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It is an unexpected truce between Sony, which makes Playstation consoles, and its far larger U.S. rival. Details have yet to be disclosed, and it's not clear why Sony, which Microsoft earlier offered a 10-year contract, has had a change of heart. Sony's video-game division reported digital software and content sales of $11 billion in the fiscal year to March. Yoshida has been selectively snapping up smaller gaming studios to beef up Playstation content, including splashing out $3.6 billion for developer Bungie. Details were not disclosed, but a Microsoft spokesperson clarified with various media that the deal is for 10 years.

Persons: it's, Boss Kenchiro Yoshida, Yoshida, Phil Spencer, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Activision Blizzard, Sony, Activision, Microsoft, Nintendo, Nvidia, U.S, UK Competition, Markets Authority, Bungie, Nikkei, Federal Trade, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, U.S

☆ John Kerry steps into searing China heat as world’s two biggest polluters try to fix fractured ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

China Energy Investment Corporation, the world’s largest generator of coal-fired power, said its production of electricity reached a historic high on Monday. Kerry, 79, has traveled to China twice since being appointed as US President Joe Biden’s special climate envoy. Li, the Greenpeace analyst, said he would be closely watching who will meet with Kerry in Beijing. That would require the country to phase out coal power, which accounts for about 60% of its total electricity generation. “The expansion of coal is a grave challenge for China’s climate policy,” Li said.

Persons: John Kerry, ”, Li Shuo, Nancy Pelosi’s, ” Li, Andy Wong, Kerry, Biden, Antony Blinken, Xi Jinping, Janet Yellen, China’s Premier Li Qiang, Blinken, Wang Yi, Alex Wang, Joe Biden’s, Xie Zhenhua, Arnd Wiegmann, Li, Xie Jianhua, Ding Xuexiang, Xi, Obama, Xie, ” Kerry, “ I’m, Stringer, Wang, “ It’s, “, ” Wang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Greenpeace, Washington, US, Taiwan —, China Energy Investment Corporation, China’s Premier, University of California, US State Department, China’s Ministry of Ecology, Economic, Blinken, Kerry, CNN, COP28, UCLA, Global Energy Monitor Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, United States, China, Greenpeace China, Taiwan, Jakarta, “, Los Angeles, Kerry, Shanghai, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China, Davos, Switzerland, Washington, Paris, China Glasgow, Dubai, Lianyungang, China's, Jiangsu, AFP

☆ John Kerry to step into searing China heat as world’s two biggest polluters try to fix fractured ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Persons: John Kerry, ”, Li Shuo, Nancy Pelosi’s, ” Li, Andy Wong, Kerry, Biden, Antony Blinken, Xi Jinping, Janet Yellen, China’s Premier Li Qiang, Blinken, Wang Yi, Alex Wang, Joe Biden’s, Xie Zhenhua, Arnd Wiegmann, Li, Xie Jianhua, Ding Xuexiang, Xi, Obama, Xie, ” Kerry, “ I’m, Stringer, Wang, “ It’s, “, ” Wang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Beijing Sunday, Greenpeace, Washington, US, Taiwan —, China Energy Investment Corporation, China’s Premier, University of California, US State Department, China’s Ministry of Ecology, Economic, Blinken, Kerry, CNN, COP28, UCLA, Global Energy Monitor Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, United States, China, Greenpeace China, Taiwan, Jakarta, “, Los Angeles, Kerry, Shanghai, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China, Davos, Switzerland, Washington, Paris, China Glasgow, Dubai, Lianyungang, China's, Jiangsu, AFP

☆ FTC is investigating ChatGPT-maker OpenAI for potential harm to consumers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

OpenAI didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addresses a speech during a meeting, at the Station F in Paris on May 26, 2023. As the nation’s top consumer protection watchdog, the FTC is empowered to prosecute privacy abuses, untruthful marketing, and other harms. FTC Chair Lina Khan has argued that the agency’s existing congressional mandate provides ample authority for the FTC to prosecute abusive uses of AI. Some critics of OpenAI previously filed a complaint to the FTC claiming that algorithmic bias, privacy concerns and ChatGPT’s tendency to hallucinate may violate US consumer protection law.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI, OpenAI didn’t, Joel Saget, Lina Khan, “ turbocharge, Khan, ” Khan, ” OpenAI Organizations: Washington CNN, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, The Washington, CNN, Getty, European Union, scammers, New York Times Locations: Paris, AFP, “

