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It fell 0.3% in the week, breaking a three week streak of gains. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) futures rose 40 cents, or 0.5%, to $90.03 a barrel, as U.S. oil rig counts fell. U.S. Federal Reserve officials warned of further rate hikes, even after voting to hold the benchmark federal funds rate steady at a meeting this week. U.S. oil rig counts, an indicator of future production, also fell by eight to 507 this week, their lowest since February 2022, energy services firm Baker Hughes said. Offline refinery capacity was expected to reach 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) this week according to IIR Energy versus 800,000 bpd offline last week.

Persons: Nick Oxford, Dennis Kissler, Michelle Bowman, Russia's Transneft, Baker Hughes, Arathy Somasekhar, Nicole Jao, Robert Harvey, Yuka Obayashi, Emily Chow, Marguerita Choy, David Gregorio, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . West Texas, BOK, U.S . Federal, RBC, St . Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange ., IIR Energy, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Thomson Locations: Cushing , Oklahoma, HOUSTON, Brent, U.S, Primorsk, Novorossiysk, St, United States, Houston, New York, Tokyo, Singapore

Crude oil storage tanks are seen from above at the Cushing oil hub, appearing to run out of space to contain a historic supply glut that has hammered prices, in Cushing, Oklahoma, March 24, 2016. In the previous three weeks, they rose more than 10% on concerns about tight supply. Higher interest rates increase borrowing costs, which could slow economic growth and reduce oil demand. Meanwhile, markets worried about Russia's temporary ban on exports of gasoline and diesel to most countries would tighten supplies. Russian wholesale gasoline prices were down nearly 10% and diesel down 7.5% on Friday on the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange.

Persons: Nick Oxford, Brent, Dennis Kissler, Russia's Transneft, Arathy Somasekhar, Nicole Jao, Robert Harvey, Yuka Obayashi, Emily Chow, Jan Harvey, Jason Neely, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, . West Texas, BOK Financial, . Federal, RBC, St . Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange, IIR Energy, Thomson Locations: Cushing , Oklahoma, HOUSTON, U.S, Primorsk, Novorossiysk, St, Houston, New York, Tokyo, Singapore

☆ It was a big week for interest rates. Here’s what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Central bank officials around the world relayed a somewhat unified message this week to the global economy: Inflation is coming down, but the battle is far from won. Most held rates steady, taking a breather from a historic pace of interest rate hikes to stabilize skyrocketing prices. United States: The Federal Reserve in September paused interest rates for the second time after first hitting the brakes in June. The central bank has hiked rates 11 times since last March. While central banks took steps to pause interest rates this week, they kept future hikes on the table.

Persons: ”, Brian Henderson, Nate Thooft, TikTok, Nnete Matima, Catherine Thorbecke, Clare Duffy, TikTok’s, George Floyd, ” Matima, ByteDance, Matima, Anna Bahney, —, Read Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, CNN, Federal Reserve, Fed, BOK Financial, United, Bank of England, Swiss National Bank, Manulife Investment Management, National Association of Realtors, That’s, NAR Locations: United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland, TikTok, Northeast, Midwest, South

[1/2] A South Korea won note is seen in this illustration photo May 31, 2017. South Korean companies repatriated a record $33.13 billion of overseas earnings during the January-July period, 6.3 times the amount a year earlier, central bank data on current account balances showed. "The coming home of earnings retained abroad has been a big help for the won," a government official in charge of foreign exchange market said, asking not to be named due to internal policy. The automaker said on June 12 it plans to invest 7.8 trillion won ($5.82 billion) of retained earnings from overseas operations this year in electric car factories at home. The surge in repatriation also comes ahead of trading reforms planned for next year, when South Korea will extend onshore trading hours until 2 a.m. to improve access for foreign investors.

Persons: Thomas White, Yoon Suk, Hong Sung, kook, Min Gyeong, 1,340.7400, Jihoon Lee, Cynthia Kim, Joyce Lee, Heekyong Yang, Vidya Ranganathan Organizations: South, REUTERS, Rights, Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor, Kia Corp, Reuters Graphics Bank of Korea, Woori Bank, Hyundai, Hyundai Motor Group, Shinhan Bank, Yena, Thomson Locations: South Korea, Rights SEOUL, Korea

Sept 18 (Reuters) - Cadence Bank (CADE.N) CEO Dan Rollins calls the regional banking crisis from earlier this year "March madness." Interviews with half a dozen regional bank executives and economists show the March banking crisis has had a lasting impact on the regional banking industry and the economy. Torsten Slok, chief economist at Apollo Global Management, said the banking crisis had "a magnifying effect" on the Fed's tightening but its full impact would come with a lag. The failure triggered a crisis of confidence, with depositors moving their money from regional banks to the perceived safety of the largest lenders. The KBW Regional Bank Index (.KRX) is down about 20% since early March despite a summer rebound.

