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Sterling traded higher after recovering knee-jerk losses following the Bank of England's decision to downshift to a quarter point rate hike on Thursday. The U.S. dollar index , which gauges the currency against a basket of six counterparts, edged 0.06% lower to 102.39 in Asia. On Thursday, it had pushed to the highest since July 7 at 102.84 at one point, but lost steam later in the day with the monthly nonfarm payrolls report looming on Friday. The dollar slipped slightly to 142.40 yen , as long-term Treasury yields - which the currency pair tends to track closely - retreated from Thursday's nearly nine-month high at 4.198% in Tokyo trading. At the same time, "unless or until what's been happening with Treasury yields reverses, there's no meaningful prospect of dollar-yen coming down here, unless we see a very dramatic deterioration in risk sentiment," he added.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Sterling, Kristina Clifton, BoE, Ray Attrill, Attrill, Kevin Buckland, Brigid Riley, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of, of, U.S, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australia Bank, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: China, Asia, Thursday's, Tokyo, U.S

U.S. Dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. Sterling traded slightly higher after recovering knee-jerk losses following the Bank of England's decision to downshift to a quarter point rate hike on Thursday. Meanwhile, the risk-sensitive Australian dollar strengthened amid a rebound in Chinese stocks and U.S. equity futures. The U.S. dollar index , which gauges the currency against a basket of six counterparts, edged 0.07% lower to 102.38 in early Asia. However, the dollar edged higher to 142.64 yen , aided by the rise in long-term Treasury yields to a nearly nine-month high at 4.198% overnight.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Sterling, BoE, Ray Attrill, Attrill, Hong, Kevin Buckland, Brigid Riley, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of, of, U.S, National Australia Bank, European Central Bank, Reserve Bank of Australia, Nasdaq, Thomson Locations: Asia, Sterling, U.S, China

☆ Dollar struggles before payrolls test, Aussie rebounds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Banknotes of various currencies: the Japanese Yen, the Australian dollar, the Swedish crown, and the US American dollar on a table in Hamburg, Germany, 19 February 2016. Sterling traded slightly higher after recovering knee-jerk losses following the Bank of England's decision to downshift to a quarter point rate hike on Thursday. Meanwhile, the risk-sensitive Australian dollar strengthened amid a rebound in Chinese stocks and U.S. equity futures. The U.S. dollar index , which gauges the currency against a basket of six counterparts, edged 0.07% lower to 102.38 in early Asia. However, the dollar edged higher to 142.64 yen , aided by the rise in long-term Treasury yields to a nearly nine-month high at 4.198% overnight.

Persons: Sterling, BoE, Ray Attrill, Attrill, Hong Organizations: US, Bank of, of, U.S, National Australia Bank, European Central Bank, Reserve Bank of Australia, Nasdaq Locations: Swedish, Hamburg, Germany, Asia, Sterling, U.S, China

☆ Dollar shaky after U.S. credit rating downgrade
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar struggled to make headway on Wednesday after a cut on the U.S. government's top credit rating by Fitch raised questions about the country's fiscal outlook, though it drew some support from a relatively resilient run of economic data. "We don't think the Fitch decision is that material. Elsewhere, the Japanese yen was roughly 0.1% stronger at 143.21 per dollar, paring some of its gains from earlier in the morning. "I think the market is still trying to get their head around what this whole thing means," said NAB's Catril. The New Zealand dollar fell 0.23% to $0.6136, after data on Wednesday showed the country's jobless rate hit a two-year high in the second quarter.

Persons: Fitch, Sterling, we've, Rodrigo Catril, NAB's Catril, Matt Simpson Organizations: AAA, White, U.S, Fitch, National Australia Bank, NAB, Bank of Japan's, Reserve Bank of Australia, Index, New Zealand Locations: States

☆ Dollar shaky after US credit rating downgrade
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. Dollar banknote is seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. "We don't think the Fitch decision is that material. Elsewhere, the Japanese yen was roughly 0.1% stronger at 143.21 per dollar, paring some of its gains from earlier in the morning. "I think the market is still trying to get their head around what this whole thing means," said NAB's Catril. The New Zealand dollar fell 0.23% to $0.6136, after data on Wednesday showed the country's jobless rate hit a two-year high in the second quarter.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Fitch, Sterling, we've, Rodrigo Catril, NAB's Catril, Matt Simpson, Rae Wee, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, AAA, White, U.S, Fitch, National Australia Bank, NAB, Bank of Japan's, Reserve Bank of Australia, Index, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, States