Former BoE policymaker Kate Barker told the Financial Times this weekend that targetted and temporary tax rises on top earners may be the most effective and fairest way to go. "We're asking monetary policy to do all the work," she said. But the political sensitivity of income tax likely dictates the way forward, however cogent the economics. Yet the more general point of fiscal policy helping with the final throes of the inflation battle continues to be made. "Fiscal Policy should remain aligned with monetary policy in the fight against inflation," the Fund concluded.

Persons: BoE policymaker Kate Barker, President Biden, Mike Dolan, Matthew Lewis Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Bank for International, U.S, Bank of, Financial Times, Fed, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics, Britain's, National Statistics, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters, Republicans, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Britain, London

☆ This is 'the end of the beginning' of the battle against inflation, economist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Drew Angerer | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesCentral banks are at "the end of the beginning" in their battle against inflation, as several factors keep core prices persistently high, according to top Societe Generale economist Kokou Agbo-Bloua. U.S. inflation cooled in May to an annual 4%, its lowest annual rate in more than two years, but core inflation rose by 0.4% month-on-month and 5.3% year-on-year. In assessing the current state of global policymakers' efforts to tame inflation, Agbo-Bloua quoted former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's remarks in a 1942 speech: "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. He suggested that this has helped to keep the labor market resilient, which will likely extend this lag time.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Drew Angerer, Kokou Agbo, Bloua, Winston Churchill's, we're Organizations: Federal Reserve, Federal, Market, Getty, Societe Generale, British, CNBC Locations: Washington ,, Ukraine, Agbo

☆ The Fed has rolled out a new index for gauging the economy that could have big implications
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Federal Reserve is changing the way it looks at "financial conditions," a move that could have important ramifications for policy ahead. The Fed has been using a series of interest rate increases to tighten financial conditions and, ultimately, to bring down inflation. Essentially, the move allows the Fed to distance itself from other financial conditions models, such as those formulated by Goldman Sachs and the Chicago Fed . By contrast, the Chicago Fed index's current reading is -0.28, implying relatively loose conditions. Capital Economics noted that the FCI-G "does a better job of illustrating the tightness of US financial conditions than various other measures."

Persons: they've, Krishna Guha, Jerome, Powell, Guha, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Federal, Evercore ISI, Fed, Chicago Fed, Treasury, Dow Jones, U.S, FCI

☆ Australia's central bank holds rates, signals more hikes might be required
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SYDNEY, July 4 (Reuters) - Australia's central bank on Tuesday held interest rates steady saying it wanted more time to assess the impact of past hikes, but reiterated its warning that further tightening might be needed to bring inflation to heel. Reuters GraphicsIn Tuesday's policy statement, RBA Governor Philip Lowe said that higher interest rates are working to establish a more sustainable balance between supply and demand in the economy. "In light of this and the uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook, the Board decided to hold interest rates steady this month." Global policymakers are still grappling with relatively high inflation despite sweeping rate increases for more than a year. Both the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank are almost certain to hike by a quarter-point this month, which could pressure an already soft Australian dollar.

Persons: Philip Lowe, Lowe, Stephen Smith, Marcel Thieliant, Reuters Graphics Lowe, Stella Qiu, Wayne Cole, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: SYDNEY, Reserve Bank of Australia, Reuters, Deloitte, Capital Economics, Global, Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Thomson

HONG KONG, June 29 (Reuters Breakingviews) - There's plenty to like about Swire Pacific's (0019.HK) Coca-Cola sale. Little wonder Swire's Hong Kong shares rallied as much as 8% on Thursday morning. The Coke sale is refreshing for investors, but only until the rest of Swire Pacific regains its fizz. Upon completion of the sale, Swire Pacific will distribute HK$11.7 billion in special dividends to its shareholders. The company also plans to enter into a 13-year agreement to provide management services to Swire Coca-Cola USA and receive an annual fee of at least HK$117 million.