Persons: Dan Rollins, Rollins, Mark Zandi, ”, Zandi, Torsten Slok, Slok, Cadence's Rollins, Steve Wyett, Wyett, Banks, Cadence’s Rollins, Randy Chesler, Chesler, Moody's Zandi, Jeff Jackson, Raj Singh, Singh, Paritosh Bansal, Anna Driver Organizations: Cadence Bank, Moody’s, Apollo Global Management, Bank, Reuters Graphics, Valley, Regional, BOK, Federal, Loan, Thomson Locations: . Federal, Silicon, Tulsa , Oklahoma, Kalispell , Montana, Wheeling , West Virginia

Usually when a meeting of the Federal Reserve is on the week’s calendar, economists and market strategists focus on the decision to come. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has all but said policymakers would be on hold for this meeting as they digest recent economic data and consider the effects that 11 interest rate hikes have had on the economy. But the Fed will issue a new set of economic forecasts and projections about where interest rates will be over the remaining months of 2023 and in 2024, along with the unemployment rate. However, the LEI has been flashing a recession signal now for many months. “While the LEI continues to signal recession, incoming data show a resilient economy,” said Sam Bullard, managing director and senior economist at Wells Fargo’s corporate and investment unit.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Powell, ” Steve Wyett, Wyett, LEI, ”, Sam Bullard, ” Bullard Organizations: Federal, BOK Financial, Wells, Congress Locations: U.S

☆ S.Korea c.bank says coordinated efforts needed to deal with household debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of the Bank of Korea is seen in Seoul, South Korea, November 30, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Sept 14 (Reuters) - South Korea's central bank said on Thursday it needs to make coordinated efforts to contain household debt, which is at levels that could undermine economic growth and financial stability. "Unlike in major countries, household debt increased continuously without de-leveraging and has reached a level that hinders macroeconomic and financial stability," the Bank of Korea (BOK) said in its quarterly monetary policy report. South Korea's household borrowing grew for a fifth straight month in August by the biggest amount in two years, driven up by rising mortgage demand, prompting financial authorities to tighten certain loan regulations. The BOK said in the report it was more effective for macro-prudential policy to coordinate with monetary policy than for policy responses to be made in isolation.

Persons: Kim Hong, BOK, Jihoon Lee, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of, REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Korea, prudential, Thomson Locations: Bank of Korea, Seoul, South Korea, Rights SEOUL

☆ Springboks’ ‘Mr Versatility’ is a rare breed in modern rugby
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Nick Said | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Fourie has a rare talent in the modern game, he can play in both the front and back row of the scrum, oftentimes in the same game. He last played hooker for Lyon in 2018 but is in the Bok World Cup squad as the third option for coach Jacques Nienaber, while also being a candidate for the loose trio. "I’ll cover both positions, we’ll see what happens in the game," Fourie told reporters on Tuesday. "I have not played hooker at test match level, but I have been training there with the Boks for two years. "I played hooker in the first year in France, second year I was flank and then third year I was hooker again, before I moved back to flank."

Persons: Deon Fourie, Fourie, Jacques Nienaber, I’m, Nick Said, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Wales, Romania, Lyon, Super Rugby, Melbourne Rebels, Currie, Thomson Locations: TOULON, France, South, Bordeaux, Western Province, Lyon

☆ Brent falls below $90/bbl, pausing rally, on weaker demand outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Erwin Seba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Brent crude futures settled 68 cents, or 0.8%, lower at $89.92 a barrel, after trading between $89.46 and $90.89. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) futures finished down 67 cents, or 0.8%, at $86.67 a barrel, after trading between $86.39 and $87.74. Thursday's fall came after nine straight sessions of gains in WTI and seven straight gains in Brent. But crude imports surged 30.9%. "The wind has been taken out of the bulls' sail overnight by rising Chinese product exports last month, albeit crude oil imports rose," PVM Oil analyst Tamas Varga said.