☆ Oil holds near three-month high on signs of tightening supply
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Emily Chow | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped on Tuesday but were still near a three-month high reached in the previous session on signs of tightening global supply, as producers implement output cuts, and strong demand in the United States, the world's biggest fuel consumer. A private sector survey also showed on Tuesday that China's factory activity swung to contraction in July, with supply, demand and export orders all deteriorating amid sluggish market conditions. In June, OPEC+ agreed on a broad deal to limit oil supply into 2024, and Saudi Arabia pledged an additional voluntary cut of 1 million barrels per day for July. National Australia Bank analysts said they expect Saudi Arabia to extend its voluntary 1 million barrels per day (bpd) supply cut into September. U.S. crude oil and gasoline stockpiles were expected to have declined last week, according to a Reuters poll which estimated on average that crude inventories fell by about 900,000 barrels in the week to July 28.

Persons: Brent, Tina Teng, Teng, Christian Schmollinger, Sonali Paul Organizations: Brent, . West Texas, CMC Markets, Organization of Petroleum Exporting, National Australia Bank, NAB, Energy, Administration, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, United States, ., OPEC, Saudi Arabia, Saudi

☆ Australia holds rates steady, might be done tightening
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Markets had leaned toward a steady outcome given recent data showed inflation had eased for a second quarter and consumer spending was softening. However, economists were more split on the outcome, with 20 out of 36 polled by Reuters expecting a hike. Swaps now implied a risk of around 13 basis points of tightening by year end. In a relief for policymakers, headline inflation slowed more than expected in the second quarter while retail sales posted their biggest fall this year in June. "While the RBA retains a tightening bias, we expect the hurdle to another rate hike is high.

Persons: Philip Lowe, Lowe, Michele Bullock, Belinda Allen, Goldman Sachs, Hebe Chen, Stella Qiu, Wayne Cole, Anisha Sircar, Sam Holmes Organizations: SYDNEY, Reserve Bank of Australia, Reuters, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, CBA, National Australia Bank, IG, Reuters Global Markets, Thomson

☆ Point of no return: Australians fight for the right to work from home permanently
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

You can actually finish work at five, rather than finishing at five spending 45 minutes trying to get home." When you have a jolt, you never return to the way the world was," said John Buchanan, head of the University of Sydney's Health and Work Research Network. That same week, the public sector union struck a deal the which lets Australia's 120,000 federal employees request work-from-home an unlimited number of days. By comparison, Canada's federal workers ended a two-week strike in May with a wages agreement that came without the WFH protections they wanted. Among employees with WFH experience, 19% wanted to return to the office full-time, the survey found.

Persons: David Gray, SYDNEY, Nicholas Coomber, Coomber, Jamie Dimon, Elon Musk, John Buchanan, We're, Jones Lang Lasalle, Melissa Donnelly, WFH, Mathias Dolls, Jim Stanford, Stanford, Byron Kaye, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, JPMorgan Chase, Twitter, University of Sydney's Health, Work Research, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australia Bank, NAB, European Union, Community, Public Sector Union, CBA, ifo, Macroeconomics, Stanford University, Workers, Centre, Australia Institute, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Southbank, Australia, New Zealand, Tokyo, New York, JLL.N, Hamburg

☆ Oil holds near three-month high on signs supply is tightening
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oil price were little changed on Tuesday, trading near a three-month high reached on Monday, on signs of tightening global supply as producers implement output cuts and strong demand in the United States, the world's biggest fuel consumer. Brent crude futures for October were at $85.30 a barrel at 0135 GMT, down 13 cents or 0.15% lower from its close. The data showing the supply cuts coincided with U.S. figures released on Monday showing fuel demand rose to 20.78 million bpd in May, the highest since August 2019. The data from the Energy Information Administration also showed gasoline demand, expressed as product supplied to the market, surged to 9.11 million bpd, the highest since June 2022. U.S. crude oil and gasoline stockpiles were expected to have declined last week, according to a Reuters poll which estimated on average that crude inventories fell by about 900,000 barrels in the week to July 28.

