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The hectic pace of activity comes after private credit funds targeting Asia jumped 76% last year to a record $11.2 billion, driven by both regional and India-dedicated strategies, according to Global Private Capital Association. As large global sponsors continue to invest into multi-billion dollar Asia-focused credit funds such as Apollo, Blackstone and KKR, the Asian private credit industry is set for further boom, Robert Wright, partner in law firm Baker McKenzie, said. The string of new private credit funds come against the backdrop of startups facing the threat of having down rounds. Nevertheless, alternative financing such as private credit does not come cheap, industry experts warned. Private credit firms usually arrange loans, with assets secured, on a floating rate basis.

Persons: GPCA, Singapore's SeaTown, Europe's 21yield, Nicholas Mairone, Robert Wright, Baker McKenzie, SeaTown, Rakshat Kapoor, Camille Krejci, Parthiv Rishi, Sidley Austin, Siew Kam Boon, Yantoultra Ngui, Sumeet Chatterjee Organizations: Asia, SINGAPORE, Global Private Capital Association . Industry, Silicon Valley Bank, Blackstone, KKR, Reuters Graphics, Bain Capital, India's, Mahindra Bank, Hong Kong's ADM, SoftBank Investment Advisers, Reuters, Prosus NV, Thomson Locations: Asia, India, Singapore, United States, North America, Silicon, Pacific, Japan, Hong Kong

WHY HAVE UK MORTGAGE RATES SOARED? There are two main types of mortgage rate - variable and fixed. Fixed rate mortgages lock in a particular interest rate upfront, usually for a period of two to five years. Banks say they have to reflect these market moves to avoid pricing mortgages at a loss. Critics say banks could do much more, particularly as they have passed rate rises through to savers much more slowly than mortgage rates have risen.

Persons: BoE, Banks, Nicholas Mendes, John Charcol, Mendes, Jeremy Hunt, Hunt, Roger Gewolb, Sinead Cruise, Iain Withers, Catherine Evans Organizations: Soaring, Bank of, WHO, Finance, ASK, Labour, Fair Finance, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Britain, Bank of England, States

☆ Bank Indonesia to hold key rate at 5.75% for rest of year: Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Anant Chandak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

All 34 economists in the June 14-19 Reuters poll expected the central bank to hold its benchmark seven-day reverse repurchase rate (IDCBRR=ECI) at the conclusion of its June 21-22 meeting. Nearly two-thirds of respondents, 15 of 23, said the key policy rate would remain at that level for the rest of 2023, with eight economists expecting a rate cut this year. "Bank Indonesia was one of the first central banks in the region to pause its tightening cycle earlier this year. Mapa added BI would "only consider cutting policy rates should global central banks opt to ease monetary policy." Median forecasts showed a 25-basis-point rate cut to 5.50% in the first quarter of 2024, a slight downgrade from the 50-basis-point cut expected in a May poll.

Persons: Nicholas Mapa, Khoon Goh, Anant Chandak, Veronica Khongwir, Madhumita Gokhale, Hari Kishan, Ross Finley, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Bank Indonesia, Reuters, " Bank Indonesia, ING, Mapa, U.S, Fed, ANZ, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, U.S, Europe, Asia

☆ A Russian warlord posed over the body of a US Army vet killed in Ukraine — then bizarrely said he'd send him back to America draped in a flag as a sign of respect
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Wagner mercengary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin posed over the dead body of a US Army veteran in Ukraine. Prigozhin bizarrely said the mercenary group would send the body back to the States covered in an American flag. The video appeared to show American documents that identified the fallen soldier as retired Army Staff Sgt. In the video, Prigozhin oddly said the group will send the body back to the US covered in an American flag as an act of respect. In a June 2022 interview with the Idaho Statesman, Maimer said he felt a calling to go and help when the war broke out.

☆ Venezuelan opposition party replaces Guaido as candidate
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 5, CARACAS - Venezuelan opposition party Voluntad Popular on Friday named a new candidate for a key presidential primary in October, replacing formerly anti-government leader Juan Guaido who left Venezuela unexpectedly in late April. At a news conference, Voluntad Popular named political coordinator Freddy Superlano, a 46-year-old engineer and critic of President Nicholas Maduro, as its nominee, explaining Guaido could not represent the party from "exile." Voluntad Popular member Desiree Barboza said the decision to name Superlano the party's candidate was unanimous. From 2019 to December 2022, Guaido served as acting president in a shadow government challenging Maduro until the opposition dissolved it. Like Guaido, Superlano is barred by judicial and administrative rulings from running for public office.