Persons: Agustin Marcarian, Thursday's, Prices, Dennis Kissler, John Kilduff, Tamas Varga, Leon Li, Erwin Seba, Arathy Somasekhar, Ahmad Ghaddar, Trixie Yap, Marguerita Choy, Frances Kerry, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, HOUSTON, Brent, . West Texas, U.S, BOK, Again, Markets, Thomson Locations: Vaca, Patagonian, Neuquen, Argentina, Iran, Venezuela, WTI, Brent, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Saudi, U.S, Shanghai, Houston, London, Singapore

☆ What the August jobs report means for the Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Washington, DC CNN —The long-robust US job market is continuing to cool, according to several economic indicators released this week. It’s clear the labor market has cooledThere are plenty of signs that the job market has continued to weaken and that momentum is largely expected to continue in the months ahead. The August jobs report showed that average hourly earnings grew at a monthly pace of just 0.2%, or 4.3% annually. “Pretty much everything in the labor market has cooled back to the pre-pandemic temperature,” Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter, told CNN. It’s also possible the job market holds steady if recession fears continue to fade, allowing businesses to address stubborn staffing shortages.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Powell, “, ”, Steve Wyett, ” Julia Pollak, we’ve, Nick Bunker, ” Bunker, It’s, they’ve, ” Pollak Organizations: DC CNN, Federal Reserve, Kansas City, Labor, BOK Financial, Fed, of Labor Statistics, Labor Department, CNN, Commerce Department, US, Banks Locations: Washington, Jackson Hole , Wyoming

China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC)'s Dalian Petrochemical Corp refinery is seen near the downtown of Dalian in Liaoning province, China July 17, 2018. Brent crude settled 6 cents lower at $84.42 a barrel, after touching a session high of over $85 earlier in the day. Tropical Storm Idalia was expected to intensify into a major hurricane on Monday as it barrelled toward Florida's Gulf Coast. Some worried it could hit the eastern side of U.S. Gulf Coast crude production. Oil prices have remained above $80 a barrel with support from falling oil inventories and supply cuts from the OPEC+ group of oil producers.

Persons: Chen Aizhu, Idalia, Brent, Jerome Powell, Dennis Kissler, Ole Hansen, Tony Sycamore, Alex Lawler, Florence Tan, Sudarshan, Jason Neely, Kirsten Donovan, Louise Heavens, Sharon Singleton, David Gregorio, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: China National Petroleum Corporation, Dalian Petrochemical Corp, REUTERS, HOUSTON, . West Texas, Federal, BOK, Saxo Bank, Gulf, Reuters, Thomson Locations: China, Dalian, Liaoning province, Florida, U.S, Gulf Coast, Gulf, OPEC, Saudi Arabia, London

Office workers look at their mobile phones to check the local online banking app Toss as they gather at Seoul Museum of Art during a lunch break in Seoul, South Korea, April 13, 2023. Interest rate decisions and policy guidance from South Korea and Indonesia take center stage in Asia on Thursday, as investors also navigate the strong cross currents from global equity and bond markets the day before. On the Asian policy front, the Bank of Korea is expected to leave its key policy rate unchanged at 3.50% for a fifth consecutive meeting on Thursday and hold it steady for the rest of this year. Bank Indonesia is also expected to keep its key interest rate steady, at 5.75% for the seventh consecutive meeting and for the rest of the year too. Here are key developments that could provide more direction to markets on Thursday:- South Korea interest rate decision- Indonesia interest rate decision- South Korea producer price inflation (July)By Jamie McGeever; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kim Hong, Jamie McGeever, Josie Kao Organizations: Seoul Museum of Art, REUTERS, Wall, Nvidia, Shanghai CSI, Bank of England, European Central Bank, Bank of, Bank Indonesia, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Indonesia, Asia, Europe, China, Shanghai, Japan, Bank of Korea, Korea

An aerial view shows a crude oil tanker at an oil terminal off Waidiao island in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China January 4, 2023. Weekly products supplied, a proxy for demand, rose to the highest since December. Higher interest rates increase borrowing costs, which could slow economic growth and reduce oil demand. On a bullish note, China made a rare draw on crude oil inventories in July, the first time in 33 months it has dipped into storage. Data released on Wednesday showed that U.S. crude oil inventories fell by nearly 6 million barrels last week on strong exports and refining run rates.

