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☆ Credit Suisse woes knock euro, sterling, Swiss Franc
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Joice Alves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) shares fell around 20% after its biggest investors said it could not provide more backing. The Swiss lender woes led the wider European banking index (.SX7P) to its lowest level since early January and triggered sharp sell off in the currency markets. The euro fell 1.2% to $1.0605, sterling dropped 0.8% to $1.2065 and the Swiss franc slid 1.2% to 0.9251 per dollar. "This morning’s Credit Suisse news is doing all of the damage in FX markets as European bank stocks take another beating today," said Simon Harvey, Head of FX Analysis at Monex. Money markets have changed their bets for the ECB rate hikes amid the European bank turmoil.

UK banks (.FTNMX301010) dropped to an eight-week low, spooked by a brutal rout in U.S. bank SVB Financial (SIVB.O) following a share sale. The FTSE 100 (.FTSE) slipped 1.9% to a five week low, while the more domestically focused mid-cap index (.FTMC) gave up 2.1% to hit a two-month low. The FTSE 100 is set to the end the week down about 2.8% in what could be its worst week since September, as worries around hawkish central banks sapped risk appetite. Next week, investors will be watching for UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's spring budget. Reporting by Susan Mathew in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Saumyadeb ChakrabartyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Asian stocks rally sputters as China pulls back, higher U.S. yields weigh
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

U.S. futures erased earlier gains, with the S&P 500 stock futures falling 0.5% and Nasdaq futures down 0.7%. Tesla shares (TSLA.O) slumped 5.5% in after-hour trading, after the Tesla Investor Day failed to excite investors. On Thursday, the benchmark 10-year Treasury yields hit a fresh four-month high of 4.0160%, after hitting 4% overnight. In the currency markets, the U.S. dollar index, measuring the greenback's value against a basket of major peers, gained 0.2% to 104.6. Oil prices were largely steady on Thursday, having risen by 1% the previous day due to optimism over China's recovery.

☆ Dollar edges down from six-week peak, Swedish crown jumps
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Samuel Indyk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. dollar index , which measures the dollar against six other major currencies, slipped 0.2% to 103.81. Hawkish comments from Fed officials have also underpinned the U.S. dollar, as they signalled interest rates would need to rise to quash inflation. The euro fell 1.1% against the Swedish crown to 11.05 crowns while the dollar was down 1% to 10.3405. The euro was little changed against the dollar at $1.0690, just above Friday's six-week low of $1.06125. The Australian dollar rose 0.6% to $0.6918 ahead of minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia's latest policy meeting on Tuesday.

☆ Dollar edges lower from six-week peak, Swedish crown jumps
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Samuel Indyk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. dollar index , which measures the dollar against six other major currencies, slipped 0.1% to 103.91. Hawkish comments from Fed officials have also underpinned the U.S. dollar, as they signalled interest rates would need to rise to quash inflation. The euro fell 1.1% against the Swedish crown to 11.059 crowns while the dollar was down 0.8% to 10.3604. The euro was little changed against the dollar at $1.0687, just above Friday's six-week low of $1.06125. "Euro rates are probably likely to stay at higher levels, whereas we think dollar rates will more easily turn lower," Turner added, which he said could support the euro in the first half of the year.

It hit a six-week high of 104.67 on Friday. Hawkish comments from Fed officials have also underpinned the U.S. dollar, as they signalled interest rates would need to go higher in order to successfully quash inflation. The RBNZ is expected to scale down its tightening campaign only slightly, with a half-point interest rate increase to 4.75%. "With inflation so high ... not staying the course could mean even higher interest rates are required down the track," said analysts at ANZ. The offshore yuan was last marginally higher at 6.8643 per dollar, while the onshore yuan last bought 6.8580 per dollar.

☆ Sterling touches seven-month peak in early trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Sterling hit a seven-month high against the dollar in Asian hours on Monday supported by economic data that showed the British economy was performing better than feared and that also drove expectations of more interest rate increases. The pound hit $1.24475 in early trading on Monday, its highest level since June 10, 2022. Moves were exacerbated by thin liquidity due to the Lunar New Year holidays in major financial centres such as Hong Kong and Singapore. "The firming up of BoE tightening expectations has allowed sterling to match this year's strength of the euro." Markets pricing indicates a 70% chance of a 50 basis point rate increase at the Bank of England's February meeting.