Persons: Swire Pacific's, Swire, John Swire, Antony Currie, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, HK, Cathay Pacific, Swire, Cola, John Swire & Sons, Cola Europacific Partners, Citi, Cathay, Swire Pacific, Hong Kong, Cola USA, Hong, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong, China, Cathay Pacific

HONG KONG, June 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - A government-led buyout signals more uncertainty ahead for a chip industry grappling with oversupply and geopolitics. The state-backed Japan Investment Corp will take over JSR (4185.T), which makes light-sensitive chemicals vital to manufacturing semiconductors, among other things. In recent years, the conglomerate has pivoted from a low-margin business of selling synthetic rubber used to make tyres to focus on semiconductor materials - primarily photoresists - and biopharmaceuticals. Yet JIC's mandate to boost the country’s global competitiveness and its focus on consolidating industries helps to justify the hefty premium. Either way, the government's focus on elevating national chipmaking champions creates fresh uncertainty for JSR's foreign customers like South Korea's Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (2330.TW).

Persons: Sharp, Eric Johnson, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Japan Investment Corp, Renesas Electronics, chipmakers, Samsung Electronics, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Japan Investment Corporation, Mizuho Bank, Development Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Tokyo, Taiwan, Japan, United States, South Korea, South

HONG KONG, June 27 (Reuters) - A series of brutal attacks in Hong Kong is shining a light on mental health in a city that has suffered from particularly acute strains while lacking sufficient resources to provide proper care for all who need it, mental health groups say. A city government spokesman, asked about the state of mental health, referred Reuters to a meeting the administration organised this month aimed at exploring more ways to address mental health problems and support people who suffer from severe mental disorders. Mental health experts point to the COVID-19 pandemic as a major factor in the increase in mental health issues, as it has been in many places. 'EXHAUSTION'Judy Blaine, a researcher and consultant on mental wellbeing, says it is the compounding of stresses that takes a toll on Hong Kong's people. Carol Liang, deputy CEO of the group Mind Hong Kong, said waiting times for cases deemed non-urgent can be as long as 90 weeks in the Hospital Authority system.

Persons: Abby Choi, Judy Blaine, Hong, Blaine, Carol Liang, Hong Kong, Farah Master, Anne Marie Roantree, Robert Birsel Organizations: Hong Kong Foundation, Organization, Reuters, Hospital Authority, Organisation for Economic Cooperation, Development, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong, Beijing, Hong

June 27 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. Wall Street closed in the red on Monday - the Nasdaq shed more than 1% for the third trading day in four - and the U.S. yield curve inversion accelerated to near-historic levels. But inflation and policy concerns are driving sentiment more than geopolitical fears. The Bank for International Settlements on Sunday called for more rate hikes, warning the world economy is at a crucial juncture in the fight against inflation. The International Monetary Fund's Gita Gopinath said on Monday investors may be overly optimistic on the speed and cost of taming inflation.

Persons: Jamie McGeever, Gita Gopinath Organizations: Kremlin, Nasdaq, Swiss, Bank for International, U.S, JSR, Japan Investment Corp, ECB, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Russian, U.S, Japan, Canada, Sintra, Portugal

WHAT IS THE COMMON FRAMEWORK? The Common Framework requires debtor countries to secure restructuring assurances from any bilateral lenders first and commercial and multilateral lenders second - to Beijing's dismay. "We call on multilateral financial institutions and commercial lenders, who are the main creditors for developing countries, to participate in developing countries' debt relief efforts," Mao said. In Paris, analysts expect China to continue to voice support for the Common Framework but for debt relief to be dispensed "case-by-case". The last time global policymakers met to discuss the Common Framework in Washington, China proposed the IMF should speed up and improve information sharing on debt sustainability analyses.