REUTERS/Edgar SuSINGAPORE, April 27 (Reuters) - Vera Liu, a Singapore property agent, was panicking in the wee hours of Thursday morning after new property taxes saw two of her deals fall through. Policymakers are growing concerned that foreign investors increasingly see Singapore property as a hot asset class, squeezing out locals. Christine Sun, the senior vice president of research & analytics at OrangeTee & Tie, called it a "freezing measure" for foreign buyers. Shares of Singapore property companies fell on Thursday, with City Development (CTDM.SI) and UOL Group (UTOS.SI), which have large Singapore footprints, hit hardest. "There's little impact on the other 90%," said Mak, who has been analysing Singapore property for more than two decades.

However, confusing the picture core inflation accelerated to 8.0% in March from February's 7.8%, the fastest pace since 1999. Nicholas Mapa, an economist at ING bank, said a sustained downtrend in inflation could make the BSP consider hitting the pause button on its most aggressive interest rate hiking cycle for years. "Today's inflation reading could be one additional data point that could convince Governor Medalla that inflation is finally moderating," Mapa told Reuters. "We expect inflation to moderate further in April which could open up the door for a BSP pause at the May meeting." Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, who is one of the seven members of the central bank's policy making monetary board, said on Tuesday, the central bank has probably done enough to address inflation.

NEW YORK, March 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged crypto firm Beaxy.com and several executives for registration failures on Wednesday, expanding regulators' push to rein in the industry. That structure, which is common throughout the crypto industry, is one that the SEC's chair has criticized for conflicts of interest and risks to investors. On Monday, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission sued Binance, accusing the world's largest crypto exchange of violating rules preventing illegal activity. The next day, prosecutors in New York added a Chinese bribery charge to their fraud case against Sam Bankman-Fried, who founded the now-bankrupt crypto exchange FTX. Another man, Brian Peterson, was accused of acting as an unregistered dealer by providing marketing services to Beaxy.

Founder Artak Hamazaspyan and a company he controlled, Beaxy Digital Ltd, raised $8 million in an unregistered offering of the Beaxy token (BXY), and Hamazaspyan also misappropriated at least $900,000 for personal use, the SEC said. The regulator also said executives Nicholas Murphy and Randolph Bay Abbott facilitated trading on the Beaxy platform since October 2019 through the company they managed, Windy Inc, the regulator said in a statement. Another executive, Brian Peterson, and his companies provided market making services for the Beaxy platform, acting as unregistered dealers, the SEC said. The other executives and firms, who did not admit or deny the SEC's findings, could not be reached immediately for comment. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel and Chris Prentice; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Summary Jan CPI at fresh 14-year high of 8.7%Faster-than-expected inflation raises odds of bigger rate hikeEconomic planning chief says inflation to moderate this yearMANILA, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Philippine annual inflation blew past expectations in January to reach a fresh 14-year high on surging food prices, raising the chance of the central bank delivering a bigger interest rate hike to tame prices when it meets this month. Given the faster-than-expected inflation in January, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) looks certain to hike interest rates by at least 25 basis points and with a bigger 50 bps likely to be on the table, ING economist Nicholas Mapa said in a Tweet. The Philippines' broader stock index (.PSI) dropped 0.4% in early trade on expectations of a larger rate hike, while the peso had slipped 0.5% at 54.73 per dollar as of 0211 GMT. The main factor behind January's red-hot inflation was the 11.2% annual rise in food inflation, the quickest pace since 2009, and compared to the previous month's 10.6%, and the 1.6% rate in the same month last year. Elevated inflation, plus the need to maintain interest rate differentials between the U.S. and the Philippines, have forced the central bank to embark on aggressive tightening, with the benchmark rate (PHCBIR=ECI) rising by a total of 350 bps last year.

☆ Maduro negotiator says Venezuela government, opposition making progress on $3.2 billion humanitarian fund
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Vivian Sequera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro delivers a speech in front of the Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice magistrates during the opening of the new court term, in Caracas, Venezuela January 31, 2023. The opposition hopes the negotiations will help guarantee that elections tentatively scheduled for 2024 are held in fair conditions. Rodriguez did not offer details on what progress had been made toward creation of the humanitarian fund. The opposition's head negotiator, Gerardo Blyde, has said money from the frozen assets is spread across different jurisdictions, each with their own legal requirements. The opposition has said the money could be moved in small tranches to protect it from creditors.

☆ Onions are now so expensive in the Philippines that they've become a luxury item — and people have been trying to smuggle them across the border
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Onions are now a luxury item in the Philippines. The price of onions soared to $12.80 per kilogram in December, three times the price of chicken. Local authorities seized between $9 million and $11 million worth of smuggled onions in 2022. According to the country's Department of Agriculture, on January 9, onions were going for 600 pesos, or $11, per kilogram. Local authorities seized between $9 million and $11 million worth of smuggled onions in 2022, The Guardian reported.