Persons: Dennis Kissler, Naeem Aslam, OANDA's Moya, Arathy Somasekhar, Natalie Grover, Katya Golubkova, David Goodman, Christina Fincher, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Brent, . West Texas, BOK Financial, Travel, Energy, Zaye, Markets, Thomson Locations: Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China, Independence, U.S, China's, Houston, London, Singapore

☆ Springboks delighted to have captain Kolisi back after injury
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Bok captain Kolisi suffered a serious knee injury in April, casting major doubt over his availability for the team's title defence, but he has been selected for the first time this year against Wales in a warm-up fixture in Cardiff on Saturday. "It's massive for us as a team to have Siya back in the mix," Kolbe told reporters on Wednesday. "He means a lot to us as players with his experience and the energy he brings. Even when he was not playing, he was on the sidelines giving input, helping a lot of the guys." If someone gets injured, we know the next guy coming in will fill that role and is capable of doing even better."

Persons: Siphiwe, Siya Kolisi, Cheslin Kolbe, Bok, Kolisi, Kolbe, Wales flyhalf Dan Biggar, Nick Said, Devika Organizations: Rugby Union, Rugby, International, Springboks REUTERS, Rights, Springboks, Wales, Wales flyhalf, Toulon, Thomson Locations: South Africa, France, Johannesburg, Japan, Cardiff, Pretoria

☆ What does Moody’s downgrade mean for markets?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Moody’s on Monday evening downgraded 10 US banks and put the credit ratings of six others on review, an indication that the agency could also eventually downgrade those institutions. Some investors say that while the Moody’s downgrade isn’t groundbreaking, it’s a reminder that the economy, and markets, still have challenges ahead. Moody’s downgraded Commerce Bank, BOK Financial, M&T Bank, Old National Bank, Prosperity Bank, Amarillo National Bank, Webster Financial, Fulton Financial, Pinnacle Financial and Associated Bank. Wall Street firms fined $549 million for using WhatsApp and other channelsWells Fargo is among a number of Wall Street firms that admitted Tuesday to using WhatsApp, Signal and other messaging platforms for “off-channel” communications in violation of federal recordkeeping requirements. The Securities and Exchange Commission said the Wall Street firms acknowledged wrongdoing and have agreed to pay penalties totaling $289 million, reports my colleague Matt Egan.

Persons: CNN — Moody’s, JPMorgan Chase, Wells, Goldman Sachs, BNY, Cullen, Frost, ” Moody’s, ”, Kara Murphy, Fitch, Christopher Marinac, Janney Montgomery Scott, Price, Matt Egan, Houlihan Lokey, Alicia Wallace Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, CNN, Bank, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, JPMorgan, Banking, BNY Mellon, Northern Trust, Frost Bankers, Truist Financial, US Bank, Moody’s, Commerce Bank, BOK, T Bank, National Bank, Prosperity Bank, Amarillo National Bank, Webster Financial, Fulton Financial, Pinnacle Financial, Associated Bank, PNC Financial Services, Financial, Citizens Financial, Fifth Third Bank, Huntington Bank, Regions Financial, Cadence Bank, FNB Corp, Simmons, Ally Financial, Bank OZK, Valley Bank, Signature Bank, Federal Reserve, Kestra Investment Management, Consumer, Wall Street, Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, BNP, SG Americas, BMO Capital Markets, Mizuho Securities, SMBC Nikko Securities, Federal Reserve Bank of New Locations: Wells Fargo, Amarillo, Marinac, Wells, SMBC Nikko Securities America, WhatsApp, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, York

☆ Moody's cuts ratings of 10 U.S. banks and puts some big names on downgrade watch
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Moody's cut the credit ratings of a host of small and mid-sized U.S. banks late Monday and placed several big Wall Street names on negative review. Moody's also changed its outlook to negative for 11 banks, including Capital One , Citizens Financial and Fifth Third Bancorp . Among the smaller lenders receiving an official ratings downgrade were M&T Bank , Pinnacle Financial , BOK Financial and Webster Financial . "Meanwhile, many banks' Q2 results showed growing profitability pressures that will reduce their ability to generate internal capital. Though the stress on U.S. banks has mostly been concentrated in funding and interest rate risk resulting from monetary policy tightening, Moody's warned that a worsening in asset quality is on the horizon.