Persons: Brent Organizations: Raffles, Brent, . West Texas, of Petroleum, National Australia Bank, Organization of, Petroleum, Energy, Administration Locations: Yantai, East China's Shandong province, United States, ., Saudi, Saudi Arabia, Russia

☆ Gold heads for monthly gain on hopes for an end to rate-hike cycle
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Bars of gold are seen at the Krastsvetmet company, one of the world's largest producers of precious metals in Moscow, Russia on January 31, 2023. Gold prices were bound for their biggest monthly gain in four on Monday as expectations grew that major global central banks may be nearing the end of current monetary policy tightening cycles. Spot gold was down 0.2% at $1,954.79 per ounce by 0431 GMT, while U.S. gold futures slipped 0.4% to $1,953.80 per ounce. Gold prices were set to end the month about 1.8% higher, the most since March, as expectations that U.S. interest rates could be nearing their peak put the dollar on track for its second straight monthly decline. Other precious metals also looked set to post monthly rises, with spot silver leading at 6.5%, but down 0.5% on the day at $24.22 an ounce.

Persons: Matt Simpson, Simpson, Baden Moore Organizations: Federal Reserve, Central Bank, National Australia Bank Locations: Moscow, Russia, China

☆ Asia shares up as China extends rally; Japanese yields a risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) climbed 1.1%, having gained almost 6% so far in July to reach a five-month high. Figures due this week include the U.S. ISM surveys on manufacturing and services, the July payrolls report and European inflation. Investors are still pondering the implications of Friday's shock decision by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to lift the lid on bond yields, in a step away from its ultra-easy policies. Analysts at BofA estimate the BOJ's bond buying added $1.3 trillion to global liquidity in the past 18 months and provided a low floor for global rates, so any sustained rise in Japanese government bond yields could ripple though other bond markets. Japanese 10-year yields climbed further to 0.6% on Monday, still short of the new cap of 1.0%.

Persons: Yen, Bruce Kasman, Ray Attrill, Brent, Wayne Cole, Jamie Freed Organizations: Nikkei, Apple SYDNEY, Apple, JPMorgan, U.S, Bank of England, Reserve Bank of, Nasdaq, Apple Inc, Western Digital Corp, Caterpillar Inc, Starbucks Corp, Devices, Bank of Japan, National Australia Bank, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Reserve Bank of Australia

July 28 (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped in Asian trade on Friday but were on track for a fifth straight week of gains following strong economic data in the U.S., and on speculation over Chinese stimulus measures and OPEC+ output cuts. Brent crude fell 42 cents, or 0.5%, to $83.82 a barrel by 0404 GMT, but was on track for a weekly 3.5% increase. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 34 cents, or 0.4%, to $79.75 a barrel, but were heading for a 3.6% weekly increase. But recent interest rate increases from global central banks seeking to tame stubborn inflation raised questions about long term demand. Earlier this week oil fell after data showed U.S. crude inventories fell less than expected.

Persons: Brent, Jerome Powell's, Baden Moore, Jim Ritterbusch, Laura Sanicola, Andrew Hayley, Lincoln, Sonali Paul Organizations: . West Texas, Commerce Department, Federal, Organization of, Petroleum, bbl, National Australia Bank, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Ritterbusch, Associates, Thomson Locations: U.S, 3Q23, Saudi, Galena , Illinois, Washington, Beijing

☆ Yen advances on BOJ policy tweak speculation, dollar steady
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Nikkei newspaper reported the central bank will maintain its 0.5% cap for the 10-year government bond yield, but discuss allowing long-term interest rates to rise above that level by a certain degree. The Japanese yen strengthened as much as 0.55% to 138.72 per dollar before losing steam to trade at 139.37 on Friday. The BOJ last December stunned the market by widening the yield band and allowing the 10-year yield to rise by up to 0.5%. The story so far has been of policymakers sticking to expectations with the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank hiking by 25 basis point each earlier in the week. Against a basket of currencies, the dollar shot up 0.059% at 101.74, having risen 0.66% overnight.

