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Oil rigs are seen at Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas drilling, in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina January 21, 2019. "The worst week for crude since March is starting to attract buyers given the oil market will still remain tight over the short-term," Moya said. "We think that once markets start paying attention to falling global oil stockpiles, Brent oil futures will likely creep back up above $US90/bbl," the Commonwealth Bank of Australia said in a note on Friday. U.S. government data this week showed a sharp decline in U.S. gasoline demand, with economic data showing the U.S. services sector had slowed. "The non-farm payroll data tonight, the US CPI, and China's economic data next week will be key to steering oil's movements.

Persons: Agustin Marcarian, Brent, Bond, Edward Moya, Moya, Tina Teng, Sudarshan Varadhan, Sonali Paul, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, West Texas, JPMorgan, National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, CPI, CMC Markets, Thomson Locations: Vaca, Patagonian, Neuquen, Argentina, Rights SINGAPORE, U.S, United States

SINGAPORE, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Oil prices inched up on Thursday, clawing back some of the previous session's big losses after an OPEC+ panel maintained oil output cuts to keep supply tight, though an uncertain demand outlook capped gains. Brent crude oil futures were 63 cents higher at $86.44 a barrel at 0335 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) rose 49 cents to $84.71. The latest data also showed a sharp decline in U.S. gasoline demand. Finished motor gasoline supplied, a proxy for demand, fell last week to about 8 million bpd, its lowest since the start of this year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported on Wednesday. Oil prices will struggle to push higher given the more uncertain demand outlook, along with weaker U.S. economic data released on Wednesday and a significant build in gasoline inventories, he added.

Persons: clawing, Jun Rong, Katya Golubkova, Sonali Paul, Jamie Freed Organizations: Brent, U.S, West Texas, of, Petroleum, National Australia Bank, U.S . Energy Information Administration, IG, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, OPEC, Russia, Saudi Arabia, U.S, Tokyo, Singapore

☆ Oil prices tick up after OPEC+ panel maintains output cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Equinor ASA offshore oil drilling platform on Johan Sverdrup oil field in the North Sea off the coast of Norway, on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. Oil prices inched up in early trade on Thursday, clawing back some of the previous session's big losses after an OPEC+ panel maintained oil output cuts to keep supply tight amid concern about a looming slump in global economic growth. Brent crude oil futures were up 11 cents to $85.92 a barrel while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 7 cents to $84.29 at 0040 GMT. Oil prices settled down more than $5 on Wednesday as a bleaker macroeconomic outlook and fuel demand destruction came into focus, following a meeting of an OPEC+ panel, grouping the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies led by Russia. "We continue to see the market in deficit through the fourth quarter and the softer prices reduce the probability OPEC will ease supply constraints," National Australia Bank analysts said in a note.

Persons: Johan Sverdrup, clawing, Brent, JPMorgan Organizations: ASA, West Texas, of, Petroleum, National Australia Bank Locations: North, Norway, OPEC, Russia, Saudi Arabia, U.S

☆ Yen cowers near 150 as intervention chatter runs rife
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Japanese yen and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen with a currency exchange rate graph in this illustration picture taken June 16, 2022. Japanese authorities last year intervened to prop up the yen for the first time since 1998. Other currencies similarly fell against the yen in the previous session, with the euro losing more than 1.5% to a low of 154.39 yen. Sterling edged 0.03% lower to $1.20745, languishing near the previous session's close to seven-month low of $1.20535. Meanwhile, Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said she is open to raising interest rates again.

Persons: Florence Lo, James Malcolm, Masato Kanda, Janet Yellen, Rodrigo Catril, Raphael Bostic, Loretta Mester, Rae Wee, Sam Holmes Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Rights, UBS, Tokyo, Treasury, Sterling, National Australia Bank, Atlanta Fed, Cleveland Fed, New Zealand, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Thomson Locations: Rights SINGAPORE, Asia, Washington, Japan

☆ Yen cowers near 150 as Japanese intervention chatter runs rife
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Japanese yen and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen with a currency exchange rate graph in this illustration picture taken June 16, 2022. Japanese authorities last year intervened to prop up the yen for the first time since 1998. Other currencies similarly fell against the yen in the previous session, with the euro losing more than 1.5% to a low of 154.39 yen. The Aussie stood at 94.03 yen , after having fallen to an over one-month low of 93.16 yen on Tuesday. Sterling edged 0.02% lower to $1.2076, languishing near the previous session's close to seven-month low of $1.20535.