Persons: Moody's, Cullen, Frost, Jill Cetina, Ana Arsov Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Bank, New York Mellon, U.S . Bancorp, Truist, Frost Bankers, Northern Trust, Capital, Citizens Financial, Fifth Third Bancorp, T Bank, Pinnacle Financial, BOK, Webster, Regional, Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, Credit Suisse, UBS, Federal Reserve, Fed Locations: New York City, U.S, Regional U.S, Silicon, Europe, Swiss

Moody's cut the ratings of 10 U.S. banks by one notch and placed some banking giants on review for potential downgrades. The downgraded banks include M&T Bank (MTB.N), Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP.O), Prosperity Bank and BOK Financial Corp (BOKF.O). The banks placed on review for downgrade include BNY Mellon (BK.N), US Bancorp (USB.N), State Street (STT.N) and Truist Financial (TFC.N). Moody's changed its outlook to negative from stable for Capital One (COF.N), Citizens Financial (CFG.N) and Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB.O), among others. The ratings agency also affirmed the ratings of PNC Financial Services Group (PNC.N), Citizens, and Huntington Bancshares (HBAN.O) alongside other banks.

Persons: Moody's, BNY Mellon, Huntington, Juby Babu, Muralikumar Anantharaman Organizations: Moody's Corporation, T Bank, Pinnacle Financial Partners, Prosperity Bank, BOK Financial Corp, BNY, US Bancorp, Truist, Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, Citizens, Fifth Third Bancorp, PNC Financial Services, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York, U.S, Silicon, Bengaluru

☆ Moody’s warns it could cut credit ratings of 6 big US banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Olesya Dmitracova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Moody’s has put the credit ratings of six large US banks, including Bank of New York Mellon, State Street and Northern Trust, under review for a possible downgrade. A lower credit rating could push funding costs for those banks even higher. This, in turn, has raised fears that banks, which finance many commercial real estate deals, could suffer losses as a result. “Most regional banks have comparatively low regulatory capital versus the largest US banks and global peers,” Moody’s noted Monday. Moody’s also downgraded 10 smaller US banks Monday, including Commerce Bancshares (CBSH), BOK Financial Corporation and M&T Bank Corporation.

Persons: CNN — Moody’s, Dow, Cullen Frost, ” Moody’s, Moody’s Organizations: CNN, Bank of New York Mellon, State, Northern Trust, Nasdaq, Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, First, U.S . Bancorp, Commerce, BOK Financial Corporation, T Bank Corporation Locations: Silicon, First Republic, United States

A stronger dollar makes crude more expensive for investors holding other currencies. PVM analyst Tamas Varga noted that for months, predictions have been made that global oil demand will grow in the second half of 2023 versus the first half, in tandem with supply cuts to reduce global oil inventories. The latest figures from the U.S.- the world's biggest fuel consumer - showed fuel demand rose the highest level since August 2019. A Reuters poll also estimated U.S. crude oil and gasoline stockpiles were expected to have declined last week. In a conference on Monday, BP (BP.L) chief Bernard Looney presaged oil demand growth continuing into next year and OPEC+ being increasingly disciplined.

Persons: Johan Sverdrup, Carina Johansen, NTB, Brent, Dennis Kissler, Tamas Varga, group's, Bernard Looney, Arathy somasekhar, Natalie Grover, Emily Chow, Christian Schmollinger, Sonali Paul, David Evans, Nick Macfie, Jan Harvey Organizations: Reuters Connect, HOUSTON, Brent, . West Texas, BOK, Reuters, Thomson Locations: North, ., U.S, OPEC, Saudi Arabia, Houston, London, Singapore

☆ Oil dips more than 1% as Chinese GDP dents demand hopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Arathy Somasekhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 6.3% year-on-year in the second quarter, compared with analyst forecasts of 7.3%, as its post-pandemic recovery lost momentum. "The GDP came in below expectations, so will do little to ease concerns over the Chinese economy," said Warren Patterson, ING's head of commodities research. Oil briefly rose after a Reuters news alert on Saudi Arabia extending a voluntary output cut. Oil also came under pressure on Monday from the resumption of output at two of three Libyan fields shut last week. Output had been halted by a protest against the abduction of a former finance minister.

Persons: Warren Patterson, ING's, Brent, Dennis Kissler, Arathy Somasekhar, Alex Lawler, Florence Tan, Mohi Narayan, David Goodman, Mike Harrison, Barbara Lewis Organizations: . West Texas, BOK Financial, Oil, Thomson Locations: HOUSTON, China, Saudi Arabia, Moscow, Houston

☆ S.Korea c.bank warns of financial stability risk as debts rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, July 17 (Reuters) - South Korea's central bank said on Monday there was a need to manage financial stability in addition to price risks as the country's high household debts have started to climb. "In terms of monetary policy, it should consider financial stability more actively to prevent excessive leveraging or risky asset investments when monetary policy is loose," the Bank of Korea (BOK) said in a report. "There is a need to discuss introducing a 'prudential monetary policy' with higher consideration on financial stability, in addition to price stability," the central bank said. The central bank said in the report there was limited financial stability risk from household debt, given the low loan-to-value ratio and the high percentage of high-income earners, but it flagged negative long-term implications on growth and inequality. The BOK has kept monetary policy unchanged since its last interest rate hike in January and its tightening campaign, which began in August 2021, is widely expected to be over.