LONDON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - The yen got a boost on Thursday on expectations the Bank of Japan will review the side effects of its monetary easing, while the dollar held near a seven-month low against the euro ahead of U.S. inflation data later in the day. "You could start to see the normalisation of monetary policy which would be a huge step for Japan (and) a very positive tailwind for the yen," Turner added. The U.S. dollar index was last down 0.06% to 103.04, not far off its seven-month low of 102.93 hit earlier in the week. "Our core views for Fed policy versus ECB policy would be for a stronger euro-dollar through the year." Data released on Thursday showed Australia's trade surplus unexpectedly widened in November and came in well above forecasts.

☆ Egypt's currency weakens more in wake of latest devaluation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Patrick Werr | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The pound closed at 27.11 per dollar, according to the central bank, after fluctuating more than usual. Currency flexibility was a key component of the 46-month, $3 billion financial IMF package. After the central bank allowed the pound to depreciate sharply last March and October, it soon resumed trading within a band, moving only about 0.01 pounds per dollar per day. Egypt's pound and bondsHUGE BACKLOGDespite last year's devaluations a shortage of foreign currency has continued to hamper imports in recent months. Deutsche Bank said in a note that Wednesday's devaluation and an interest rate hike by the central bank last month "clearly show an approach to re-attract (structural) foreign inflows into local markets".

☆ Your next Taco Bell orders could be taken with artificial intelligence as fast food chains from McDonald's to Chipotle test automation to combat the brutal labor shortage still plaguing the industry
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

McDonald's, Taco Bell, and Panera Bread unveiled new drive-thru tech. Taco Bell said it is testing AI-powered bots at the drive-thru. Taco Bell, Chipotle, and Domino's are using AI-powered voice bots to take orders, while fast-casual chains like Sweetgreen are adding drive-thru lanes designated for faster pickup of digital orders. During an investor conference held Tuesday in New York, Taco Bell's parent company, Yum Brands, said it is testing conversational AI internally and at a Taco Bell drive thru. Here's a look at the 13 chains and restaurant companies adding automated tech to augment labor and speed up service for digital customers.

☆ Sweetgreen is among the 12 chains Taco Bell owner, Yum Brands, could buy as the company's CFO tells investors it's hunting for an acquisition
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

A Yum Brands exec said the company was "scanning categories" that don't compete with its brands. Analyst Mark Kalinowski identified 12 chains Yum Brands could target, including Sweetgreen. Habit was Yum Brands' latest acquisition — it purchased the fast-casual chain in March 2020 in a deal valued at $375 million. Zoe's Kitchen could be a buy target for Yum Brands, a veteran analyst wrote in a research note last week. "It has a market cap bigger than I would have expected, so it'd be an expensive purchase for Yum Brands."

[1/2] Banknotes of Chinese yuan and U.S. dollar are seen in this illustration picture taken September 29, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File PhotoLONDON/SINGAPORE, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The dollar fell sharply against Japan's yen on Monday as investors focused on rare protests in China, which pushed the yuan to a two-week low. China's onshore yuan finished the domestic session around 0.5% lower at 7.199 per dollar, the lowest close since Nov. 10. The offshore yuan fell to a more than two-week low in Asian trading and was last down 0.28% at 7.214. The Australian dollar , often used as a proxy for the yuan, slid 0.67% to $0.671.

☆ Think the dollar is about to peak? Wall Street pros explain how to trade it
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Analysts expect the dollar to decline against 18 out of 38 currencies in the fourth quarter of this year, according to FactSet data. UBS UBS considers selling the dollar against G-10 currencies being a "top investment idea for 2023." According to the investment bank, years of negative interest rates have led to a sizeable un-hedged buildup of dollars worldwide. BCA Research Analysts at BCA Research say from a technical standpoint, the dollar is due for a reversal. Goldman Sachs The Wall Street bank remains bullish on the dollar over the next three months and sees certain G-10 currencies only recovering beyond the six-month horizon.

