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☆ Argentina farmers eye election showdown with doubt and mistrust
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Maximilian Heath | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Tomas... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreBUENOS AIRES, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Argentina's farmers, some of the world's most important producers of soy, corn, wheat and beef, have some strong views on the country's polarized presidential election finalists: untrustworthy and unreliable. Sara Gardiol, president of the Confederation of Rural Associations of farm province Santa Fe, said that statements from both appeared to be little more than empty words. "It is a very difficult moment for Argentina, but critical situations can also provide opportunities," he said. "I hope that this opportunity allows us to recalibrate things, to talk with the different actors, but also to make sure things are clear and concrete." Reporting by Maximilian Heath; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sergio Massa, Javier Milei, Tomas, Patricia Bullrich, Horacio Deciancio, Massa, Deciancio, Sara Gardiol, Carlos Achetoni, Maximilian Heath, Adam Jourdan, Marguerita Choy Organizations: por la Patria, La Libertad, National University of Santiago, Sunday, Peronist, Business, of Rural, Argentine Agrarian Federation, FAA, Thomson Locations: Argentina, National University of Santiago del Estero, Santiago del Estero, BUENOS AIRES, San Vicente, Buenos Aires, Santa Fe

☆ I'm a mom in Japan, home to the world's healthiest kids—4 things Japanese parents do differently to raise successful eaters
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Yuko Tamura | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Shokuiku encourages parents and schools to teach kids where their food comes from and how it affects our mind and body. This concept has been an integral part of Japan's culture, and it's a big reason why we're home to some of the world's healthiest children. As a mother raising a young daughter in Japan, here's what Japanese parents do differently to raise happy and adventurous eaters:1. Some preschools have kids harvest vegetables to eat for lunch, while in elementary schools, they learn about the farms that produce vegetables, fish and other foods. While many preschools also provide lunches, homemade bento lunches can play an important role in promoting shokuiku.

Persons: Sagen Ishizuka, Shokuiku, bento, daughter's bento, Yuko Tamura, bok choy Organizations: UNICEF, European Union, OECD Locations: Japan, shokuiku

U.S. President Joe Biden attends a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (not pictured), as he visits Israel amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 18, 2023. Biden noted at the start of the meeting that the EU and the U.S. were standing together to support Israel and Ukraine, but would also discuss ways to address "unfairly traded steel and aluminum imports" and talks about critical minerals. Trade negotiators had scrambled on Thursday to avoid the U.S. resuming import tariffs on EU steel and aluminum imposed by then-President Donald Trump in 2018, ultimately agreeing to keep the tariffs at bay while they keep talking. "We look forward to continuing to make progress on these important objectives in the next two months," it said. The joint statement cited progress toward a "targeted" deal, and said the leaders looked forward to continuing negotiations in the coming weeks.

Persons: Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Evelyn Hockstein, Washington, Charles Michel, Ursula von der Leyen, Biden, Michel, Donald Trump, Andrea Shalal, Jeff Mason, Jarrett Renshaw, Heather Timmons, Jonathan Oatis, Alistair Bell, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Israeli, Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, European Union, White, Senior U.S, European, European Commission, Ukraine, EU, ., Trade, United Steelworkers, Biden, Trump, Washington, World Trade Organization, U.S, Thomson Locations: Israel, Tel Aviv, U.S, Ukraine, China, Brussels, Washington, North America, Europe

☆ S&P upgrades Greece to investment grade for first time since 2010 crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 20 (Reuters) - S&P Global is the first among the “big three” rating agencies to upgrade Greece to investment grade since the country’s debt crisis in 2010. The other two agencies, Fitch and Moody's, rate the country one notch below investment grade. DBRS Morningstar upgraded Greece's rating to investment grade BBB (low) last month. Greece expects economic output to rise 3% in 2024 following a 2.3% expansion this year more than twice the eurozone average. It’s trading as investment grade anyway,” Rabobank senior rates strategist Lyn Graham-Taylor told Reuters.