Persons: Florence Lo, James Malcolm, Shunichi Suzuki, Masato Kanda, Janet Yellen, Rodrigo Catril, Raphael Bostic, Loretta Mester, Rae Wee, Sam Holmes, Stephen Coates Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Rights, UBS, Japanese Finance, Tokyo, Treasury, New Zealand, Sterling, National Australia Bank, Atlanta Fed, Cleveland Fed, Thomson Locations: Rights SINGAPORE, Asia, Washington, Japan

An Aramco employee walks near an oil tank at Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery and oil terminal in Saudi Arabia May 21, 2018. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Saudi Arabian Oil Co FollowSept 29 (Reuters) - Oil prices were set for a weekly gain of around 2% after regaining ground on Friday as strong holiday demand from China and persistently tight U.S. fundamentals outweighed expectations of possible supply increases from Saudi Arabia. The market eased about 1% in the previous session, as traders took profits after prices soared to 10-month highs, and some worried that high interest rates may weigh on oil demand. Improving macroeconomic data from China, the world's largest oil importer, coupled with strong fuel demand as the country as it embarked on its week-long Golden Week holiday on Friday, supported prices. "(An) increase in international travel during the Golden Week holiday is boosting Chinese oil demand," ANZ analysts said in a client note.

Persons: Ahmed Jadallah, Brent, Katya Golubkova, Jamie Freed, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Rights Companies Saudi Arabian Oil, Brent, . West Texas, ANZ, Golden, Traders, Organization of, Petroleum, ING Bank, Aramco, National Australia Bank, Thomson Locations: Aramco, Saudi, Saudi Arabia, China, U.S, Cushing , Oklahoma, OPEC

☆ Yen intervention a hard sell even as 150 to the dollar 'red line' beckons
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Kevin Buckland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But, Japanese authorities could find propping up their currency both difficult to achieve and hard to justify. To make even a ripple in the $5 trillion currency market, the BOJ would need to draw down massive amounts of dollar reserves. Wakabayashi, like many other analysts and investors, considers the 150 yen per dollar level a red line for currency intervention, not least because of its significance as a symbol of climbing costs of living from imported food and fuel. INTERVENTION IMMINENTThe yen careened to a 32-year trough at 151.94 last October before being reined in by several bouts of heavy intervention, the first by Japanese authorities in a generation. Measures of expected market volatility remain subdued.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Bank of Japan's hesitancy, Kazuo Ueda, You've, they're, Bart Wakabayashi, Fumio Kishida, Shunichi Suzuki, Masayuki Kichikawa, Ray Attrill, Janet Yellen, Aninda Mitra, Mitra, Kevin Buckland, Alun John, Vidya Ranganathan, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: National Printing Bureau, Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Japan's, U.S . Federal Reserve, U.S, Treasury, Fed, State Street Bank, Trust, Finance, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management, Ministry of Finance, National Australia Bank, BNY Mellon Investment Management, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S, Washington, Asia, London

An Aramco employee walks near an oil tank at Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery and oil terminal in Saudi Arabia May 21, 2018. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 29 (Reuters) - Oil prices settled 1% lower on Friday due to macroeconomic concerns and profit taking, but rose about 30% in the quarter as OPEC+ production cuts squeezed global crude supply. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) settled down 92 cents to $90.97, up 1% in the week and 29% in the quarter. While the total rig count fell by 51 in the third quarter, the cuts have slowed compared with a reduction of 81 in the second quarter as oil prices have rebounded due to tightening supplies. The supply cuts announced by Saudi Arabia and Russia are expected to dominate oil prices for the remainder of this year.

