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☆ US Thanksgiving weekend sales hit record $38 bln on big discounts - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Deborah Mary Sophia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shoppers crowd a Walmart store ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. November 27, 2019. Online consumer spending jumped 7.8% during Cyber Week, or the five days from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, according to data from Adobe Analytics, outstripping initial expectations for a 5.4% rise. But blockbuster deals rolled out from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday helped spread the holiday cheer for bargain-hunters. Sales on Cyber Monday jumped a better-than-expected 9.6% to a record $12.4 billion, as shoppers clicked "buy" on Hot Wheels toys, PlayStation 5, smart watches and kitchen appliances. Reuters GraphicsAdobe said discounts peaked at 31% for electronics and at 27% for toys on Cyber Monday, which is typically the biggest online shopping day in the U.S.

Persons: Kamil Krzaczynski, Vivek Pandya, trouncing, Klarna, Deborah Sophia, Juby Babu, Pooja Desai Organizations: Walmart, REUTERS, Adobe Analytics, Deloitte, Adobe Digital, Graphics Adobe, Thomson Locations: Chicago , Illinois, U.S, Bengaluru

"These measures could boost (earnings) growth and help asset prices recover in 2024," Liu said. As per the forecasts, the consumer staples and software sectors are set to post earnings growth of 40% and 30%, respectively. The consumer discretionary and industrial sectors are each expected to see roughly 20% growth, while the real estate sector may grow 18%. Such stable or growth-centric government policies would also boost investor confidence in the e-commerce and consumer sectors, Lau added. Maurer, however, points to how cheap Chinese stocks are and that the risks might already be priced in.

Persons: Minyue Liu, Liu, John Lau, Lau, Alec Jin, Jin, Caroline Yu Maurer, Maurer, Patturaja Murugaboopathy, Vidya Ranganathan Organizations: BNP, Management, Asia Pacific, SEI, Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Stock Connect, HSBC Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Asia, China, Shanghai, U.S

A bitcoin is seen in an illustration picture taken at La Maison du Bitcoin in Paris, France, June 23, 2017. Anticipation of easing U.S. borrowing costs and a possible U.S. spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund have lifted crypto prices since the summer, with market bitcoin gaining by about half since the end of August. Ether , the layer 1 token linked to the Ethereum blockchain on which most layer 2 tokens are based, has leapt 13.8% to $2,028.80 in the past month. They are often among the last ones to catch a bid when broader crypto market rises and among the first ones to sell off when sentiment is shaken. Numerous projects and their tokens were launched as the crypto market boomed in 2020, before sinking during the crypto winter of 2022.

Persons: Benoit Tessier, It's, Matteo Greco, Joshua Peck, Peck, Alyse Killeen, Fineqia International's, Lisa Mattackal, Medha Singh, Tom Wilson Organizations: La Maison du, REUTERS, Fineqia, Reuters, Thomson Locations: La, Paris, France, U.S, Stillmark, Bengaluru

Nov 28 (Reuters) - Spending online on Cyber Monday is set to exceed $12 billion, a record, as bargain hunters snap up deals on items including Barbie dolls, Lego sets, headphones and smart watches, according to preliminary estimates from Adobe Digital Insights. The estimate projects U.S. shoppers will spend $12 billion-$12.4 billion on Cyber Monday, the biggest U.S. online shopping day. At the top end, this would represent an 9.7% increase compared to the $11.3 billion spent on Cyber Monday last year. Walmart, eager to capture market share, slashed prices on Sunday night, joining the trend of retailers' early discounts on major shopping days. On Monday, Walmart stepped up discounts on some clothing to 60%, up from the 50% it offered on Black Friday.