Persons: Fitch, DBRS Morningstar, Lyn Graham, Taylor, Akshita, Harry Robertson, Shailesh Kuber, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Global, BBB, Reuters, Greece's, Rabobank, Thomson Locations: Greece, Bengaluru, Lefteris, Athens

☆ Powerful Mexican oil union boss who became symbol of corruption dies at 79
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Dave Graham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Local media reported that Romero Deschamps died of a heart attack on Thursday. Days earlier, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced that Romero Deschamps was under criminal investigation for corruption, allegations which he denied and was never prosecuted for. Romero Deschamps was included in a list of the "10 Most Corrupt Mexicans" published by Forbes in 2013. He, however, rode out scandals even as other top Mexican union leaders fell foul of the law, including the former boss of the powerful teachers' union, Elba Esther Gordillo, who was arrested on fraud charges early in 2013. While a government audit later revealed anomalies covering 2.3 billion pesos ($188.97 million) in the so-called Pemexgate scandal, Romero Deschamps himself escaped unscathed.

Persons: Carlos Romero Deschamps, Petroleos, Edgard Garrido, Romero Deschamps, Pemex, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Enrique Pena Nieto, Elba Esther Gordillo, Francisco Labastida, Paulina, Jose Carlos, Ferrari Enzo, Lopez Obrador, Dave Graham, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, MEXICO CITY, Local, Institutional Revolutionary Party, Senate, Pemex, Forbes, Reforma, Thomson Locations: Mexico City, Mexico, MEXICO, Latin America, Mexico's, Tampico, Tamaulipas, Hidalgo, Cancun, Europe, Miami

Several attendees in the virtual meeting noted that U.S. corn yield has landed below USDA’s trend yield for five consecutive years now, prompting questions as to whether the calculation will be revisited for future seasons. The market’s main grievance with the recent yield pattern is that negative price implications could arise if trend yield starts out too high, since it may cause U.S. corn supplies to be overstated early on. Trend yield is set forth by USDA’s World Board and is based off a publicly documented model written in 2012. They also suggested that consecutive bad weather years can skew the view of true trend yield. In the last five years including 2023, corn yield fell below trend in each year and by an average of 6.1 bpa (3.4%).

Persons: Daniel Acker, Karen Braun, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Department, USDA’s, Agency, USDA, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tiskilwa , Illinois, U.S, Rights NAPERVILLE , Illinois

[1/4] Maria Corina Machado, candidate of the Vente Venezuela party for the opposition primaries and Freddy Superlano, leader of the Voluntad Popular party, raise their arms as they pose for pictures after a press conference, in Caracas, Venezuela October 13, 2023. The primary is the first held by Venezuela's opposition in over a decade. Favorite Maria Corina Machado is barred from holding public office, in a move criticized by the opposition and the U.S alike, and it is not clear what will happen if she wins the primary. Two other candidates - former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles and ex-lawmaker Freddy Superlano - have already withdrawn their candidacies because of similar disqualifications. The U.S. government has conveyed to Maduro bans must be lifted for all opposition presidential candidates by the end of November in exchange for sanction relief, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday.

Persons: Maria Corina Machado, Freddy Superlano, Leonardo Fernandez, Nicolas Maduro, Henrique Capriles, MARIA CORINA MACHADO, Machado, CARLOS PROSPERI Prosperi, Prosperi, Solorzano, Deisy Buitrago, Vivian Sequera, Mayela Armas, Oliver Griffin, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Voters, U.S, World Bank, Inter, American Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, Accion Democratica, Criminal Court, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Venezuela, Caracas, CARACAS, U.S, Guarico

A state oil company PDVSA's logo is seen at a gas station in Caracas, Venezuela May 17, 2019. The U.S. on Wednesday lifted most restrictions on Venezuela for six months for producing, selling and exporting oil to its chosen markets. But it is not expected to significantly boost Venezuela's deteriorated oil production or immediately lead to stronger exports. Venezuela can now receive direct payments for goods or services under the license issued by OFAC, which oversees American sanctions. PDVSA and Venezuela's oil ministry did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Persons: Ivan Alvarado, PDVSA, Washington, Pedro Tellechea, Francisco Monaldi, Rice, Nicolas Maduro's, Monaldi, Maduro, Spain's, Joe Biden's, Marianna Parraga, Will Dunham, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Treasury's, Foreign Assets, Oil, OFAC, Washington, Chevron, Baker Institute, Venezuelan, Citgo Petroleum, Valero Energy, PBF Energy, India's Reliance Industries, Nayara Energy, Eni, Thomson Locations: Caracas, Venezuela, Venezuelan, U.S, Asia, PDVSA, United States, American, CHINA, EUROPE, China, India, PetroChina, Houston, Maduro, Washington