Persons: Ahmed Jadallah, Brent, WTI, John Kilduff, Lael Brainard, Baker Hughes, Suvro Sarkar, Robert Harvey, Katya Golubkova, Sonali Paul, Mark Potter, Paul Simao, Jan Harvey, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, . West Texas, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Energy Information Administration, Investors, White, Evergrande, HK, Reuters, Aramco, National Australia Bank, DBS Bank, Thomson Locations: Aramco, Saudi, Saudi Arabia, New York, U.S, Brent, OPEC, Russia

☆ Oil prices fall as Russia, Saudi Arabia expected to boost supply
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oil prices fell in early trade on Friday after a recent rally, as profit-taking and expectations of supply increases by Russia and Saudi Arabia outweighed forecasts of positive demand from China during its Golden Week holiday. Oil prices had eased about 1% on Thursday, as traders took profits after prices soared to 10-month highs, and some worried that high interest rates may weigh on oil demand. "Oil prices recent rally paused overnight," National Australia Bank said in a note. Russia has not discussed a possible crude oil supply increase to compensate for Moscow's fuel exports ban with OPEC+, the Kremlin has said. "(An) increase in international travel during the Golden Week holiday is boosting Chinese oil demand," ANZ Research said in a note.

Persons: Brent Organizations: Brent, . West Texas, National Australia Bank, Aramco, Organization of, Petroleum, Russian, JPMorgan, Kremlin, ANZ Research Locations: New Mexico, U.S, Russia, Saudi Arabia, China, OPEC, Turkey, Brazil, Morocco, Tunisia

Pump jacks operate at sunset in an oil field in Midland, Texas U.S. August 22, 2018. REUTERS/Nick Oxford/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO/BEIJING, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Tuesday amid concerns that fuel demand will be crimped by major central banks holding interest rates higher for longer, even with supply expected to be tight. Higher interest rates slow economic growth, which curbs oil demand. With China's Golden Week holiday starting from Sunday, oil prices could gain support from a pick-up in travel and resulting oil product demand from the world's second biggest oil consumer. Oil prices have risen by around 30% since mid-year driven mostly by tighter supply, wiping off 0.5 percentage points from the global GDP growth in the second half of this year, according to JP Morgan.

Persons: Nick Oxford, Tina Teng, Moody's, Fitch, CMC's Teng, JP Morgan, Baden Moore, Katya Golubkova, Andrew Hayley, Sonali Paul Organizations: Midland , Texas U.S, REUTERS, Rights, Brent, U.S, West Texas, CMC Markets, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, bbl, National Australia Bank, Thomson Locations: Midland , Texas, Rights TOKYO, BEIJING, Auckland, U.S, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Moscow, Tokyo, Beijing

☆ Asia stocks find footing, yen slides as BOJ holds the line
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A man is reflected on an electric stock quotation board outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan April 18, 2023. The BOJ, as expected, maintained super-low interest rates, left its yield control policy unchanged, signalling it was in no rush to phase out its massive monetary stimulus. A surge in oil prices has also been unnerving investors, since it is likely to prolong the inflation pulse. Brent crude futures steadied at $93.51 a barrel on Friday and are up nearly 8% for September so far. Elsewhere in foreign exchange markets the expectation of sticky U.S. interest rates has supported the dollar, which reached a six-month peak on the euro overnight at $1.0671 .

Persons: Issei Kato, Kazuo Ueda, Ray Attrill, Andrew Bailey, Craig Ebert, Tom Westbrook, Edmund Klamann, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Japan, FX, National Australia Bank, Japan's Nikkei, Seng, Federal Reserve, Bank of, Swiss National Bank, Brent, JPMorgan, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Rights SINGAPORE, Singapore, Asia, Pacific, Hong Kong, China, Bank of England, Central, Sweden, Norway, BNZ, Wellington

☆ Australia fines lender NAB $1.4 mln for wrongfully charging fees
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The National Australia Bank Logo is seen on a branch in central Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies National Australia Bank Ltd FollowSept 22 (Reuters) - The Australian Federal Court has fined the country's second-biggest lender National Australia Bank (NAB) <NAB.AX> a penalty of A$2.1 million ($1.4 million) for wrongfully charging customers periodic payment fees, the securities regulator said on Friday. Between January 2017 and July 2018, National Australia Bank continued to charge its customers periodic payment fees for transferring money despite knowing it had no contractual entitlement to do so, the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) said. The bank wrongfully charged 2,888 personal banking customers and 513 business clients payment fees totalling A$139,845 on 74,593 occasions, the regulator added. Shares of NAB were trading 0.7% lower as of 0221 GMT after declining as much as 1.3% earlier in the day.