☆ Sterling dips but heads for biggest monthly gain since mid-2020
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Oct 31(Reuters) - Sterling fell on Monday, but was still headed for its largest monthly gain in over a year after the turbulence in British politics over the last few weeks finally appeared to subside. The Bank of England is likely to raise interest rates by another 75 basis points when it meets later this week. Hunt has ditched almost all the proposals in Truss's plan, returning a semblance of stability to UK markets and toning down a lot of the hawkishness around rate expectations. UK interest rates are currently expected to peak at around 4.87% in September next year, up from 2.25% right now. In the aftermath of Truss's so-called mini-budget, UK money markets showed traders expected rates to peak above 6% next September.

The U.S. dollar index fell to a five-week low as the pound touched its highest since Sept. 13, continuing its rally after Rishi Sunak became Britain's prime minister. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) rose 0.51%, the S&P 500 (.SPX) lost 0.13% and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) dropped 0.97% at 10:37 a.m. EDT (1437 GMT)MSCI's World Stock Index (.MIWO00000PUS) was up 0.36% and touched a five-week high. Europe's Stoxx 600 (.STOXX) also touched a five-week high in choppy trade. Market participants became cautious after major state-owned banks were spotted selling the dollar on Tuesday to stabilize the market, traders said. Elsewhere in commodities, oil prices rose on the weaker dollar and supply concerns.

☆ World stocks at 5-week high, earnings in the spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Dhara Ranasinghe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But European shares headed higher (.STOXX), having opened softer, drawing some comfort from upbeat bank earnings. Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) posted a better-than-expected jump in third quarter profit, while British bank Barclays (BARC.L) too beat profit forecasts on a trading boom. MSCI's World Stock Index (.MIWO00000PUS) touched a five-week high, while Asian shares rallied. The Bank of Canada is widely expected to raise rates by another 75 bps later in the day to contain stubbornly high inflation. In Australia, inflation raced to a 32-year high last quarter as the cost of home building and gas surged.

☆ Sterling hits six-week high as Sunak mulls delay to Oct. 31 budget plan
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Lucy Raitano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Sterling soared to six-week highs on Wednesday, as Britain's new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak holds his first cabinet meeting amid reports he could delay the announcement of a plan to repair the country's public finances. Sunak took power on Tuesday with a promise to fix the mistakes of his predecessor and stabilise the economy, warning Britain faced a "profound economic crisis". Foreign minister James Cleverly said on Wednesday the government's fiscal plan, scheduled for Oct. 31 and hotly anticipated by markets, could be delayed, suggesting a little more time might be needed to spell out the details. The pound was last up 1.16% against the dollar at $1.1601, and was 0.41% higher versus the euro at 86.500 pence per euro. "Things are certainly starting to look a lot more constructive for the pound," said Michael Brown, head of market intelligence at Caxton.

☆ Dollar shrugs off suspected Japan intervention; pound eyes UK politics
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Banknotes of Japanese yen and U.S. dollar are seen in this illustration picture taken September 23, 2022. Yen overnight volatility surged to its highest since Sept. 21, the day before the BOJ stepped in to prop up the currency for the first time since 1998. Sterling see-sawed on news former prime minister Boris Johnson had dropped out of the Tory leadership contest, and was last up 0.1% at $1.1319, off an overnight high above $1.14. Johnson said he had withdrawn from Monday's contest to replace Liz Truss, who was forced to resign as prime minister after launching a fiscal plan that unleashed turmoil in UK markets. Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak has emerged as the clear frontrunner to become Britain's next prime minister.

☆ Most Asian shares extend rally, markets await UK inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) edged up 0.2%, but further gains were capped by slight falls in Chinese shares. Japan's Nikkei (.N225) advanced 0.4%, Australia's resources-heavy shares (.AXJO) gained 0.4%, while South Korea (.KS11) rebounded 0.5%. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterU.S. S&P 500 futures rose 0.8% and the Nasdaq futures jumped 1.3%. Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) reversed customer losses that had hammered its stock this year and projected more growth ahead, sending shares 14% higher in after-hours trading. Chris Turner, global head of markets at ING, said a quiet week for U.S. data could also see the dollar correction extend a little.

