices rose unexpectedly in monthly terms for the third time running in November, adding to signs that the housing market downturn has abated, mortgage lender Nationwide said on Friday. House prices rose by 0.2% on the month in November, after a 0.9% increase in October. Compared with a year ago, house prices were 2% lower - the smallest such drop in nine months. "There has been a significant change in market expectations for the future path of Bank Rate in recent months which, if sustained, could provide much needed support for housing market activity," said Robert Gardner, chief economist at Nationwide.

Persons: Kevin Coombs, Robert Gardner, Andy Bruce, Sarah Young Organizations: REUTERS, Nationwide, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Wandsworth, London, Britain

☆ Asia factory activity weakens, uncertainty on China clouds outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An employee works on a production line manufacturing steel structures at a factory in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, China May 17, 2020. The data shows that factories are producing less and hiring fewer people," Dan Wang, chief economist at Hang Seng Bank China, said of China's PMI readings, which have different samples. Export-reliant Japan, South Korea and Taiwan bore the brunt of sluggish global demand with their manufacturing activity remaining stagnant in November, surveys showed. Japan's final au Jibun Bank manufacturing PMI fell to 48.3 in November from 48.7 in October, shrinking at the fastest pace in nine months. Manufacturing activity also shrank in Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia, but expanded in Indonesia and the Philippines, the surveys showed.

Persons: Dan Wang, Toru Nishihama, Leika Kihara, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, PMI, Korea Soft, P Global, Hang Seng Bank, Dai, Research, Jibun Bank, Research Institute, Thomson Locations: Huzhou, Zhejiang province, China, Japan, S, TOKYO, Europe, United States, Hang Seng Bank China, South Korea, Taiwan, Asia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines

OTTAWA, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The Canadian economy unexpectedly contracted at an annualized rate of 1.1% in the third quarter, data showed on Thursday, avoiding a recession but showing growth stumbling ahead of next week's interest-rate decision. The economy avoided slipping into a technical recession - defined as two consecutive quarter-on-quarter contractions - because second-quarter GDP data was revised up to a 1.4% gain from an initial report of a 0.2% decline, Statistics Canada said. The BoC has remained on the sidelines since July after lifting its benchmark interest rate to a 22-year high of 5% to tame inflation. "The bottom line is that the economy is still sputtering along," said Royce Mendes, head of macro strategy at Desjardins Group. Real GDP most likely edged up 0.2% in October after a 0.1% gain in September, Statscan said.

Persons: Doug Porter, Royce Mendes, Bipan Rai, Statscan, Ismail Shakil, Steve Scherer, Dale Smith, Divya Rajagopal, Fergal Smith, Mark Porter Organizations: OTTAWA, Bank of Canada's, Statistics, BMO Capital Markets, Canadian, U.S ., BoC, Desjardins Group, Bank of Canada, Bank, CIBC Capital Markets, Thomson Locations: Canadian, Statistics Canada, North America, Ottawa, Toronto

☆ China’s Xi Jinping visits financial hub Shanghai as Chinese economy sputters
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Chinese leader Xi Jinping has visited Shanghai for the first time in three years, as his government steps up efforts to prop up the country’s economy and financial markets. The visit, his first since 2020, comes as business confidence wanes in China and foreign companies pull out of the country. “General Secretary Xi Jinping’s visit to Shanghai sends important signals at a critical moment,” an editorial by Xinhua said Thursday. “Shanghai must be a vanguard of the country’s reform and opening up and a pioneer in its tech innovation and development,” Xi was quoted as saying by Xinhua. Earlier this month, Xi visited the United States for the first time in more than six years, where he met with President Joe Biden to amend ties between the two countries.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, Lifeng, Cai Qi, Xi Jinping’s, ” Xi, Joe Biden Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Shanghai Futures Exchange, Xinhua News Agency, PMI, Xinhua, “ Finance Locations: Hong Kong, Shanghai, China, Beijing, United States

☆ China factory activity shrinks for a second month in November
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

China's factory activity contracted for a second straight month in November, while non-manufacturing activity hit yet another new low for the year, signaling that the world's second-largest economy is not yet out of the woods and may require more muscular policy support. The official manufacturing purchasing managers' index unexpectedly fell slightly to 49.4 in November from 49.5 in October, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics released Thursday. China's official manufacturing PMI also came in below forecast last month. The official non-manufacturing managers' index slipped to 50.2 in November from 50.6 in October, according to the same NBS release. A PMI reading above 50 indicates expansion in activity, while a reading below that level points to a contraction.