Persons: Daniel Munoz, Sarah Court, Sameer Manekar, Ayushman, Janane Venkatraman, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: National, REUTERS, National Australia Bank, Australian Federal Court, Australia Bank, Australian Securities & Investments Commission, NAB, Reuters, Royal Commission, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Australia fines lender NAB $1.4 million for wrongfully charging fees
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The National Australia Bank Logo is seen on a branch in central Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies National Australia Bank Ltd FollowSept 22 (Reuters) - The Australian Federal Court has fined the country's second-biggest lender National Australia Bank (NAB) <NAB.AX> a penalty of A$2.1 million ($1.4 million) for wrongfully charging customers periodic payment fees, the securities regulator said on Friday. Between January 2017 and July 2018, National Australia Bank continued to charge its customers periodic payment fees for transferring money despite knowing it had no contractual entitlement to do so, the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) said. The bank wrongfully charged 2,888 personal banking customers and 513 business clients payment fees totalling A$139,845 on 74,593 occasions, the regulator added. NAB in an email to Reuters acknowledged "some customers were incorrectly charged for periodical payment fees several years ago," adding that it had completed a remediation program and repaid more than A$8.3 million to affected customers.

☆ Yen worries increase as dollar strengthens after Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Japanese 10,000 yen and U.S. 100 dollar banknotes are arranged for a photograph in Tokyo, Japan, on Sept. 7, 2017. The dollar hit fresh peaks on Thursday, sitting around its highest against the yen since November after a hawkish pause by the U.S. Federal Reserve. The Fed met market expectations at its monetary policy meeting on Wednesday, holding interest rates steady at the 5.25% to 5.50% range. The index climbed for its ninth straight week last week, its longest winning streak in nearly a decade as resilient U.S. growth fueled a rebound in the dollar. The Japanese yen was feeling the heat after the Fed meeting, hovering around 148.39 per dollar and just off a fresh low of 148.47, its weakest since November.

Persons: Sterling, Ueda, Carol Kong, BOE Organizations: U.S . Federal Reserve, Bank of England, Fed, U.S, Bank of Japan, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Bank of, CPI, National Australia Bank Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S

☆ Euro gains, yen struggles in central bank-packed week
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A Reuters report on Monday citing six sources said the debate over the multi-trillion-euro pool of excess liquidity sloshing around banks was likely to start next month. However, this might not be enough to give the euro a more sustained boost, according to Lee Hardman, a strategist at MUFG. "While the ECB’s reported plans to tighten excess liquidity in the euro area have helped to support the euro, they are unlikely to be sufficient on their own to turn the current weakening trend," he said. This week brings a raft of central bank meetings, including those of the Federal Reserve, the Bank of Japan, the Bank of England and the Swiss National Bank, among others, which kept currency volatility on the subdued side. In other currencies, sterling edged up 0.1% at $1.2398, ahead of an interest rate decision from the BoE on Thursday.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Lee Hardman, Kazuo Ueda, Rodrigo Catril, Erik Weisman, BoE, Rae Wee, Lincoln, Peter Graff, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, European Central Bank, Reuters, ECB, Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, Bank of England, Swiss National Bank, National Australia Bank, NAB, U.S, Fed, MFS Investment Management, Thomson Locations: U.S

☆ Yen flounders, dollar drifts ahead of c.bank bonanza
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. Dollar and Euro banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. The yen fell 0.1% to 147.76 per dollar and was kept pinned near last week's 10-month low of 147.95 per dollar. The euro meanwhile gave up some of its gains from the previous session and was last 0.12% lower at $1.0678. It had risen alongside euro zone government bond yields on Monday, following hawkish comments from European Central Bank (ECB) policymakers that further rate increases were on the cards. In other currencies, sterling edged 0.04% higher to $1.2390, ahead of an interest rate decision from the Bank of England (BoE) also due this week.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Kazuo Ueda, Rodrigo Catril, Erik Weisman, NAB's Catril, BoE, Rae Wee, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Federal, Wednesday, Bank of Japan's, National Australia Bank, NAB, Reserve Bank of Australia's, U.S, New Zealand, Fed, MFS Investment Management, European Central Bank, ECB, Reuters, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Rights SINGAPORE, Asia

☆ Euro gains; yen flounders ahead of c.bank bonanza
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In this photo illustration, banknotes of Euro, Japanese Yen, Chinese Yuan and US dollar bill are placed under one-ounce silver bullion coins arranged on February 20, 2021 in Katwijk, Netherlands. The euro clung to gains on Tuesday following hawkish comments from European Central Bank, or ECB, policymakers, while the yen languished near a 10-month low ahead of a key rate decision from the Bank of Japan, or BOJ, later in the week. In Asia, the yen slipped marginally to 147.64 per dollar and was kept pinned near last week's 10-month low of 147.95 per dollar. Elsewhere, the U.S. dollar edged broadly lower, though strayed not too far from a six-month peak hit against its major peers last week ahead of the Fed's interest rate decision on Wednesday. Sterling edged 0.04% higher to $1.2390, ahead of an interest rate decision from the Bank of England, or BoE, also due this week.