Persons: Carol Kong, Christine Lagarde, Lagarde, Jerome Powell, Rodrigo Catril, Ankur Banerjee, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, Nikkei, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, ECB, Fed, National Australia Bank . Data, Labor Department, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, U.S, Singapore

☆ Euro staggers as traders wary of hawkish ECB; dollar gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, July 25 (Reuters) - The euro hit a two-week low on Tuesday as a worsening downturn in euro zone business muddied the bloc's rate outlook against a still-hawkish European Central Bank (ECB), while the dollar rose ahead of this week's trio of major central bank meetings. The offshore yuan strengthened in early Asia trade, following comments from China's top leaders on Monday pledging to step up policy support for its flailing economy. Elsewhere, sterling fell 0.11% to $1.2811, while the U.S. dollar index steadied at 101.39. "We continue to expect a combination of monetary, fiscal, property and consumption support measures to be rolled out in the next few months." The Australian dollar , often used as a liquid proxy for the yuan, gained 0.18% to $0.67515, while the kiwi rose 0.06% to $0.6209.

Persons: Rodrigo Catril, Guillermo Felices, Goldman Sachs, Rae Wee, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Central Bank, ECB, National Australia Bank, NAB, U.S, PMI, Federal Reserve, Reuters, Bank of Japan, Australian, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Asia, Germany

☆ Euro staggers as traders wary of hawkish European Central Bank, dollar gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The euro hit a two-week low on Tuesday as a worsening downturn in euro zone business muddied the bloc's rate outlook against a still-hawkish European Central Bank, or ECB, while the dollar rose ahead of this week's trio of major central bank meetings. The offshore yuan strengthened in early Asia trade, following comments from China's top leaders on Monday pledging to step up policy support for its flailing economy. Elsewhere, sterling fell 0.11% to $1.2811, while the U.S. dollar index steadied at 101.39. "We continue to expect a combination of monetary, fiscal, property and consumption support measures to be rolled out in the next few months." The Australian dollar , often used as a liquid proxy for the yuan, gained 0.18% to $0.67515, while the kiwi rose 0.06% to $0.6209.

Persons: Rodrigo Catril, Guillermo Felices, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Central Bank, ECB, National Australia Bank, NAB, Markets, U.S, PMI, Federal Reserve, Reuters, Bank of Japan, Australian Locations: Asia, Germany

☆ Oil ticks up as markets assess falling inventories, potential Chinese stimulus
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 21 (Reuters) - Brent oil prices rose in Asian trading on Friday, as markets assessed the prospect of economic stimulus in China after weak economic data, falling inventories in the U.S. and supply cuts from key producers. China's weak economic figures had kept a lid on prices through the week. However, sentiment across commodity markets has picked up on hopes the central government would roll out more stimulus measures to support the economy. Higher crude prices have come "on positive commentary on China stimulus and looked through impacts from the stronger U.S. dollar index," National Australia Bank analysts said in a note. U.S. crude inventories (USOILC=ECI) fell last week, supported by a jump in crude exports as well as higher refinery utilisation, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Wednesday.

Persons: Brent, WTI, Arathy Somasekhar, Andrew Hayley, Leslie Adler, Lincoln, Jamie Freed Organizations: Brent, U.S, West Texas, National Australia Bank, Beijing, ANZ Bank, ANZ, Energy Information Administration, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Riyadh, Moscow, Houston, Beijing

☆ Gold near 9-week high on weaker dollar, hopes of Fed rate pause
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold prices climbed on Thursday to a near nine-week peak, amid a weaker dollar and bets that the U.S. Federal Reserve might soon pause its interest rate hiking cycle. Spot gold rose 0.4% to $1,984.29 per ounce by 0521 GMT, close to its highest since mid-May. Gold has been supported by the dollar weakening and inflation prints coming in lower, said Brian Lan of Singapore dealer GoldSilver Central. The dollar index was 0.2% lower, close to an over one-year low, making gold cheaper for holders of other currencies. Spot silver rose 0.2% to $25.21 per ounce, platinum was down 0.1% to $971.87 while palladium slipped 0.6% to $1,300.21.