The Justice Department has called witnesses who testified about Google's payments, billions of dollars annually, to smartphone makers and wireless companies to make Google search the default on devices, and win more users. Others testified how search dominance led to clout in online advertising, including the ability to quietly raise ad prices. He also testified about how Google used machine learning tools that it developed to improve its search. Nayak's discussions of improving search appeared to downplay the role that search query volume played, implicitly disagreeing with Microsoft (MSFT.O) CEO Satya Nadella's arguments that his company needed more search queries to improve its Bing search engine but was being blocked by Google. Nayak also testified that Google compared its results to answers from Microsoft's search engine Bing, and found Bing to be lower quality.

Persons: Eric Gaillard, Pandu Nayak, Satya Nadella's, Amit Mehta, Nayak, Bing, Diane Bartz, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Microsoft, WASHINGTON, Google, The, Thomson

An Indigenous named Raimundo Praia from Mura people looks on in a deforested area of a non-demarcated indigenous land in the Amazon rainforest near Humaita, Amazonas State, Brazil, August 20, 2019. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Brazil Potash Corp FollowBRASILIA, Oct 18 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court has overturned an injunction suspending the license for Canadian firm Brazil Potash Corp to build Latin America's largest fertilizer mine in the Amazon rainforest. She also ruled that a license must come from federal environmental agency IBAMA and not state agency IPAAM. Brazil Potash on Wednesday declined to comment on the ruling, which was based on an appeal by the state environmental agency IPAAM. Brazil Potash says it would have minor environmental impact because salt separated from the potash at a processing plant would be returned underground.

Persons: Raimundo, Ueslei Marcelino, IPAAM, Jaiza, Alexandre Silveira, Silveira, Soares, Joenia Wapichana, Sergio Mura, Stan Bharti's Forbes, Governor Wilson Lima, Anthony Boadle, Marguerita Choy, Bill Berkrot, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Brazil, Corp, Federal Regional Tribunal, Reuters, Mines, Energy, Funai, Capital, Stan Bharti's Forbes & Manhattan Group, Thomson Locations: Raimundo Praia, Mura, Humaita, Amazonas State, Brazil, BRASILIA, Manaus, , Brasilia, Autazes, Amazonas, Toronto

Data from Mexico's financial products watchdog Condusef shows that the accounts would be the highest-yielding ones offered in the local financial sector. Other Latin American fintechs like Brazil's Nubank (NUN.MX) and Argentina's UALA have also launched savings accounts this year in Mexico, where data from the national statistics agency showed less than half of the population has savings accounts. The Mexican arms of Nubank and UALA both offer 9% yields on their savings accounts, already much higher than most banks. Stori expects to reach 3 million savings account holders by the end of next year, said its General Manager of New Products Sergio Duenas. ($1 = 18.0044 Mexican pesos)Reporting by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by David Alire Garcia, Christian Plumb and Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Marlene Garayzar, Sergio Duenas, Valentine Hilaire, David Alire Garcia, Christian Plumb, Marguerita Choy Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Wednesday, Reuters, The Bank of, New, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, Mexico, The Bank of Mexico, Nubank

☆ Sergio Massa: can Argentine political wheeler-dealer save Peronism?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Nicolás Misculin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Argentina's Economic Minister Sergio Massa and Brazil's Finance Minister Fernando Haddad (not pictured) hold a news conference, at the Casa Rosada presidential palace in Buenos Aires, Argentina, January 23, 2023. Massa has his own political structures," a spokesman for the ruling party told Reuters. He studied at a Catholic school in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, joined a conservative political party and then shifted to Peronism. He rose to chief of staff under Fernandez de Kirchner(2007-15), though later left her government under a cloud and set up his own political party. He finished third in the first round of voting when he ran for president in 2015, before he returned to the Peronist coalition as a congressman in 2019.