Persons: Barbie, Nancy Tengler, Eduardo Munoz, Matthew Katz, Charles Sizemore, Sizemore, Siddharth Cavale, Deborah Sophia, Aishwarya Venogupal, Ananya Mariam Rajesh, David Gregorio, Nick Zieminski, Matthew Lewis, Lincoln Organizations: Adobe Digital, Retailers, Adobe Analytics, Investments, Shoppers, Workers, REUTERS, SSA & Company, Walmart, Sizemore Capital Management, Target, Graphics, Insider Intelligence, Thomson Locations: Scottsdale , Arizona, United States, Robbinsville Township, New Jersey, U.S, New York, Bengaluru

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., October 20, 2023. Multiple Fed policy voting members are scheduled to speak during the day, including Board Governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman. Murphy & Sylvest's Nolte said investors were "digesting very, very strong gains for the month of November," referring to the declines. Declining issues outnumbered advancers for a 1.92-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and for a 1.63-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. Reporting by Shristi Achar A and Amruta Khandekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Paul Nolte, Sylvest, Governors Christopher Waller, Michelle Bowman, Murphy, Sylvest's Nolte, advancers, Shristi Achar, Shinjini Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, billings Boeing, RBC, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, Murphy, Governors, Reuters, Dow Jones, Micron Technology, RBC Capital Markets, PDD Holdings, NYSE, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, billings, Bengaluru

☆ ADNOC German oil deal has bad timing, good logic
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Karen Kwok | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), the state-owned Abu Dhabi oil giant he runs, is considering a bid for BASF-owned (BASFn.DE) Wintershall Dea, at a potential $11 billion valuation. The UAE firm is already in talks to buy chemical company Covestro (1COV.DE), Wintershall’s German compatriot, for $12 billion. Abu Dhabi's oil riches mean the UAE firm has the wherewithal to pay 5.5 billion euros for BASF’s Wintershall stake. Any deal could value Wintershall Dea at more than 10 billion euros ($11 billion), Bloomberg reported. BASF holds a 72.7% stake in Wintershall Dea.

Persons: Toru Hanai, Wintershall, Jaber, It’s, Austria’s, Abu, LetterOne, George Hay, Streisand Neto Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, BASF, The, Shell, Russian, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Abu, National Oil Company, Bloomberg, Wintershall Dea . Investment, Thomson Locations: Gastech, Chiba, Japan, Abu Dhabi, The UAE, Germany, Norway, UAE, Europe, United Kingdom, Abu, Russia, Wintershall Dea

Blended finance see providers of public money - typically government aid departments, development finance institutions or charitable donors - agree to accept more risk in a fund to encourage private sector investors to join. The money raised through blended finance funds is a fraction of what's needed. The new 25-year SDG Loan Fund is structured so that FMO takes the first loss should the loans turn sour. Private investors, which include Allianz and Skandia, will be the last to lose money. But this loan fund structure ensured "everyone's interest is aligned," she said, noting that private investors can start getting their money back when loans begin amortising in a few years.

Persons: Tilman Blasshofer, FMO, That's, Nadia Nikolova, Nikolova, Nic Wessemius, FMO's, Wessemius, Tommy Reggiori Wilkes, Simon Jessop, Mark Potter Organizations: Allianz Global Investors, REUTERS, MacArthur Foundation, LONDON, Private, Allianz, Skandia, FMO, Reuters, concessional, Investment, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Dubai

☆ US Thanksgiving weekend sales hit record on big discounts, online boost
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Deborah Mary Sophia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

More than 200 million shoppers tapped into promotions both in-store and online during the Thanksgiving weekend, the National Retail Federation (NRF) said on Tuesday. That was a jump from the 196 million shoppers seen last year and trumped the trade association's estimates of 182 million. Online shoppers rose 3.1% to 134.2 million, making up for a slight dip in the number of customers who visited brick-and-mortar stores. The weekend saw about 121.4 million in-store shoppers, down from 122.7 million in 2022, according to the retail body. Adobe said discounts peaked at 31% for electronics and at 27% for toys on Cyber Monday, which is typically the biggest online shopping day in the U.S.