Persons: Li Qiang, acceding, Yi Gang, Mao Ning, Mao, Qin Gang, Sri, Wang Wenbin, Joe Cash, Ryan Woo, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Paris Club, International Monetary Fund, Bank, IMF, World Bank, Foreign Ministry, China's, France, Thomson Locations: Paris, China, Zambia, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, United States, U.S, Beijing, Washington, CHINA, Addis Ababa, Japan, India, France, Sri Lanka's

June 21 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. The one-year loan prime rate (LPR) was cut to 3.55% and the five-year LPR was cut to 4.20%. The yuan has been trading through 7.00 per dollar every day since May 18, and is now approaching 7.20/dollar. On the Chinese corporate front, investors are digesting the news of changes at the top of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group (9988.HK). The main global event for markets on Wednesday is likely to be Fed Chair Powell's semi-annual testimony to the House Financial Affairs Committee.

Persons: Jamie McGeever, Jerome Powell, Kazuo Ueda, weren't, Daniel Zhang, Eddie Yongming Wu, Joseph Tsai, Deepa Babington Organizations: Federal, Bank of, The Bank of Japan, People's Bank of China, Investors, Alibaba, HK, House Financial, Committee, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Asia, Japan

☆ How Daniel Ellsberg, who died at 92, went from being a disillusioned member of the government-military elite to a hero of anti-war movements
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Daniel Ellsberg, the whistleblower behind the Pentagon Papers, died at 92, his family said Friday. David Halberstam, the late author and Vietnam War correspondent who had known Ellsberg since both were posted overseas, would describe him as no ordinary convert. "Without Nixon's obsession with me, he would have stayed in office," Ellsberg told The Associated Press in 1999. Ellsberg's story was depicted in the 2009 documentary "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers." He and Marx wedded in 1970, the year before the Pentagon Papers were made public.

Persons: Daniel Ellsberg, Ellsberg, —, — Daniel Ellsberg, Richard Nixon, Julia Pacetti, Dan, Robert S, McNamara, Lyndon Johnson's, John F, Kennedy, David Halberstam, Johnson, Neil Sheehan, Henry Kissinger, Hannah Arendt, Nixon, Nixon fumed, H.R, Haldeman, Matthew Byrne, Gordon Liddy, Howard Hunt, Byrne, Daniel, Harry Truman, nodded, Ellsberg's, Rand, Anthony J, Russo, Robert, Kissinger, Sen, William J, Fulbright, George McGovern of, Marcus Raskin, Ralph Stavins, Sheehan, Raskin, Stavins, didn't, spry, George W, Bush, Obama, Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden, Snowden, Patricia Marx, Marx Organizations: Pentagon, Service, Supreme, Defense, Harvard, Democratic, Republican, The New York Times, Washington Post, The Associated Press, National Security, United, U.S, White, Democratic Party's, Washington , D.C, Associated Press, Coast, Rand Corp, Christian Science, Soviet Union overseas, Harvard University, Marines, Ivy League, Defense Department, State Department, Rand, Xerox, Arkansas, Foreign Relations Committee, Institute for Policy, Times, ., Army, New York Times, Massachusetts Institute, Technology's Center for International Studies Locations: Boston, Los Angeles, Vietnam, Indochina, U.S, France's, America, United States, Beverly Hills , California, Washington ,, Saigon, Santa Monica, Chicago, Detroit, Pearl, London, Germany, Japan, Santa Monica , California, George McGovern of South Dakota, Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia

JAKARTA, June 15 (Reuters) - Short video app TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, said on Thursday it would invest billions of dollars in Southeast Asia over the next few years, as it doubles down on the region amid intensifying global scrutiny over its data security. Southeast Asia, a region with a collective population of 630 million - half of them under 30 - is one of TikTok's biggest markets in terms of user numbers. "We're going to invest billions of dollars in Indonesia and Southeast Asia over the next few years," TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said at a forum it organised in Jakarta to highlight the social and economic impact of the app in the region. Chew said TikTok has 8,000 employees in Southeast Asia, and 2 million small vendors selling their wares on its platform in Indonesia, the region's biggest economy. The app has not faced major bans on government devices in Southeast Asia, but it has been under scrutiny over its content.