Persons: Yuan, Rodrigo Catril, Kazuo Ueda, Erik Weisman, BoE Organizations: European Central Bank, Bank of Japan, Federal Reserve, ECB, National Australia Bank, Reuters, U.S, New Zealand, Fed, MFS Investment Management, Bank of England Locations: Katwijk , Netherlands, Asia

The National Australia Bank Logo is seen on a branch in central Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 14 (Reuters) - National Australia Bank (NAB) (NAB.AX) said on Thursday it would shut its Hong Kong branch, as offices in Singapore, Tokyo and Shanghai were its preferred customer outreach hubs in Asia. The move is likely to impact about 50 roles in the Hong Kong, however, the lender said in a statement that its "too early" to confirm the impact of the branch closing. "The decision probably reflects that foreign businesses are not finding operating conditions in Hong Kong as conducive as they once were," said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade. The office shutdown comes after Finance Sector Union said earlier this month that the bank was planning to cut 222 back-office jobs.

Persons: Daniel Munoz, Tim Waterer, NAB's, Navya Mittal, Subhranshu Sahu, Rashmi Organizations: National, REUTERS, National Australia Bank, NAB, KCM, Westpac, Finance Sector Union, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai, Asia, Bengaluru

☆ Asian shares slip, oil hold gains ahead of US inflation test
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Both S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures were mostly unchanged. In Asia, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) slipped 0.3% while Tokyo's Nikkei (.N225) eased 0.1%. While core CPI is seen cooling to 4.3% year-on-year in August from 4.7%, rising energy costs are forecast to keep headline inflation elevated at 3.6%. And the latest spike in oil prices to ten-month highs is unlikely to escape the Fed's attention. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 fell 0.6% overnight, the Nasdaq declined 1% while Dow Jones was mostly flat.

Persons: Androniki, Ray Attrill, Dow Jones, Steve Englander, Stella Qiu, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Nikkei, REUTERS, Apple, Oracle, Thursday SYDNEY, European Central Bank, Reuters, ECB, Nasdaq, Tokyo's Nikkei, Consumer, Index, Federal, Fed, National Australia Bank, Brent, U.S, West Texas, Standard Chartered, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Europe, Asia, Pacific

☆ Markets await U.S. inflation test, surging oil add to price jitters
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) was flat while Tokyo's Nikkei (.N225) eased 0.2%. Australia's resource-heavy shares (.AXJO) lost 0.7%, Chinese blue-chips (.CSI300) were flat but Hong Kong's Hang Seng index (.HSI) moved 0.6% higher. While core CPI is seen cooling to 4.3% year-on-year in August from 4.7%, rising energy costs are forecast to keep headline inflation hot. And the latest spike in oil prices to ten-month highs is unlikely to escape the Fed's attention. Oil prices extended gains on Wednesday.

Persons: Androniki, HSI, Ray Attrill, Dow Jones, Stella Qiu, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Nikkei, REUTERS, Apple, Oracle, Thursday SYDNEY, Reuters, European Central Bank, Consumer, Index, Federal, Fed, National Australia Bank, Brent, . West Texas, Nasdaq, ECB, U.S, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Asia, Pacific

A general view of Chevron's Wheatstone LNG facility in Pilbara coast, Western Australia, as seen in this undated handout image obtained by Reuters on September 8, 2023. If there is still no deal by then, the unions will completely stop work for two weeks. Australia was the world's largest LNG exporter last year, shipping out 80.9 million metric tons of the fuel in 2022 versus 79 million tons in 2021, according to the International Gas Union. A prolonged strike could disrupt exports and raise prices of LNG, which is used for electricity generation. The same union alliance also secured agreements last year with Shell (SHEL.L) and Inpex (1605.T) at their LNG facilities in Western Australia.