Persons: Kamil Krzaczynski, Matthew Shay, Vivek Pandya, trouncing, Klarna, Deborah Sophia, Juby Babu, Pooja Desai Organizations: Walmart, REUTERS, Adobe Analytics, Deloitte, National Retail Federation, Shoppers, Adobe Digital, Adobe, Thomson Locations: Chicago , Illinois, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ EU watchdogs muck up Amazon’s messy iRobot cleanup
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Jonathan Guilford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The concerns speak to ongoing worries over Amazon’s market clout – but if the deal collapses, it’s iRobot shareholders who will suffer more downward suction. The Commission, which is reviewing the deal alongside British and American merger cops, on Monday published its objections. If Amazon is thwarted, investors expect iRobot shares to fall to between $5 and $15. CONTEXT NEWSThe European Commission on Nov. 27 issued a statement of objections regarding Amazon.com’s proposed $1.4 billion acquisition of robot vacuum maker iRobot. iRobot shares fell more than 18% to close at $34.35 on Nov. 27.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, it’s, Carlyle, Amazon.com’s, Peter Thal Larsen, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, iRobot, European Commission, British, EU, Amazon, Investors, Commission, Thomson Locations: Staten Island , New York City, U.S, American, Europe, United States, Seattle, iRobot

☆ Exclusive: European fund giant Amundi dips toe back into Turkey's lira
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A logo of Amundi is seen outside the company headquarters in Paris, France, February 3, 2023. "We have started to cover our underweight in Turkish lira a few weeks ago," Strigo told Reuters, referring to the process of taking a more positive view on the currency. Amundi, while the first major fund to formally declare its shift, is not alone in testing the waters, according to other foreign investors and bankers. "It is probably the easiest way for now," Strigo said about the use of FX forwards to express that balance. With the bank having lifted rates to 40% from 8.5% since June, Amundi thinks another hike next month could finish the job.

Persons: Sarah Meyssonnier, Sergei Strigo, Amundi's, Strigo, Tayyip Erdogan, Amundi, Goldman Sachs, Erdogan, sceptics, Central Bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan, Marc Jones, Karin Strohecker, Jonathan Spicer, Susan Fenton Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Investment, JPMorgan, FX, Graphics, Central Bank Governor, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Turkey, Turkish, New York, London, Istanbul

☆ Morning Bid: Treasuries gobbled up, oil braces for OPEC
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., November 17, 2023. Benchmark Treasury yields fell back more than 10 basis points to 4.37% after a total of $109 billion of 2 and 5-year notes hit the Street on Monday without much disruption. Another weak U.S. housing readout, with sub-forecast new home sales last month, perhaps flattered the post-auction moves. That's likely a mixed blessing for Federal Reserve watchers - the continued buoyancy of consumption but with increasing price discrimination. Fed futures priced about 85bps of rate cuts through next year, starting in June, though many major banks expect even more.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Mike Dolan, That's, Hong, Louis, Christopher Waller, Michelle Bowman, Michael Barr, Austan Goolsbee, Christine Lagarde, Philip Lane, Dave Ramsden, BoE, Jonathan Haskel, Hewlett Packard, Ed Osmond Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Treasuries, Treasury, Adobe Digital, Federal Reserve, Louis Fed, U.S . Treasury, Richmond Fed, Dallas Fed, . Treasury, Chicago Fed, European Central Bank, ECB, Bank of England, Citi Trends, Fluence Energy, Reuters, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Asia, Europe, United States, China, New York, St, Uxin, Canaan, Elbit

☆ Discounts drew crowds but Black Friday week sales gain softest in years -report
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Amina Niasse | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

People shop at the Shops at the Oculus and Westfield Shops during Black Friday shopping in New York City, U.S., November 24, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Nov 28 (Reuters) - U.S. in-store retail sales swelled last week by the most since December courtesy of aggressive discounts, but the year-over-year sales gain for the week covering the traditional Black Friday shopping season kick-off was the smallest in six years. Sales volumes increased for retailers during the Black Friday weekend where cost-aware consumers sought out larger discounts on expensive purchases, according to the report. Buyers are experiencing the cheapest holiday shopping season in years with toys, games, and hobby gear dipping in price for the first time since 2020. Reuters GraphicsDespite the sales gain, the increase is the smallest Black Friday-week gain since 2017's 4.8% year-over-year increase.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Buyers, ”, Steve Sadove, Amina Niasse, Andrea Ricci Organizations: Westfield Shops, REUTERS, Research, Sporting, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mastercard, “, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S

☆ Barclays strategic fix will entrench low valuation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Barclays (BARC.L) is looking for a valuation cure. Cutting into the investment bank and reallocating to the more stable retail operations may look enticing but is hard to do without upending short-term returns. Still, the currently favoured suggestion of cutting less profitable investment bank clients sounds equally tricky, and might only shave at most a tenth off Barclays’ 219 billion pounds of corporate and investment bank risk-weighted assets. At Credit Suisse-inflated UBS (UBSG.S), which trades near book value, investment bank RWAs are 25%. Even getting Barclays’ corporate and investment RWAs back to 50% of the total would involve shrinking them by over a fifth.