☆ Philippines: Onions so expensive they're being smuggled into the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The price surge comes after a spate of super typhoons hit the Philippines last year, damaging tens of billions of pesos worth of crops. Ombudsman Samuel Martires was quoted this week by CNN affiliate CNN Philippines as saying he was looking into the possibility of price manipulation. Smuggling onionsOnions have become such a hot commodity that they’re being smuggled into the country. Two days earlier, $364,000 worth of red onions from China found hidden in pastry boxes were also seized by Customs. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he hoped to find a way to sell the smuggled onions to “reduce the supply problems” the country was facing.

Costlier vegetables drove food inflation up to 10.0% in November from a year earlier, the fastest pace since September 2018, due to supply constraints caused by a typhoon. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, the core CPI rose 6.5%, faster than October's 5.9%. Year-to-date inflation stood at 5.6%, well outside the central bank's 2%-4% target for the year. ING economist Nicholas Mapa said the central bank would likely opt for a 50-basis point rate hike this month, which would take the policy rate (PHCBIR=ECI) to 5.50%. "Demand side pressures persist with revenge spending related items like restaurant and personal services seeing higher inflation," Mapa said in a message on Twitter.

☆ Philippines’ inflation soars to 14-year high, fueling expectations of more rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Philippines' annual inflation data for November soared 8% year-on-year, marking the country's highest inflation in 14 years as food prices soar, according to data from the Philippines Statistics Authority. Its surge was driven primarily by costlier food prices. Recent typhoons have hammered the production of crops like vegetables, rice and fruits, driving food prices higher. Core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, rose by 6.5%. He said the Philippines will be ramping up food production in a bid to ease price pressures.

CNN —FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s near hour-long speech on the eve of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar has been described as “crass” and an “insult” to migrant workers by human rights groups. In an explosive, and sometimes bizarre, monologue, Infantino – the boss of world soccer’s governing body – accused Western critics of Qatar’s human rights record of hypocrisy,“Today I feel Qatari. Infantino’s speech was an insult to the thousands of hard working women and men who have made the World Cup possible. The report did not connect all 6,500 deaths with World Cup infrastructure projects and has not been independently verified by CNN. All would have been constructed by migrant workers, who – according to Amnesty International – account for 90% of the workforce in a near-three million population.

The economy would likely grow above the government's 6.5%-7.5% growth target for 2022, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan told a media briefing. On a quarterly basis, gross domestic product (GDP) rose 2.9% versus a 0.1% contraction in April-June and an expected 1% rise, the data showed. "While these developments are remarkable, I want to underscore that our nation still faces a considerable burden in the form of high inflation," Balisacan said. Balisacan said the government remained committed to fighting inflation to protect people's purchasing power, including by tightening monetary policy. "In the face of surging prices, that's a big upside surprise," said ING economist Nicholas Mapa.

☆ Pro-DeSantis midterm mailer did more than mock LGBTQ communities
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Nicholas Mitchell | Nicholas Mitchell Is An Assistant Professor Of Curriculum Studies At The University Of Kansas. He Is A Curriculum Theorist Whose Scholarship Focuses On The Intersection Of Education Theory | Policy | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

It and other publications rightly called it out for mocking the LGBTQ community. Republicans are belittling knowledge that they find threatening to the status quo that gives the lives of social conservatives meaning. To play on the words of Ben Shapiro, I call this movement the “feelings over facts” orientation, and it has been positioned as a bulwark against indoctrination by disciplines that focus on race, gender and art. This is the not-so-subtle implication of the mailer supporting DeSantis. For everyone who doesn’t believe gender studies is threatening, the student in the photo the mailer used is just a new nonbinary college graduate.

☆ DeSantis went to battle with Disney, but he didn't mention he got married there
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ron and Casey DeSantis got married at the Walt Disney World Resort in 2009.in 2009. But details of the DeSantis Disney wedding, known to an estimated 150 guests in attendance at the September 26, 2009, nuptials, hasn't previously been reported. Three people confirmed the location to Insider, which learned of the DeSantis wedding location while reporting a story about Casey DeSantis. Octavio Jones/Getty ImagesDeSantis revoked Disney's special carve-outThe Disney wedding venue is the latest news to emerge from the DeSantis-Disney saga. Disney is Florida's largest private employer through its Walt Disney World theme park and resort, and the company has championed gay rights since the 1990s.