Persons: Sergio Massa, Fernando Haddad, Agustin Marcarian, Javier Milei, Massa, Julio Burdman, Agustin Rossi, Patricia Bullrich, Alberto Fernandez, grandee Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Kirchner, Fernandez de Kirchner, Nicolás Misculin, Adam Jourdan, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Argentina's Economic, Brazil's Finance, Casa, REUTERS, Peronist, Observatory, Reuters, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, BUENOS AIRES, U.S, Peronism, Tigre

☆ How the US will cut off China from more AI chips
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

CAPTURING MORE CHIPSThe original rules last year restricted chips if they met a two-pronged test for how much computing power the chips contained and how fast they could talk to other chips. Nvidia (NVDA.O) , the top AI chip supplier, responded by creating chips that stayed just under the communication limits for the Chinese market but that still proved useful for AI work. BLACKLISTING CHINA'S NVIDIA CHALLENGERSChip industry watchers believe that if U.S. AI chips are banned in China, Chinese firms will seek to fill the void in the market. On Tuesday, U.S. officials added two leading Chinese chip startups, Biren and Moore Threads, to a U.S. trade blacklist. That threshold would encompass nearly all advanced AI chips and is aimed at helping chip factories spot efforts to work around the rules.

Persons: Florence Lo, Biden, Moore, Stephen Nellis, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Nvidia, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, San, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Macau, San Francisco

Facebook's new rebrand logo Meta is seen on smartphone in front of displayed logo of Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Whatsapp and Oculus in this illustration picture taken October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Meta Platforms Inc FollowWASHINGTON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Lawyers for Meta (META.O), which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, and the U.S. government tangled on Tuesday over the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's plan to toughen a 2019 privacy order. Speaking for Meta on Tuesday, James Rouhandeh argued that Judge Timothy Kelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia had jurisdiction to take the case and should scrap the FTC's proposal because Meta had not agreed to it. Arguing for the FTC, Zachary Cowan of the Justice Department said that it was the agency's decision on whether its settlements should be changed and the district court had no jurisdiction. Essentially, the fight is whether Meta and the FTC, if they fail to settle, will go to district court or an FTC judge to decide if the 2019 agreement will be modified.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, James Rouhandeh, Timothy Kelly, Meta, Zachary Cowan, Kelly, Diane Bartz, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Facebook, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Meta, U.S, U.S . Federal, District of Columbia, Justice Department, FTC, Thomson Locations: toughen

Inventories reached 102 million barrels on Oct. 6, up from 85 million barrels a year earlier, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (“Weekly petroleum status report”, EIA, Oct. 12). Stocks were 13 million barrels (+15% or +1.18 standard deviations) above the prior seasonal average for 2015-2022 and just 1 million barrels below the all-time high of 103 million set in November 2015. Inventories ended winter 2022/23 around 10 million barrels (+22% or +0.98 standard deviations) above the seasonal average and the surplus has continued to swell despite strong exports. U.S. petroleum refineries also produced 59 million barrels of propane between January and July 2023, unchanged from the same period in 2013. Shipments to the Netherlands (25 million barrels), Singapore (18 million), Indonesia (17 million), Brazil (14 million), Belgium (14 million), Spain (14 million) and Chile (13 million) took the share to more than 80%.

Persons: Terry Wade, Stocks, John Kemp, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Apache Corp, REUTERS, U.S . Energy Information Administration, Thomson, Reuters Locations: West Texas, Mont Belvieu, Texas, U.S, Chartbook, East Asia, Latin America, Europe, Japan, Mexico, China, South Korea, Netherlands, Singapore, Indonesia, Brazil, Belgium, Spain, Chile, Asia, Saudi

"You have to have a backbone to govern this country," Bullrich, the candidate for the Together for Change coalition, told Reuters at a recent press event. Bullrich is facing front-runner libertarian economist Javier Milei, who is promising more extreme policies, and economy minister Sergio Massa. She also cited the strong political machinery of the conservative coalition. Bullrich, replying to Reuters, said that the coalition - win or lose - would be a strong political force with around 10-11 governors and large presence in Congress. Another voter, 61-year-old retiree Patricia Amalia Rojas, said she backed Bullrich for her tough line on gangs and crime.