Persons: Venkatakrishnan, Aimee Donnellan, Julius Baer’s, Warren Buffett, George Hay, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Barclays, Barclays ’, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, UBS, X, Thomson Locations: reallocating

☆ Slowing China still leads the race for commodities
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Yawen Chen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"When it comes to copper, the thinking usually goes that copper equals property, property equals China," said one commodities trader. "And because China property is down, copper must be down too." That’s why China's copper demand will still rise by 4 million tonnes from the 2020 level to around 18 million tonnes per year in 2030, according to estimates by commodity trading group Trafigura. And China's copper demand has grown by 8% this year, faster than the 5% Xi is targeting for overall GDP growth. China's annual aluminium demand rose by 18 million tonnes from 2010 to 2020 and is forecast to grow by another 13 million tonnes to over 50 million tonnes a year in 2030, per Trafigura.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Communist Party’s, Wood Mackenzie, Francesco Guerrera, Katrina Hamlin, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, HK, Communist, Shanghai Futures Exchange, London Metal Exchange, ING, International Monetary Fund, IMF, World Bank, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Oxford, HSBC, Democratic, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, China, Washington, Moscow, Taiwan, Shanghai, Republic, United States, Australia, Beijing, Chile, Indonesia, Democratic Republic of Congo

The Singapore-based company has not determined the size of the deal or the valuation at IPO. The online fast-fashion retailer, which manufactures most of its merchandise in China, faces criticism that Uyghur forced labor is used to make its low-priced apparel and home goods. Earlier this year, the congresswoman led a bipartisan call for the SEC to halt Shein’s IPO until it verifies that the company does not use forced labor within its supply chain. Shein did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the company has previously told Reuters it has “zero tolerance for forced labor” and has no contract manufacturers in Xinjiang. Shein's IPO is "going to be raising issues (for the SEC) that may later be applied across the board to all China-based or China-related companies that are going public," Penick said.

Persons: Chen Lin, Shein confidentially, Shein, Jennifer Wexton, Megan Penick, Robinson, Penick, Republican Sen, Marco Rubio, ”, Rubio, Chris Smith, Smith, ByteDance's TikTok, Group's, Katherine Masters, Arriana, Michael Martina, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Bloomberg, Beijing, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Capitol Hill, Republican, Congressional, Commission, Oritain, U.S, Thomson Locations: Singapore, China, New York, U.S, Beijing, Washington, China's Xinjiang, Xinjiang, India

Spending online on Cyber Monday is set to reach as much as $12.4 billion, according to Adobe Digital Insights, which tracks data through Adobe's Experience Cloud service for e-commerce platforms. Last-minute shoppers on Monday could spend $4 billion between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. EST alone, it said. Other firms use different measurements to gauge purchases on Cyber Monday, the biggest online shopping day of the year in the United States. Salesforce, which tracks data flowing through its Commerce Cloud e-commerce service, said online sales on Cyber Monday were up by 4% by 4 p.m. EST, hitting $7 billion by late afternoon. Walmart, eager to capture market share, slashed prices on Sunday night, joining the trend of retailers' early discounts on major shopping days.

Persons: Salesforce, Eduardo Munoz, Brian Yacktman, Charles Sizemore, Sizemore, Siddharth Cavale, Deborah Sophia, Aishwarya Venogupal, Ananya Mariam Rajesh, David Gregorio, Nick Zieminski, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Adobe Digital, Adobe, Commerce, Shoppers, Workers, REUTERS, YCG Investments, Nike, Black, Sizemore Capital Management, Walmart, Amazon, Graphics, Insider Intelligence, Thomson Locations: United States, Robbinsville Township, New Jersey, U.S, New York, Bengaluru

☆ Wall St ends lower amid Cyber Monday madness
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Stephen Culp | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Remarks from Federal Reserve policymakers later in the week will also be parsed for clues regarding the duration of the central bank's restrictive policy. Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., October 27, 2023. Amid the Cyber Monday fervor, Affirm Holdings (AFRM.O) surged 12.0%, as the payment platform's "buy now, pay later" option was seen hitting an all-time high, boosting the online holiday sales. Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by a 1.25-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.63-to-1 ratio favored decliners. The S&P 500 posted 38 new 52-week highs and no new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 84 new highs and 79 new lows.