Organizations: National Bureau of Statistics, PMI

☆ Dollar drifts near three-month low, focus on inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The index is down 3.7% in November on growing expectations the Fed will cut interest rates in the first half of 2024. The dollar clawed back some of its losses on Wednesday after data showed the U.S. economy grew faster in the third quarter than initially reported. "Markets will continue to play to focus on what FOMC officials say about the prospect of the upcoming rate-hike cycle." Two of the best-performers are at the polar opposite ends of the "carry" spectrum — the New Zealand dollar and Japanese yen . On Thursday, yen strengthened 0.09% to 147.11 per dollar, remaining close to two and half month high of 146.675 per dollar it touched on Wednesday.

Persons: Carol Kong, Jerome Powell, Christopher Waller, Christopher Wong, Goldman Sachs, Sterling Organizations: Federal, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, New Zealand, Bank of Japan Locations: U.S

☆ CNBC Daily Open: The heat is truly on COP28
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Japan's Nikkei 225 closed 0.5% higher, clocking monthly gains of more than 8%, while South Korea's KOSPI finished the day up 0.6%, advancing more than 11% this month. [PRO] Golden crossesThree stocks are on the verge of taking off, according to a chart pattern closely watched by technical analysts. The phenomenon, known as a "golden cross," occurs when a stock's 50-day moving average share price rises above the longer-term 200-day moving average.

Persons: KOSPI, China's, Rebooting, Sam Altman, Altman Organizations: Expo, CNBC, Nikkei, Dow Jones, National Bureau of Statistics, Microsoft, Auto, United Auto Workers, Volvo, BMW, Mercedes, Benz, Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Detroit, General Motors Locations: Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Asia, Pacific, South, Hong Kong, China, OpenAI, U.S

REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 30 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets. If this week has so far been strangely listless for Asian markets, that could be about to change suddenly on Thursday as investors brace for a deluge of top-tier economic data and policy events from across the continent. The latest industrial production and retail sales data from both Japan and South Korea are on tap too, all of which could move their respective markets, especially currencies. All else equal, the risks for Asian markets on Thursday may be tilted to the upside, even though stock markets around the world again struggled on Wednesday. South Korea's central bank is expected to keep its base rate on hold at 3.50% and leave it there until at least the middle of next year.

Persons: Kim Hong, That's, Goldman Sachs, Jamie McGeever, Josie Kao Organizations: Korea, South Korean, REUTERS, New Zealand, Bank of Japan, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Seoul, South Korea, China, India, Japan, U.S, Korea's, Korea

As technology titans jockey to back hot new startups, they are extracting explicit or implicit promises of revenue in return. loadingMicrosoft’s injection of $10 billion into OpenAI in January helped kick off the craze. As part of their deal, the ChatGPT operator agreed to exclusively use its new investor’s cloud computing services. Much of the invested capital should be returned relatively quickly as AI firms buy back-end services. Nvidia (NVDA.O) has at least 80% and as much as 95% of the AI market, according to estimates by analysts.

Persons: Sam Altman, Satya Nadella, OpenAI, Optimists, cynics, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam, Aditya Sriwatsav, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Microsoft, Financial Times, Apple, Nasdaq, Big Tech, OpenAI, Wall Street, Google, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Cisco Systems, Lucent Technologies, Nortel Technologies, Company, Global, Telecom, Nortel, Network, Nvidia, Thomson Locations: OpenAI, Silicon Valley

☆ South Korea Oct factory output falls most in 10 months on weaker chip production
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Nov 30 (Reuters) - South Korea's factory output unexpectedly fell on weaker chip production in October and posted the biggest drop in 10 months, official data showed on Thursday. The industrial output index fell 3.5% in October from a month earlier on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to Statistics Korea. On a yearly basis, factory output rose 1.1%, compared with gains of 2.9% in the prior month and 5.2% expected by economists. In October, output also fell in the services sector, down 0.9% over the month, marking its first decline since May. The all-industry output index fell 1.6%, the biggest drop since April 2020.