Persons: BOK, Jihoon Lee, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Bank of Korea, prudential, Bank for International Settlements, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, Switzerland, Australia

☆ Oil dips over 1.5% on demand fears after weak Chinese data
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A very large oil tanker docked at the 300,000-ton crude oil terminal at Yantai Port in Yantai, Shandong province, China, June 16, 2023. Oil dropped by more than 1.5% on Monday after weaker than expected Chinese economic growth raised doubts over the strength of demand in the world's second biggest oil consumer, and a partial restart of halted Libyan output also pressured prices. "The GDP came in below expectations, so will do little to ease concerns over the Chinese economy," said Warren Patterson, ING's head of commodities research. Oil briefly rose after a Reuters news alert on Saudi Arabia extending a voluntary output cut. Oil also came under pressure on Monday from the resumption of output at two of three Libyan fields shut last week.

Persons: Warren Patterson, ING's, Brent, Dennis Kissler Organizations: . West Texas, BOK Financial, Oil, Energy, Administration Locations: Yantai, Shandong province, China, Saudi Arabia, Moscow

The Bank of Korea (BOK) said its seven-member monetary policy board voted to keep the base rate (KROCRT=ECI) unchanged at 3.50%, as it did in meetings in February, April and May. "The Board will maintain a restrictive policy stance for a considerable time with an emphasis on ensuring price stability," the BOK said in a statement. The BOK has kept monetary policy unchanged since its last interest rate hike in January and its tightening campaign, which began in August 2021, is widely expected to be over. The rate stood at 2.7% in June this year, although it is still higher than the central bank's medium-term target of 2%. South Korea's import prices fell in annual terms for a fifth month in June and marked the steepest drop in more than eight years, central bank data showed earlier on Thursday.

Persons: BOK, Governor Rhee Chang, Jihoon Lee, Joyce Lee, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Bank of Korea, Reuters, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, China

REUTERS/Aly Song/File PhotoJuly 13 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. The one percentage point fall in June headline consumer price inflation to 3.0% strengthened hopes that the U.S. economy is heading for a 'soft landing', boosting risk appetite and, more importantly for emerging markets, slamming the dollar. The yen has risen five days in a row, its longest winning streak against the dollar since November. That would be the biggest fall in exports since January - economists at SocGen are penciling in a 15.7% crash. Here are key developments that could provide more direction to markets on Thursday:- South Korea interest rate decision- China trade (June)- Thailand parliament elects new prime ministerBy Jamie McGeever; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Aly, Jamie McGeever, BOK, Josie Kao Organizations: Shanghai Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Asia FX, South Korean, Bank of, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Pudong, Shanghai, China, U.S, Asia, Pacific, Zealand, SocGen, Korea, Thailand

☆ Another earnings season begins, but investors are already looking beyond it
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —As the second-quarter earnings season kicks off this week, investors want answers on the health of the United States’ companies and its economy. The projected second-quarter earnings decline for companies listed in the S&P 500 is roughly 7.6% compared to the prior year, according to FactSet. That would be the third consecutive quarter of declines and the largest earnings decline reported by the broad-based index since a roughly 32% loss during the second quarter of 2020. But investors will be looking even more closely at what companies forecast for their financial performance and the broader economy. Energy secretary vows to replenish Strategic Petroleum ReserveEnergy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the United States will refill the depleted Strategic Petroleum Reserve, reports my colleague Matt Egan.

Persons: It’s, ”, Paul Eitelman, What’s, Steve Wyett, Jennifer Granholm, Matt Egan, Joe Biden, “, ” Granholm, Biden, Granholm, ” Read, Danielle Wiener, ” Jared Bernstein, Read Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, United, Wealth Management, Gross, North America, Russell Investments, Macy’s, Costco, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, BOK Financial, Energy, Strategic Petroleum Reserve Energy, Strategic Petroleum Reserve, CNN, The Energy Department, Bronner, of Labor Statistics, of Economic Advisers Locations: New York, United States, Wells Fargo, BlackRock, Ukraine, That’s

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