Persons: Elliott, Tom Hainlin, Greg Bassuk, Brendan McDermid, they’ve, Hainlin, Shopify, Stephen Culp, Shristi Achar, Shinjini Ganguli, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Dow, Nasdaq, U.S, Bank Wealth Management, Adobe Analytics, AXS Investments, Federal Reserve, Financial, Commerce, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Dow Jones, Elliott Investment Management, GE HealthCare, NYSE, Thomson Locations: Minneapolis, New York, New York City, U.S, Bengaluru

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

[1/4] A trader works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., October 27, 2023. In precious metals, gold hit a six-month high with a boost from the softer dollar and expectations for a pause in Fed tightening. There's a growing sense the economy is slowing, that price growth will likely continue to fall, that profit growth will likely fall," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Cresset Capital, in Chicago. The U.S. dollar index slid against most major currencies on Monday and was on track for a monthly decline of more than 3%, which would be its biggest monthly drop in a year. The dollar index was down 0.203%, with the euro up 0.11% to $1.0951.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Brent, Jack Ablin, Ablin, Christine Lagarde, Jim Barnes, Sterling, Sinéad Carew, Chuck Mikolazczak, Harry Robertson, Wayne Cole, Stephen Coates, Ed Osmond, Chizu Nomiyama, Christina Fincher Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Treasury, U.S, Federal Reserve, Cresset, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, European Central Bank, Central, Reuters Graphics Oil, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Europe, OPEC, Chicago, Bryn Mawr, Berwyn , Pennsylvania, Israel, New York, London, Sydney

☆ Wall St pauses amid Cyber Monday madness; data, Fed speakers on tap
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Stephen Culp | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., October 27, 2023. The tech-heavy Nasdaq was slightly higher, the Dow was edging red and the S&P 500 was essentially unchanged, but leaning lower. The S&P 500 Retail index (.SPXRT) was up 0.9%. Later in the week, market participants look to the Commerce Department's second take on third-quarter GDP expected on Wednesday, to be followed on Friday with its broad-ranging Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) report. The S&P 500 posted 34 new 52-week highs and no new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 78 new highs and 64 new lows.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Elliott, Dow, Greg Bassuk, Bassuk, Shopify, Stephen Culp, Shristi Achar, Shinjini Ganguli, Matthew Lewis Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Dow, Nasdaq, Adobe Analytics, AXS Investments, Federal Reserve, Financial, Commerce, Dow Jones, Walmart, Elliott Investment Management, GE HealthCare, NYSE, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, New York, Bengaluru

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., October 27, 2023. The rebound in equities in November has brought the S&P 500 (.SPX) close to its highest intra-day level this year. "We are headed for a mixed session today...maybe something like profit taking at the beginning and then just a leveling off."U.S. The S&P 500 retail sector (.SPXRT), housing Amazon, rose 0.5%. The S&P index recorded 7 new 52-week highs and no new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 34 new highs and 18 new lows.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Elliott, Peter Cardillo, Jerome Powell, advancers, Shristi Achar, Saumyadeb Chakrabarty Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Dow, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, Spartan Capital Securities, Walmart, Reuters, Fed, Dow Jones, Crown, Elliott Investment Management, GE HealthCare, UBS, NYSE, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Deal-hunters fuel $12 billion Cyber Monday shopping spree
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz Acquire Licensing RightsNov 27 (Reuters) - After a busy holiday shopping weekend, discount seekers are expected to spend between a record $12 billion and $12.4 billion on beauty products, electronics, toys and apparel on Cyber Monday, according to Adobe Analytics. Heavy online traffic and transactions could add up to a boost in sales by U.S. shoppers of 5.4% or more, according to Adobe. Shoppers spent $10.3 billion in the weekend leading up to Cyber Monday, up 7.7% from last year as retailers offered more discounts compared to last year. More merchandise was being discounted in the weekend leading up to Cyber Monday, according to a report from LSEG. Walmart (WMT.N) , eager to capture market share, slashed prices on Sunday night, joining the trend of retailers' early discounts on major shopping days.