Persons: Jihoon Lee, Chris Reese Organizations: Statistics Korea, Thomson Locations: SEOUL

WASHINGTON (AP) — The global economy, which has proved surprisingly resilient this year, is expected to falter next year under the strain of wars, still-elevated inflation and continued high interest rates. The Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimated Wednesday that international growth would slow to 2.7% in 2024 from an expected 2.9% pace this year. Despite the gloomier outlook, the organization is “projecting that recessions will be avoided almost everywhere,” OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said at a news conference. The OECD foresees U.S. inflation dropping from 3.9% this year to 2.8% in 2024 and 2.2% in 2025, just above the Fed’s 2% target level. They have been hurt by heightened interest rates and by the jump in energy prices that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: General Mathias Cormann, decelerate, —, “, we’ve, Clare Lombardelli, Courtney Bonnell Organizations: WASHINGTON, Economic Cooperation, Development, OECD, European Union, AP Locations: Paris, Israel, Ukraine, United States, China, U.S, European, Europe, Russia, Germany, London

☆ My mother gave me my $100,000 inheritance early. I struggled to pay my bills before — now I'm set up for life.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Jillian Pretzel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

She plans to sell the condo and give her daughters an early inheritance when they get older. When my apartment complex raised my rent from $1,600 to $1,800 a month in early 2016, I cried. "Think of it as your early inheritance," she told me. Part of me thought that with the inheritance money and my own home, my financial woes would soon be over. I hope to help my own kids in the same wayMy early inheritance has meant so much to me.

Persons: Jillian Pretzel, —, I'd, It's Organizations: Service Locations: Southern California

☆ Asian stocks subdued as traders brace for inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"But I think it's not just this week's inflation indicator, it's also the December payroll numbers ... they'll be quite critical." "Our view is that the Fed will probably start cutting rates when inflation goes below the 3% mark. The weaker-than-expected data weighed on Treasury yields, with the yield on benchmark 10-year notes slipping 9.6 basis points on Monday. The dollar index , a measure of the greenback against a basket of currencies, fell to 103.07, its lowest since Aug. 31. Data showed retail sales in Australia unexpectedly slipped in October as consumers cut back on everything but food, though analysts believe many were merely saving some money to splurge on Black Friday sales that took place this month.

Persons: DAX, Vasu Menon, they'll, Menon, Dave Ramsden, Christine Lagarde, Jerome Powell, HSI, Brent, Ankur Banerjee, Sam Holmes, Kim Coghill Organizations: Federal, Investors, OCBC Bank, of England, European Central Bank, Japan's Nikkei, Treasury, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Singapore, U.S, Hong Kong, Australia

☆ Australia Oct retail sales slip as consumers hold off for Black Friday sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Women shop for clothes on a store in a shopping mall in Sydney's central business district (CBD) Australia, February 5, 2018. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Australian retail sales unexpectedly slipped in October as consumers cut back on everything but food, though analysts believe many were merely saving some money to splurge on Black Friday sales that took place this month. Retail sales fell 0.2% from September to A$35.77 billion, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed on Tuesday. "This is a pattern we have seen develop in recent years as Black Friday sales grow in popularity." Data from e-commerce firm Shopify also showed that point-of-sale sales made by its merchants in Australia during this year's Black Friday sales grew 27% from a year ago.

Persons: Daniel Munoz, Ben Dorber, Shopify, that's, Marcel Thieliant, Michele Bullock, Stella Qiu, Tom Hogue, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Black, ANZ, Asia Pacific, Capital Economics, Reserve Bank of Australia, Thomson Locations: Australia

After attempting to scroll back through, he completed his speech before returning to read from his phone. “The beginning of my speech was edited, cut out,” De Niro said. Lily Gladstone, who stars in the film opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, won for best lead performance — though not for that performance. Your lives will be better for it.”The Gotham Awards, now in their 33rd year, leapfrog most of the major ceremonies that lead up to the Academy Awards. The year before that, Gotham winner “The Lost Daughter” faded on the campaign trail, but 2020-winner “Nomadland” went the distance to the Academy Awards.