[1/2] The Truth social network logo is seen displayed behind a woman holding a smartphone in this picture illustration taken February 21, 2022. The involvement of the previously unnamed financial backers of Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) – parent company of social media app Truth Social – shows how Trump tapped his political supporters to launch an outlet aimed at political conservatives and libertarians after he was banned from Twitter and Facebook following the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on Congress. TMTG launched Truth Social in February in the Apple App Store and in Google’s Play Store in October. Truth Social has been downloaded 2.9 million times across both platforms, according to market tracker Appfigures. Trump had 4.37 million followers on Truth Social as of Oct. 27, compared to the more than 88 million followers he had on Twitter when the platform permanently suspended him.

[1/2] The Truth social network logo is seen displayed behind a woman holding a smartphone in this picture illustration taken February 21, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationOct 28 (Reuters) - Ever since former U.S. President Donald Trump launched a new media company aimed at rivaling Twitter, there has been a mystery over who provided the money. TMTG launched Truth Social in February in the Apple App Store and in Google’s Play Store in October. Truth Social has been downloaded 2.9 million times across both platforms, according to market tracker Appfigures. Trump had 4.37 million followers on Truth Social as of Oct. 27, compared to the more than 88 million followers he had on Twitter when the platform permanently suspended him.

☆ UK mortgage rates are soaring: Here's what you need to know as a first-time buyer
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Uncertainty around the U.K. housing and mortgage market has spread among first-time buyers. Unfortunately, a number of other factors are simultaneously making their lives harder: namely, inflation, interest rates and mortgage market disruption," he told CNBC Make It. However, what they have saved on SDLT [stamp duty] will likely be eaten up on higher mortgage rates pretty quickly," he said. So, what about mortgage rates? This could go up even further, Nicholas Mendes, a technical mortgage manager at mortgage broker and advisor John Charcol, believes.

Egor Igorevici Kriucikov, în vârstă de 27 de ani, este acuzat că a oferit unui angajat al Tesla 1 milion de dolari pentru a plasa programe de ransomware în rețeaua de calculatoare a fabricii de baterii a companiei din Nevada. El voia să să folosească ransomware-ul pentru a fura secretele companiei și pentru a obține bani în schimbul acestora, potrivit procurorilor. În timpul procesului, Kriucikov a spus că guvernul rus era la curent cu operațiunea planificată, dar FBI și avocații nu au vorbit despre posibile legături cu Kremlinul. „Răspunsul rapid al companiei și al FBI a împiedicat o scurgere majoră a datelor companiei și a oprit schema de extorcare”, a precizat într-o declarație asistentul procurorului general interimar, Nicholas McQuaid. El a spus că, împreună cu alte persoane, voia să fure datele companiei și, dacă Tesla ar fi refuzat să plătească răscumpărarea, secretele companiei ar fi fost postate pe internet.

Persons: Egor Igorevici, Tesla, Nevada ., Kriucikov, Nicholas McQuaid Organizations: FBI Locations: Nevada, străinătate, SUA

Putin a explicat că așteaptă „sfârșitul confruntărilor politice interne”. Potrivit acestuia, în așteptarea recunoașterii președintelui SUA „nu există motive ascunse și nimic ce ar fi neobișnuit”. În același timp, întrebat dacă îi este teamă să deterioreze relațiile cu Statele Unite, Putin a răspuns: „ Relațiile deteriorate nu le poți strica, ele deja sunt deteriorate”. Echipa președintelui în funcție, Donald Trump, a depus zeci de procese pentru retrocedări și invalidarea votului prin corespondență. În același timp, mulți politicieni l-au felicitat deja pe Joe Biden cu victoria sa în alegerile prezidențiale din SUA.

Persons: Putin, ., Joe Biden, Donald Trump, francez Emmanuel Macron, Vladimir Zelenski, Nicholas Maduro, Boris Johnson, Benjamin Netanyahu, Angela Merkel Organizations: SUA Locations: Statele Unite, SUA, electori, francez

Online life insurance agencies saw surges of new term life insurance policy applications in early March 2020, and applications don't show signs of slowing down. Similarly, fellow online life insurance agency Fabric Life Insurance has reported 50% more applications than usual since February. Term life insurance, or insurance that covers a person for a predetermined period of time which can range from two to 30 years, is the most common and affordable. Term life policies can cost as little as $20 a month — much more affordable than the alternative whole life policies, which last a lifetime and are usually only recommended in specific cases. After that, your life insurance won't change, no matter where you work, what happens in your life, or what happens in the world.

Persons: —, Mark Sayre, We've, they've, Nicholas Mancuso, We're, haven't, Allison Kade, " Mancuso, It's, coronavirus, it's, you'll, Kade Organizations: Service, Haven Life, Life, Haven

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