Persons: Eduardo Munoz, Vivek Pandya, Pandya, TJ Maxx, Jharonne Martis, LSEG, Rob Garf, Garf, Vanessa O'Connell, Deborah Sophia, Arriana, David Gregorio, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Workers, REUTERS, Adobe Analytics, U.S, Adobe, Shoppers, Adobe Digital, Walmart, Reuters, Costco, Commerce, Insider Intelligence, Thomson Locations: Robbinsville Township, New Jersey, U.S, Salesforce, Ross

☆ New ECB rating agency Scope puts greater weight on euro zone protection mechanisms
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

While the euro zone has pledged to do "whatever it takes" and jointly issued debt for the first time during the pandemic, its debt load remains eye-watering. Scope assigns Italy a "stable" outlook, but "risks remain", Shen said, "given the weak growth and fiscal outlook". Reuters GraphicsNEXT CRISISThe ECB uses the best rating available from its approved agencies to determine a bond's collateral value when commercial banks borrow from it. Last week's Dutch election win by the far-right Geert Wilders could also have rating implications, Shen said. "Governance risks are a challenge in the longer run for one of the world’s remaining AAA-rated sovereigns...But the rating is not imminently at risk."

Persons: Yorgos, Moody's, Dennis Shen, Fitch, DBRS Morningstar, Shen, DBRS, bode, Geert Wilders, Marc Jones, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Companies, AAA, European Central Bank, Reuters, Reuters Graphics NEXT, ECB, Thomson Locations: Athens, Italy, France, Berlin, U.S, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Rome, Canada, Dutch

☆ Morning Bid: Stocks stall after VIX hits pre-COVID low
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., November 17, 2023. As U.S. markets return in earnest from the long Thanksgiving weekend, Friday's shortened session threw up a remarkable milestone. Ten-year Treasury yields hovered just under 4.50% first thing, about 10 basis points up from Wednesday's intraday low. Deutsche Bank on Monday said it expected a whopping 175bp of Fed rate cuts in 2024 as a mild recession there hits - leaving the policy rate at just 3.63% at yearend. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Mike Dolan, Wall, Friday's, Jerome Powell, MSCI's, Christine Lagarde, Bernadette Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Mike Dolan Global, Treasury, Federal Reserve, Fed, Deutsche Bank, Property, Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, Chaoyang Public Security, Health, Beijing, Exchange, Reuters, Beijing Stock Exchange, Dallas Fed, . Treasury, Central Bank, Sciences, Share, Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, China, yearend, Asia, European, Gaza, Beijing

In Hungary, central bank governor Gyorgy Matolcsy is under pressure from Viktor Orban's government to cut rates further ahead of local and European Parliament elections next year. Reuters GraphicsTANGIBLE BENEFITSA 2021 World Bank survey found that political meddling in central bank policy led to sustained periods of high inflation in emerging market economies such as Turkey and Argentina. "Attempts to bring the president of the NBP before the State Tribunal can be directly interpreted as an attack on the independence of the central bank," the spokesman said. How those premia evolve will depend partly on how politics in Poland and Hungary is perceived by investors to influence the central banks in the months to come. "Everything else being equal, the less independent the central bank, the more real yield you need to have to be compensated for the risk," said Arif Joshi at Lazard Asset Management.

Persons: Adam Glapinski, Gyorgy Matolcsy, Viktor Orban's, Donald Tusk's, Karen Vartapetov, Paul Gamble, Glapinski's, Glapinski, Marta Kightley, Orban, Peter Virovacz, Arif Joshi, Karol Badohal, Gergely, Mark John, Toby Chopra Organizations: WARSAW, Law and Justice, U.S . Federal Reserve, EU, Sovereign, Investor, Emerging, Fitch, Local, ING, Lazard Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Hungarian, Poland, Hungary, BUDAPEST, Europe, Turkey, Argentina, WARSAW

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