Persons: Brian Lan, We've, Lan, Baden Moore Organizations: U.S . Federal, GoldSilver Central, Investors, National Australia Bank Locations: Brian Lan of Singapore, Asia

☆ Asia stocks split as US-China outlooks diverge
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Overnight the S&P 500 (.SPX) rose 0.7% to hit a three-month high, with results propelling bank shares. Morgan Stanley (MS.N), Bank of America (BAC.N) and Bank of New York Mellon (BK.N) shares rose sharply on strong results and an upbeat outlook overnight. Microsoft (MSFT.O) shares rose 4% - adding $100 billion in market value - after announcing charges for artificial intelligence features in its office software. British inflation data due at 0600 GMT is the next major calendar item and traders are expecting a fall to a still-uncomfortable 8.2% annual pace. "While annual headline inflation fell sharply, which is helpful for inflation expectations, the details suggest persistence in non-tradables inflation."

Persons: Seng, SYDNEY, Dovish, Tapas Strickland, Morgan Stanley, Klaas Knot, Brian Daingerfield, Treasuries, Brent, Lincoln Organizations: Companies, Microsoft, U.S, European Central Bank, New Zealand, Japan's Nikkei, Headline U.S, National Australia Bank, Bank of America, Bank of New York Mellon, NatWest Markets, Bank of, Fed, ECB, ANZ, Thomson Locations: China, Japan, Australia, Asia, Pacific, Hong Kong, South Korea, Sydney, Atlanta, U.S, Europe, New York, New Zealand, Bank of England

☆ Brent oil hovers above $81 after supply disruptions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Natalie Grover | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

On Thursday some oilfields in Libya were shut down because of a local tribe's protest against the kidnapping of a former minister. Separately, Shell suspended loadings of Nigeria's Forcados crude oil owing to a potential leak at a terminal. With the "market in thrall of a ‘tightening’ narrative", any more outages will push the oil price to levels that not even the most ardent bull would have predicted for the second half of the year, Evans added. Both Brent and WTI futures were down slightly at 1207 GMT, with Brent 9 cents lower at $81.27 a barrel and WTI down 11 cents at $76.78. Saudi Arabia and Russia, the world's biggest oil exporters, this month agreed to deepen oil cuts in place since November last year, providing further support to crude prices.

Persons: John Evans, thrall, Evans, Brent, Craig Erlam, Natalie Grover, Sudarshan Varadhan, Katya Golubkova, David Evans, Mark Potter Organizations: Shell, Brent, International Energy Agency, Organization of, Petroleum, National Australia Bank, U.S ., U.S . Federal, OANDA, Thomson Locations: Libya, Nigeria, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, London, Singapore, Tokyo

☆ Australia No.3 bank clinches union deal for staff to work from home
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, July 14 (Reuters) - National Australia Bank (NAB) (NAB.AX), the No.3 lender, reached a deal that lets employees work from home, a union said on Friday, one of the world's first to give private-sector staff legal protection for remote work. This week the Australian federal body that sets public sector wages also agreed to a union request for uncapped work from home days. Some of Australia's biggest companies, including NAB and larger rival Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) (CBA.AX), have set minimum office attendance requirements. A CBA spokesperson said the bank respected its existing union agreement "and those matters that require consultation". 2 bank Westpac (WBC.AX) and the FSU are currently negotiating a new enterprise deal which includes the question of whether to allow work from home, the union said.

Persons: CBA's, Byron Kaye, Jamie Freed, Lincoln Organizations: SYDNEY, National Australia Bank, NAB, Finance Sector Union, FSU, Australia's, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, CBA, Fair, Commission, Westpac, Thomson

Both Brent crude futures and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures , were trading slightly lower. Separately, Shell has suspended loadings of Nigeria's Forcados crude oil due to a potential leak at a terminal. Protests in Libya alone could take away more than 250,000 barrels of oil per day from the market, ANZ Research said. Saudi Arabia and Russia, the world's biggest oil exporters, agreed this month to deepen oil cuts in place since November last year, providing further support to crude prices. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on Thursday upgraded its oil demand forecast for 2023, adding it expected demand to grow 2.2% in 2024.

