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SHANGHAI, CHINA - MARCH 7, 2023 - The Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower, Jinmao Tower and World Financial Center are seen on Lujiazui Street, Shanghai, China, March 7, 2023. Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed after Wall Street saw a tech rally as U.S. consumer price index rose less than expected for April. The consumer price index showed a reading of 4.9%, slightly less than the 5% gain anticipated by economists polled by Dow Jones. Investors in Asia will be closely watching the inflation print from China for April as well later Thursday, forecasted to come in at 0.3%, according to a Reuters poll of economists. Futures tied to Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 19,725, lower than the HSI's last close of 19,762.

Congress is sparring again over raising the debt ceiling, and time is running out to avoid a default. Here's what the debt ceiling is and why it's so dangerous for the US economy. If that sounds familiar, you already know a fair deal about the "debt ceiling." The debt ceiling was introduced in 1917 to encourage the government to slow its borrowing. McCarthy and his GOP colleagues have been adamant that any debt ceiling raise should be tied to their own priorities, particularly in the form of spending cuts.

If Congress fails to act, some legal experts say Democratic President Joe Biden has another option to avert a crisis: Invoke the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to ensure the United States can continue to pay its bills. Section Four of 14th Amendment, adopted after the 1861-1865 Civil War, states that the "validity of the public debt of the United States ... shall not be questioned." HOW WOULD MARKETS REACT IF BIDEN USES THE 14TH AMENDMENT? Administration officials and economists have warned that a default triggered by a debt-ceiling breach would roil the world financial system and plunge the United States into recession. That immediate catastrophe might be avoided if Biden invoked the 14th Amendment.

May 1 (Reuters) - Regulators seized First Republic Bank (FRC.N) and sold its assets to JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) on Monday, in a deal to resolve the largest U.S. bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis and draw a line under a lingering banking turmoil. Shares of JPMorgan rose 2% on Monday, while those of mid-tier banks fell and the KBW Regional Banking Index (.KRX) closed down 2.7%. [1/3] People walk past a First Republic Bank branch in San Francisco, California, U.S. April 28, 2023. "This is not the world financial crisis, this is not the savings and loan crisis. The failed bank's 84 offices in eight states will reopen as branches of JPMorgan Chase Bank from Monday, it added.

Shares of JPMorgan and some of the other the largest U.S. banks rose on Monday, while those of mid-tier banks fell. [1/3] People walk past a First Republic Bank branch in San Francisco, California, U.S. April 28, 2023. "This is not the world financial crisis, this is not the savings and loan crisis. JPMorgan also entered into a loss-share agreement with the FDIC on single family, residential and commercial loans it bought, but will not take First Republic Bank's corporate debt or preferred stock. The failed bank's 84 offices in eight states will reopen as branches of JPMorgan Chase Bank from Monday, it added.

☆ Citi's Fraser warns U.S. debt ceiling debate has serious consequences
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEVERLY HILLS, May 1 (Reuters) - Citigroup chief executive officer Jane Fraser said on Monday that debate about the debt ceiling in the United States had serious consequences even as the investing world breathes a sigh of relief that an ailing bank was rescued by a bigger competitor the same day. The debt ceiling turmoil is "more worrying" than previous events, Fraser said at the Milken Institute Global Conference. Facing uncertainty, Fraser stopped short of saying there is a world financial crisis but she said the stress will be there and will be targeted in certain sectors. She also said that she expected a lot of people to make a lot of money. Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss and Carolina Mandl; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ On Inflation, Wages and Tough-Guy Economics - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Paul Krugman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Some economics textbooks used to define their subject as the “science of scarcity.” Maybe some still do. Still, a fair bit of economics does involve explaining limits and constraints — for example, that you can’t sustain a Denmark-style system of social benefits without something like Denmark-style tax rates. But accepting the need for hard choices can turn into a kind of trap itself. Many economists, even among progressives, use wage growth as an important indicator of “underlying” inflation (although that’s a slippery concept, as I wrote earlier this week). You need, however, to be careful not to suggest — as Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England, did — that greedy workers are the villains behind inflation.

SHANGHAI, CHINA - MARCH 7, 2023 - The Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower, Jinmao Tower and World Financial Center are seen on Lujiazui Street, Shanghai, China, March 7, 2023. Asia-Pacific traded mixed on Monday, as Wall Street looks ahead to another major earnings week, including the likes of Charles Schwab, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley. The quarterly earnings reports would shed light into the overall health of the financial sector in the U.S. following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and how that would shape the U.S. Federal Reserve's tightening cycle. China's gross domestic product report is slated to be released on Tuesday, with economists polled by Reuters expecting to see a 4% rise year-on-year for the first quarter of 2023, higher than the final quarter of last year. That would mark the biggest rise in nearly a year.

☆ 'Manufactured' debt ceiling crisis would damage U.S. economic rebound, key Treasury official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON — A failure by Congress to raise the U.S. debt ceiling could spark a "manufactured" crisis that derails economic progress, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said Friday. Adeyemo, who has been meeting with world financial leaders in Washington this week during the International Monetary Fund's spring meetings, said continued delays in hiking the $31.4 trillion debt limit threaten international confidence in the U.S. economy. "It's critical that Congress lift the debt limit," the top Treasury official told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" on Friday. "The last thing we need is a manufactured crisis in our country." Pushing off a bill to avoid debt default "will take away from that confidence that the world is showing" the U.S. and "would slow down the momentum that we had," Adeyemo said.