Persons: China's ByteDance, Shou Zi Chew, Chew, TikTok, Stanley Widanto, Miyoung Kim, Christopher Cushing, Jamie Freed Organizations: HK, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, Southeast Asia, Sea's, Indonesia, Jakarta, Beijing, Britain, New Zealand, Vietnam

☆ TikTok to invest billions of dollars in Southeast Asia amid growing scrutiny over data security
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Short video app TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, said on Thursday it would invest billions of dollars in Southeast Asia over the next few years, as it doubles down on the region amid intensifying global scrutiny over its data security. TikTok did not provide a detailed breakdown of the spending plan but said it would invest in training, advertising and supporting small vendors looking to join its e-commerce platform TikTok Shop. TikTok has 8,000 employees in Southeast Asia and 2 million small vendors selling their wares on its platform in Indonesia, the region’s biggest economy, he added. E-commerce transactions across the region reached nearly $100 billion last year, with Indonesia accounting for $52 billion, according to data from consultancy Momentum Works. The app has not faced major bans on government devices in Southeast Asia, but it has been under scrutiny over its content.

Persons: China’s ByteDance, Alibaba’s, “ We’re, ”, Shou Zi Chew, Chew, TikTok, Matt McClain Organizations: Momentum Works, Shopee’s, Washington Post Locations: Southeast Asia, Sea’s, Indonesia, Jakarta, TikTok, Washington ,, Beijing, Britain, New Zealand, Vietnam

☆ Easing inflation pressures give the Fed room to skip a rate hike. But then what?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Softening inflation data for May likely has bought the Federal Reserve at least a month, though not much more, before it has to figure out what to do next. Following the CPI release Tuesday morning, markets priced in a 95% probability that the Fed will skip a hike at its two-day meeting concluding Wednesday, according to CME Group data . "The latest consumer price inflation data doesn't change the Fed outlook for a June rate hike skip, but it illustrates the 'should I stay, or should I go' dilemma that the Fed faces when considering further rate increases," wrote Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon. After this week's meeting, Fed officials will release their "dot plot" rate projections for the next few years, plus their collective outlook on inflation, GDP and unemployment. The retreat on inflation, then, presents both an opportunity and a challenge for a Fed that was caught off guard by the big price surge.

Persons: Gregory Daco, Jim Smigiel, Krishna Guha, Guha, Jerome Powell, Ian Shepherdson Organizations: Federal Reserve, Group, SEI, Evercore ISI, Tech, Pantheon Locations: EY

☆ Pornhub asks users, Big Tech for help as states adopt age verification laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Washington CNN —In the two-minute video, adult performer Cherie Deville stares into the camera and intones soberly to viewers, for the second time in a month, that policymakers are coming for their porn. It’s unclear how much Pornhub expects to achieve, as the laws have already been passed and signed. Pornhub’s simultaneous appeals to users and to Big Tech highlight the challenging position the company now finds itself in amid a wave of state legislation. Now, Pornhub’s fight could prove to be a bellwether for the growing push to enforce age verification for social media. Device-based age verification, Tiwari said, could have “very serious privacy connotations, because you now have the largest tech companies in the world having your government ID and all the information present in them linked to individual devices.

Persons: Cherie Deville, soberly, ” Deville, Pornhub, CNN it’s “, Pornhub —, —, ECP, Solomon Friedman, Friedman, ” Friedman, “, Porn, Pornhub’s, Josh Golin, ” Golin, India McKinney, ” McKinney, Udbhav Tiwari, Tiwari, ” Organizations: Washington CNN —, CNN, Ethical Capital Partners, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Big Tech, Android, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Mozilla, Twitter, Federal Trade Commission Locations: Pornhub, Utah, Arkansas , Mississippi, Virginia, India

☆ Australia cenbank warns of more hikes ahead after raising rates to 11-yr high
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"The omission of this sentence reads hawkish in our view and may spell further rate hikes ahead from the RBA." Adam Boyton, head of Australian economics at ANZ, expects the RBA to raise interest rates by another quarter-point in August. In the policy statement, Lowe said the latest rate increase will "provide greater confidence that inflation will return to target within a reasonable timeframe." The RBA has increased interest rates by a whopping 400 basis points since May last year, the most aggressive tightening cycle in its modern history. "As the RBA takes rates higher, the risk of a greater slowing in the economy is rising," said Tapas Strickland, head of market economics at NAB.