Persons: Celine, ”, Robert De Niro, Greta Lee, John Magaro, Teo Yoo, —, De Niro, Martin Scorsese's, ” De Niro, “, Niro, Donald Trump, Hollywood —, John Wayne —, Pocahontas, Apple didn't, Scorsese, Lily Gladstone, Leonardo DiCaprio, Gladstone, — Gladstone, leapfrog, they’ve, Justine Triet's Palme, Andrew Haigh’s, Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Barbie ”, “ Oppenheimer, ” Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie, “ Barbie ”, Gerwig, Noah Baumbach, Charles Melton, Todd Haynes, Julianne Moore, Rockwell, Teyana Taylor, Kaouther Ben Hania’s, Steven Yeun, Ali Wong, Steven, Wong, Bradley Cooper, “ Maestro ”, Ben Affleck, George C, Wolfe, “ Rustin ”, Michael Mann, “ Ferrari, Affleck, Alex Convery, Huy, “ Nomadland ” Organizations: Gotham, Sundance Film, Apple, “ Invest, Academy, Gotham Film & Media Institute, Cipriani Wall, Actors Guild, Netflix, “ Locations: Seoul, South Korea, East, “, Kaouther Ben Hania’s Tunisian

Now "it's like 'plus-10' and then China," he added, with the latter down to providing half of Industry West's products and being trimmed more. China recorded its first-ever quarterly deficit in foreign direct investment in July-September, suggesting capital outflow pressure. But for the first time in the four decades since China opened up to foreign investments, executives are now also concerned about long-term growth prospects. Primavera Capital founder Fred Hu cites mounting macroeconomic uncertainty, a "murky capital market outlook," and lingering concerns over past regulatory crackdowns on high-growth industries such as technology and education. Despite the challenges, foreign investment flows are not unidirectional.

Persons: Jordan England, Nicholas Lardy, England, I'm, Li Qiang's, Li, Michael Hart, Noah Fraser, Fred Hu, Hu, Joe Cash, Ellen Zhang, Kane Wu, Eduardo Baptista, Don Durfee, Kripa Jayaram, Marius Zaharia, Jamie Freed Organizations: China, Reuters, Peterson Institute for International Economics, LONG, Conference Board, China International, Canada China Business Council, Reuters Graphics, Primavera Capital, Tech, Thomson Locations: China, BEIJING, HONG KONG, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Mexico, England, Florida, Washington, Beijing, consultancies, U.S, Asia, Australia, Europe, Hong Kong

The dollar index , which measures the currency against six major peers, slipped 0.1% to 103.37 and was headed for a monthly loss of more than 3%, its worst performance since November 2022. The market is also eyeing a rate decision from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and Chinese purchasing managers' index (PMI) data. In other currencies, the euro was little changed against the dollar at $1.0937 . Against the yen, the dollar fell 0.4% to 148.885 yen . The dollar extended losses after data showed U.S. new home sales fell more than expected in October, dropping 5.6% to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 679,000 units.

Persons: ECB's Lagarde, Helen, Christine Lagarde's, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Samuel Indyk, Rae Wee, Toby Chopra, Mark Potter, Paul Simao Organizations: U.S, Federal Reserve, Monex USA, Fed, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Reserve Bank of New, Australian, greenback, New, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington, OPEC, Australia, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, New Zealand, China, New York, London, Singapore

☆ Sterling rises, dollar listless as markets brace for post-Thanksgiving buzz
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The pound was on track for a roughly 3.8% gain for the month, its largest monthly gain in a year. Elsewhere, the dollar fell 0.32% to 148.97 yen , while the euro gained 0.2% to $1.0952. The dollar index slipped 0.12% to 103.31 and was headed for a monthly loss of more than 3%, its worst performance in a year. In China, the yuan slipped after the official midpoint snapped five straight sessions of strengthening, with the onshore yuan last at 7.1550 per dollar. Reporting by Rae Wee; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sterling, Carol Kong, Jane Foley, Rae Wee, Gerry Doyle, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Federal, Reserve Bank of New, PMI, Bank of England, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Traders, Rabobank, ", Fed, New, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, OPEC, Australia, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, New Zealand, China, Beijing

☆ Sterling steady, dollar wobbles as markets brace for post-Thanksgiving buzz
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In this photo illustration, a old British £1 note is pictured with a one Dollar bill note on November 05, 2023 in Bath, England. The Australian dollar likewise stood near a roughly three-month high and last bought $0.6578, ahead of domestic inflation data on Wednesday. The weakening greenback provided some respite for the Japanese yen , which sat on the stronger side of 150 per dollar and last stood at 149.52 per dollar. The New Zealand dollar eased 0.1% to $0.6076, but was likewise hovering near Friday's more than three-month high of $0.6096. "I think the issues in the Middle East have definitely become more of a background risk," said CBA's Kong.