☆ Asia's factory activity weakens as global demand falters
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"With global growth set to remain weak in the coming quarters, we expect manufacturing output in Asia to remain under pressure," said Shivaan Tandon, emerging Asia economist at Capital Economics. South Korea's PMI fell to 47.6 in March from 48.5 in February, contracting at the fastest pace in six months as export orders took a hit from weak global demand. Vietnam and Malaysia saw factory activity shrink in March, while that of the Philippines expanded at a slower pace than in February, surveys showed. While indications are that the U.S. Federal Reserve will pause its tightening cycle soon, the outlook remains clouded by the banking-sector troubles, still-high inflation and slowing global growth. "Given much of the drag from higher interest rates is yet to feed through to advanced economies, we expect global growth and demand for Asia's exports to remain weak in the coming quarters," Capital Economics' Tandon said.

☆ Morning Bid: World markets leaving March like a lamb
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike DolanIn like a lion, out like a lamb. Farmers' almanacs suggest a stormy and turbulent start to March means it's likely to end calm and serene - and so it appears with world financial markets this year. The evidence is sketchy so far and the impact on lending and credit generally will be examined forensically from here. That U-turn in thinking during the month saw wild swings in the bond and rates markets, where key volatility gauges (.MOVE) hit their highest since the 2008 crash. (.CESIUSD)Elsewhere, European markets continued to advance on Thursday, with banking stocks (.SX7P) up another 2% and credit default swaps on many banks lower too.

Wall Street posted solid gains on Wednesday as volatility slumped to its lowest since the U.S. banking tremors were first felt three weeks ago. While bond yields inched up, bond market volatility also fell and fixed income markets were pretty calm. The rate-sensitive Nasdaq jumped 1.8% for its best day in two weeks, boosted by positive tech company outlooks. The MSCI World financials index is now up three days in a row and the U.S. regional banking index has risen for four straight days, neither of which have been recorded since January. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

A year from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fracturing geopolitics seems to be rolling back world trade links and financial interdependence at speed. But global financial conditions - and the strength of the U.S. dollar as a proxy for that - may be playing a bigger part than the more dramatic political narrative lets on. "A stronger dollar tends to go hand in hand with tighter global financial conditions and more subdued supply chain activity." Compensating somewhat for dollar exchange rate strength over the decade were historically low real dollar borrowing rates. There's little doubt that the pandemic and the geopolitics surrounding Ukraine and Taiwan have been major potential disruptions to world trade by themselves.

☆ Banks Are Breaking Up With Crypto During Regulatory Crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Rachel Louise Ensign | David Benoit | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Banks are backing away from crypto companies, spooked by a regulatory crackdown that threatens to sever digital currencies from the real-world financial system. Banking regulators are raising concerns about banks’ involvement with crypto clients following last year’s blowup of Sam Bankman-Fried ’s FTX. The Securities and Exchange Commission is aggressively pursuing the industry’s bigger players in a crackdown that threatens to narrow their reach. That move has alarmed bankers who don’t want to do business with customers in the SEC’s crosshairs, people familiar with the matter said.

The exterior of the Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building is seen in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 14, 2022. Asked at a Washington Post event whether he felt U.S. investors had taken an overly optimistic view of Fed policy until a recent sharp sell-off begin, Atlanta Fed president Raphael Bostic said that was beside the point. "Until that happens we're going to see I think a lot of volatility in the marketplace in all directions." "At the moment, inflation remains too high," Collins said in her first policy remarks since becoming head of the bank. The Fed maintains a 2% inflation target, as measured by the personal consumptions expenditures price index.

☆ Fed's Bostic says events in UK could raise economic stress in Europe, U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The reaction to the proposed plan is a real concern and a fear that the new actions will add uncertainty to the economy," Bostic said in a webcast interview with the Washington Post. "These are just proposals, and we haven't actually seen what's going to play out," Bostic said. Bostic, the first Fed official to address the events in Britain, gave no indication the Fed might respond in any way. "The more important thing is that we need to get inflation under control," Bostic said. "Until that happens, we're going to see I think a lot of volatility in the marketplace in all directions."

☆ Watch CNBC’s full interview with Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWatch CNBC’s full interview with Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al BakerQatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker speaks to CNBC’s Hadley Gamble at the IATA World Financial Symposium in Doha about the aviation industry’s recovery post-pandemic and the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine ahead of Qatar’s World Cup.

☆ Watch CNBC’s full interview with IATA Director General Willie Walsh
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWatch CNBC’s full interview with IATA Director General Willie WalshWillie Walsh, IATA director general, speaks to CNBC’s Hadley Gamble at the IATA World Financial Symposium in Doha about fuel prices and their impact on the aviation industry. Walsh tells CNBC inflation is now a “tsunami that's coming at consumers,” paired with higher energy prices, and increased interest rates.

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