☆ Sterling pauses after UK fiscal U-turn rally, yen scrabbles off 32-year low
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Joice Alves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

British pound banknote is displayed on U.S. Dollar banknotes in this illustration taken, February 14, 2022. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterAfter Monday's almost 2% rally, sterling was down 0.1% against the U.S. dollar to $1.1340 at 0815 GMT. Improved risk sentiment has bolstered the euro to $0.9872, its highest since Oct. 6, with a fall in energy prices also supporting the single currency. "Euro/dollar went under parity in late August largely driven by the negative terms of trade shock of higher energy prices. The UK news saw the risk-sensitive New Zealand dollar , already lifted by hotter-than-expected consumer inflation data, extend its surge, up 1% to $0.5691.

☆ Pension fund panic led to Bank of England's emergency intervention: Here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

A central narrative emerging from the U.K.'s precarious economic position is the apparent tension between a government loosening fiscal policy while the central bank tightens to try to contain sky-high inflation. Monetary policy is trying to mop-up after the milk was spilt," Turner said. Anything less, and there will likely be more turbulence for the gilt market, and the pound, in the coming weeks," he added. Following the Bank's bond market intervention, ING's economists expect a little more sterling stability, but noted that market conditions remain "febrile." She suggested the market would have benefitted from the government "blinking first" in the face of the market backlash to its policy agenda, rather than the central bank.

☆ The UK is gripped by an economic crisis of its own making
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Mark Thompson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“While this is welcome, the fact that it needed to be done in the first place shows that the UK markets are in a perilous position,” said Paul Dales, chief UK economist at Capital Economics, commenting on the bank’s intervention. “It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if another problem in the financial markets popped up before long,” Dales added. The UK government should also postpone its tax cuts, El-Erian said. We look like reckless gamblers who only care about the people who can afford to lose the gamble,” one former Conservative minister told CNN. “Truss and Kwarteng are now facing a severe economic crisis as the world’s financial markets wait for them to make policy changes that they and the Conservative party will find unpalatable,” the Eurasia analysts wrote.

☆ Pound drops more than 1% as Bank of England steps into bond market
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Harry Robertson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Sterling fell more than 1% against the dollar and euro on Wednesday after the Bank of England said it would step in to calm the UK's frenzied bond markets. The Bank said it will carry out temporary purchases of bonds and postpone the planned start of its gilt sale programme. The Bank's dramatic move came after a morning of disorder in the gilt market. The yield on the 30-year benchmark gilt fell by more than 50 basis points at one point. "Overall we would favour a little more sterling stability on today's intervention, but market conditions remain febrile," Turner said.

☆ How the United States is exporting inflation to other countries
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Central banks in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Norway, Indonesia, South Africa, Taiwan, Nigeria and the Philippines followed the Fed in boosting rates over the past week. This dynamic — in which the Fed essentially exports inflation — adds pressure on local central banks. (The Bank of Japan has remained an outlier among major central banks and has resisted hiking rates despite an uptick in inflation.) Nigeria’s central bank hiked rates to 15.5% on Tuesday, much higher than economists had expected. That means the dollar could yet climb further, and other central banks won’t be able to relax.

☆ Markets in a tailspin get a big dose of chill from the Bank of England
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The global financial system is “like a pressure cooker” right now, said Chris Turner, global head of markets at ING. Once, the idea of paying sticker price at a dealership was laughable — a trap that only suckers would fall into. The South Korean company’s sedans and SUVs are selling for about 6% over their sticker price, according to data from Edmunds.com. Used car prices — which shot up to dizzying heights early in the pandemic — have finally begun falling. “Speak to any (very) large used car dealer and you will hear the same - an absolute vortex of deflation is coming to used car prices,” tweeted Ophir Gottlieb, the CEO of Capital Market Laboratories, earlier this month.

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