Persons: Chevron, Wheatstone, Baden Moore, NAB's Moore, Emily Chow, Lewis Jackson, Florence Tan, Tony Munroe, Miral Organizations: Reuters, Chevron, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, NEXT, Unions, International Gas Union, National Australia Bank, NAB, Woodside Energy Group, WHAT'S, Woodside, North West Shelf, Shell, Thomson Locations: Wheatstone, Western Australia, Rights SINGAPORE, SYDNEY, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Asia, Europe, Ukraine, Inpex, Woodside

☆ Buoyant dollar on course for its longest weekly winning streak since 2014
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar was headed for its longest weekly winning streak in nine years on Friday, bolstered by a resilient run of U.S. economic data that has also put the end of the Federal Reserve's rate-hike cycle into question. The U.S. dollar index , which measures the greenback against its major peers, steadied at 105.02 in early trade, not far from the previous session's six-month high of 105.15. Sterling similarly languished near Thursday's three-month low and last bought $1.2484, set to clock a weekly loss of more than 0.8%. It is on track for a weekly loss of nearly 1% against the dollar, its worst week in about a month. The Australian dollar , often used as a liquid proxy for the yuan, was last 0.07% higher at $0.6381, but eyed a weekly loss of more than 1%.

Persons: Ray Attrill, Sterling, Alvin Tan Organizations: U.S, National Australia Bank . Data, Asia FX, RBC Capital Markets, New Zealand, of Japan's Locations: Asia, U.S, Germany, Europe's, Europe, Thursday's, United States

☆ Aussie lender NAB to cut 222 back-office jobs, says trade union
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Poonam Behura | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The National Australia Bank Logo is seen on a branch in central Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz Acquire Licensing RightsSept 6 (Reuters) - National Australia Bank (NAB.AX) is planning to cut 222 back-office jobs, the Finance Sector Union (FSU) said in an emailed response to Reuters. FSU, a white-collar trade union, said NAB’s restructuring will impact its departments such as Personal Direct Lending, Technology and Operations, Corporate Finance and Client Coverage. "This means certain roles may no longer be required or need to be moved to support other teams." NAB reported a 5% jump in third-quarter cash earnings in August, including a decline in its margins due to higher home lending competition and deposit costs.

Persons: Daniel Munoz, Julia Angrisano, Poonam, Shilpi Majumdar, Devika Organizations: National, REUTERS, National Australia Bank, Finance Sector Union, FSU, Reuters, Technology, Corporate Finance, NAB, Australian, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Westpac Banking Corp, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Bank of America: Asian buybacks just hit a 20-year high — and these stocks are a buying opportunity
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Lucy Handley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Analysts at Bank of America named Asian stocks with high buybacks, which they said are an opportunity for investors. "Data since Jan-90 shows Asia stocks with High Share Buybacks tend to outperform," the analysts wrote in an August 31 research note. "The proportion of Asia stocks buying back shares is at a 20-year high, suggesting increased opportunity for investors," said the analysts led by Nigel Tupper. Other Chinese stocks on BofA's list include semiconductor supplier Daqo New Energy and utilities firm Huaneng Power . Australian stocks on BofA's list included banks Westpac and National Australia Bank .

Persons: Nigel Tupper, BofA, CJ Cheil Organizations: Bank of America, Companies, Smart, New Energy, Huaneng, Catcher Tech, Westpac, National Australia Bank, Woolworths, Keppel Corp, HK Land, Swire Pacific Locations: Asia, China, Huaneng Power, South Korea, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, U.S

☆ Dollar steady as traders bet Fed done with rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Data on Friday showed U.S. job growth picked up in August, but the unemployment rate jumped to 3.8%, while wage gains moderated. Markets are pricing in a 93% chance of the Fed holding steady on rates this month, and over 60% probability of no more hikes this year, CME FedWatch tool showed. The Japanese yen strengthened 0.03% to 146.18 per dollar, after dropping 0.5% on Friday following the labor data. Canada's central bank is due to meet this week and is expected to hold rates. The Canadian dollar was flat at 1.36 per dollar.

Persons: Ray Attrill, bitcoin Organizations: Federal Reserve, National Australia Bank ., Citi, Ministry of Finance, Reserve Bank of Australia, Canadian Locations: U.S, Japan, Canada's

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