Persons: Sterling, Carol Kong, Jane Foley, CBA's Organizations: Federal, Reserve Bank of New, PMI, Bank of England, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, U.S ., U.S, Rabobank, Fed, New Zealand, Israel Locations: Bath, England, OPEC, Australia, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Friday's, U.S, East, Gaza

☆ A viral $16 McDonald’s meal won’t go away, and that’s a problem for Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Take the $16 McDonald’s meal that struck a nerve on TikTok late last year. Of course, fast food prices have gone up along with everything else in the past few years, but not by as much as the TikTok video suggests. Because the vast majority of McDonald’s restaurants in the United States are independently owned, prices vary from region to region. The social media megaphoneIn an era before TikTok or YouTube, a $16 burger moment would have lasted a few seconds. The real beefPerhaps the more significant economic takeaway from the viral McDonald’s meal is not that the meal actually cost $16 but that the man paid for it.

Persons: CNN Business ’, ”, …, there’d, Joe Biden’s, , —, Biden, Topher Olive, Olive, pollsters Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, New York Post, Democratic, Mac, CBS News, CNN, White, Office, Digital Strategy, Washington Post, Consumer Locations: New York, Idaho, America, United States, Darien , Connecticut

☆ Russia was taken by surprise when it lost 76 passenger planes due to Ukraine invasion sanctions, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia lost 76 passenger planes due to sanctions related to the invasion of Ukraine, a Russian minister said. He said that that Russia now only has 1,302 planes, of which 1,167 are passenger aircraft. Many of Russia's passenger planes were registered abroad and were stranded by sanctions. AdvertisementRussia lost 76 passenger planes due to sanctions related to the invasion of Ukraine, Russian Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev said. "We were unexpectedly taken by surprise by the decision to take away the planes," Savelyev told Russian outlet RBC.

Persons: —, Vitaly Savelyev, Savelyev, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, Russian, RBC, Reuters Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Bermuda, Ireland

☆ OpenAI's chaos has both hastened the arms race to AI dominance and opened the door to competitors
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Monica Melton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

OpenAI chaos has calmed as CEO Sam Altman is reinstated and an investigation begins. AdvertisementThe drama of Sam Altman unexpectedly being fired on Friday and then reinstated to OpenAI Tuesday night has reached a close. AI ethics experts have expressed concern about the power of AI technology being controlled by the hands of a few. "The increasing concentration of capital, compute, and data are a problem," Emily M. Bender, a University of Washington linguistics professor, told BI. The seemingly earth-shattering news from OpenAI may have instead opened a door for resourcefulness and for other players to emerge.

Persons: Sam Altman, —, OpenAI, Émile Torres, Altman, Emily M, Bender, nilly, Ali Alkhatib, Pistilli Organizations: Service, University of Washington, Microsoft Locations: AGI

Peak electricity demand may increase by as much as 140 million kilowatts (12%) compared with winter 2022/23, the National Energy Administration (NEA) forecast on Oct. 31. Planners have been anxious to avoid a repeat of the fuel and power shortages that occurred in the autumn and winter of 2021/22. Chartbook: China electricity generationIn the first ten months of 2023, domestic coal production increased by 144 million tonnes (11%) and imports by 154 million tonnes (67%) compared with the prior year. The NEA said power generators’ inventories should be maintained at 200 million tonnes, up from 170 million tonnes a year ago. In the same period, domestic gas production increased by 8 million tonnes (6%), while liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports rose by 6 million tonnes (12%) and pipeline imports increased by 2 million tonnes (5%).

Persons: Tingshu Wang, John Kemp, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, National Energy Administration, Planners, NEA, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Yanqing district, Beijing, China, Yunnan, Inner Mongolia, Chartbook, Guangdong, Hainan

☆ The future of interest rates is more surprises
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Edward Chancellor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Observing these oscillating forecasts, a bystander might conclude that nobody knows anything about the future direction of interest rates. The study examined data from 19 countries back to 1870 and found only a tenuous link between the determinants of savings and investment and real interest rates. “No single factor or combination of such factors”, the authors concluded, “can consistently explain the long-term evolution of real interest rates. Indeed, if the trend persisted Schmelzing forecast that “within a generation historically implied real interest rates will have reached negative territory”. Homer and Sylla wryly observe that people assume that the interest rates they encounter are normal and are surprised by what comes next.

Persons: Claudio Borio, “, ”, Paul Schmelzing, Sidney Homer, Richard Sylla, Sylla, Peter Thal Larsen, Streisand Neto, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, U.S, Capital Economics, Bank for International, Austrian, Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics, Financial, Boston College, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Central, U.S . Federal, London, Japan

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