Persons: Brent, Edward Moya, Sudarshan Varadhan, Katya Golubkova, Jamie Freed, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Kim Coghill Organizations: Shell, Brent, . West Texas, ANZ Research, OANDA, of, Petroleum, National Australia Bank, U.S ., U.S . Federal, Thomson Locations: Libya, Nigeria, SINGAPORE, Saudi Arabia, Russia, TOKYO

☆ Australia No.3 bank reaches union deal that lets staff work from home
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, July 14 (Reuters) - National Australia Bank (NAB) (NAB.AX), the country's No.3 lender, reached a deal that lets employees work from home, a union representing staff said on Friday, one of the first in the world to give legal protection for remote work. The deal breaks new ground in a global standoff between private sector companies and their staff since employers started calling an end to home-working arrangements that were precipitated by COVID-19. Some of Australia's biggest companies, including NAB's larger rival Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) (CBA.AX), have set minimum office attendance requirements but the country's capital city office vacancies remain around one-sixth, far higher than pre-pandemic levels. The deal comes after the FSU took CBA, the country's biggest bank which has 49,000 staff, to the industrial regulator this week over a directive to return to the office 50% of the time. In Australia, the federal government agency that sets public sector wages agreed this week to a union request for uncapped days spent working from home.

Persons: CBA's, Byron Kaye, Jamie Freed Organizations: SYDNEY, National Australia Bank, NAB, Finance Sector Union, FSU, Australia's, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, CBA, Fair, Commission, Thomson Locations: U.S, Australia

☆ Asian shares rise, dollar dips as traders await US inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Japanese yen strengthened against most major currencies and last fetched 139.43 against the dollar, its highest in a month. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) was 0.61% higher, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index (.AXJO) rose 0.54%. "However, if the core CPI decelerates as anticipated, investors may continue to keep the odds for September and November rate hikes low." China shares (.SSEC) eased 0.14%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index (.HSI) rose 0.5% in early trading. The dollar index , which measures the U.S. currency against six peers, fell 0.197% at 101.40, having slid as low as 101.37, its lowest in two months.

Persons: Australia's, Hong, Rodrigo Catril, Wells, Saira Malik, Brent, Ankur Banerjee Organizations: Federal, Japan's Nikkei, Reuters, Saxo Markets, National Australia Bank, Investor, JPMorgan, Citigroup, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Asia, Pacific, Japan, China, Wall, dealmaking

☆ National Australia Bank to change home loan refinancing criteria
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 7 (Reuters) - National Australia Bank (NAB) (NAB.AX) on Friday said it would refresh its approach to like-for-like refinancing criteria to help customers who would otherwise fail to meet an industry standard that assesses their ability to repay loans. Last month, top lender Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA.AX) cut its buffer rate for some borrowers refinancing their existing home loan to 1% from the industry standard of 3%. After NAB, ANZ Group Holdings (ANZ.AX) is the only bank left among the top four to ease refinancing loans criteria for customers unable to meet APRA standard. NAB said the changes to its refinancing criteria will apply from July 21, but added that it will take a "case-by-case" approach when assessing appropriate serviceability. Reporting by Himanshi Akhand and Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Varun H KOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Himanshi Akhand, Sameer Manekar, Varun Organizations: National Australia Bank, NAB, Reuters, The, Prudential Regulation Authority, APRA, Reserve Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Westpac Banking Corp, ANZ Group Holdings, ANZ, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

Fears of a further slowdown hurting fuel demand grew after data on Friday showed U.S. inflation still outpacing the central bank's 2% target and stoked expectations it would hike interest rates again. Brent crude futures were down 4 cents to $75.37 a barrel by 0800 GMT after settling up 0.8% on Friday. "Hawkish commentary on rates continues to raise concerns of the demand outlook weighing on prices," National Australia Bank analysts said in a note. Higher interest rates could strengthen the greenback, making commodities more expensive for holders of other currencies, and also dampen oil demand. Oil demand is set to jump to its highest level ever in the second half of the year," PVM analyst Tamas Varga said.

Persons: Brent, WTI, Tamas Varga, Alex Lawler, Natalie Grover, Florence Tan, Emily Chow, Sonali Paul, David Evans Organizations: PMI, U.S . Federal, Brent, . West Texas, National Australia Bank, P Global, Saudi, Petroleum Reserve, Thomson Locations: China, Saudi, U.S, Saudi Arabia, London, Singapore

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