Persons: Prashant Newnaha, Adam Boyton, Lowe, Tapas Strickland, Stella Qiu, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: SYDNEY, Reserve Bank of Australia, Securities, Australian, ANZ, Graphics Global, Federal, NAB, Thomson Locations: Asia, Australia

HONG KONG, June 5 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Shein is threading the world’s trickiest geopolitical needle. But rising American pressure is forcing it to tweak its business model right as it tries to list there. Last year, its top line surged 46% to $23 billion, per the Wall Street Journal, surpassing $22 billion at H&M and outpacing the 18% growth at Inditex. A Boston Consulting Group report notes that this model allows Shein to keep inventory turnover at just 40 days. That will be expensive; the company's net profit margin was a razor-thin 3.5% last year, according to the Wall Street Journal, far below bricks and mortar rival Inditex's 13%.

Persons: Shein, Bernstein, Chris Xu, Xu, Mubadala, Pete Sweeney, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Reuters, U.S ., Rivals, Street, Financial Times, Boston Consulting, Morningstar, Securities and Exchange Commission, Wall Street, ’, Singapore, Sequoia Capital, General Atlantic, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Zara, China, Inditex, Guangdong, U.S, Xinjiang, Nanjing, Singapore, Mexico, Brazil, India

☆ Yen firms on policymaker meeting, dollar swings after debt deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Alun John | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Japanese Yen and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken March 10, 2023. The yen strengthened on news of the meeting, and held onto those gains, with the dollar last down 0.2% at 140.16 yen having earlier risen as high as 140.93, its highest since November 2022. That helped the dollar index , which measures the U.S. currency against six major peers, hit 104.53 in European trading its highest in 10 weeks, though then retreated to 104.02. "It seems to be win-win on almost any scenario for the dollar right now," said Jane Foley head of FX strategy at Rabobank. That, alongside a rethinking of market positioning - people had been dumping a lot of long dollar positioning since the end of last year - was supporting the dollar, she said.

Foxconn's turnaround efforts initially paid off: by 2018, Sharp was back in the black. Moreover, analysts estimate assembling iPhones and other Apple (AAPL.O) gadgets still brings in more than half of Foxconn’s annual sales. The troubled unit was once a joint venture between Sharp, Foxconn and an entity tied to Gou. The company attributed the slump to a non-operating loss of T$19.7 billion related to its 34% stake in Japanese electronics maker Sharp. Sharp reported a 220-billion-yen ($1.6 billion) impairment loss in the quarter, mostly from buildings, machinery and goodwill relating to display businesses.

The return of tourists to Southeast Asia, he says, bodes well for the group’s core mobility business in the second half. The next challenge is resetting investor expectations so that beats can shine through. Lower incentives helped it to cut its adjusted operating loss to $66 million from $287 million a year ago. It also narrowed its forecast for annual adjusted operating loss to $195 million-$235 million, from a previous forecast of $275 million-$325 million. China’s Alibaba on May 18 reported revenue of 208 billion yuan ($30.1 billion) in the three months to end-March, up 2% year-on-year.

☆ The Fed could enact a 'substitute' interest rate hike at its June meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Federal Reserve officials could talk tough enough at their June meeting that it would amount to a de facto interest rate hike. "All Fed officials are being careful not to exclude a June hike with more data to come and we would not completely exclude this either," he added. A "substitute" hike could see the rhetoric out of the June meeting reasserting the Fed's stern commitment to fighting inflation and disinclination toward easing anytime soon. But some taming in the inflation data , stronger economic signals and repeated statements from central bankers that cuts are not in their forecast have caused a shift. Fed fund futures contracts are implying a 4.585% funds rate by the end of the year, from the current 5.08%.

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