Persons: Patricia Bullrich, Bullrich, Javier Milei, Sergio Massa, Fernando de la Rua, Mauricio Macri, Cristian Ritondo, Maria Alejandra Ferreyra, Milei, Horacio Larreta, Ana Balcarce, Lomas de Zamora, Macri, Facundo Martinez Maino, Patricia Amalia Rojas, Eliana Raszewski, Adam Jourdan, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Peronist, Change, Reuters, Milei, Massa, Buenos Aires, University of Avellaneda, Lomas, Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: BUENOS AIRES, Argentine, Argentina, Buenos Aires, Bullrich, Buenos

☆ More Chinese companies vow share buybacks as market sags further
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

People cross a street during morning rush hour in front of the skyline of the central business district (CBD) in Beijing, China December 15, 2020. This follows more than a hundred Chinese companies committing to buybacks or withdrawing share sales in August after China imposed new rules as part of measures to shore up a sinking stock market as the country's post-COVID-19 recovery lost momentum. Its blue-chip stock index <.CSI300>, however, is near one-year lows as investor sentiment remained weak in recent months despite stimulus policies to shore up confidence. Meanwhile, more than 70 other companies in filings vowed that their major shareholders would not sell shares in the coming months, or withdrew plans to offload shares. Reporting by Jason Xue in Shanghai and Tom Westbrook in Singapore Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Jason Xue, Tom Westbrook, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, China Petroleum & Chemical Corp, China Railway Construction Corp, China Mobile, Wanma Technology, GoodWe Technologies, Central Huijin Investment, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Shanghai, Singapore

Rite Aid, one of the largest U.S. pharmacy retailers, stumbled under its high debt, revenue declines, increased competition, and opioid litigation, according to its court filings. Founded in 1962, Rite Aid employs 45,000 people at more than 2,000 retail stores in 17 states, and will remain open for business during the bankruptcy. Rite Aid, which has denied wrongdoing, said it hopes to reach an "equitable" settlement of opioid litigation in bankruptcy. A woman shops inside a Rite Aid store underneath a DeepCam security camera in New York City, New York, U.S., June 25, 2020. Rite Aid closed 200 stores before its bankruptcy, and it expects to close more as its Chapter 11 case proceeds.

Persons: Lucas Jackson, McKesson, Jeffrey Stein, Elizabeth Burr, Leroy Leo, Abinaya Vijayaraghavan, Mariam Sunny, Arun Koyyur, Marguerita Choy, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Rite Aid, Rite, Endo International, REUTERS, Bankruptcy, District of, MedImpact Healthcare Systems, Elixir ., Rite Aid . Rite, Aid, Thomson Locations: U.S, New York City , New York, District of New Jersey, Bengaluru

REUTERS/Bruno Kelly Acquire Licensing RightsMANAUS, Brazil, Oct 16 (Reuters) - The Amazon River fell to its lowest level in over a century on Monday at the heart of the Brazilian rainforest as a record drought upends the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and damages the jungle ecosystem. Rapidly drying tributaries to the mighty Amazon have left boats stranded, cutting off food and water supplies to remote villages, while high water temperatures are suspected of killing more than 100 endangered river dolphins. That is the lowest level since records began in 1902, passing a previous all-time low set in 2010. After months without rain, rainforest villager Pedro Mendonca was relieved when a Brazilian NGO delivered supplies to his riverside community near Manaus late last week. The drought has threatened their access to food, drinking water and medicines, which are usually transported by river.

Persons: Bruno Kelly, Pedro Mendonca, Mendonca, Santa Helena do, Nelson Mendonca, Santa Helena do Ingles, Luciana Valentin, Jake Spring, Gabriel Stargardter, Steven Grattan, Marguerita Choy, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Rio Negro, Brazil's Science Ministry, El, Fundacao Amazonia Sustentavel, Sao Paulo, Thomson Locations: Rio Negro, Manaus, Brazil, Rights MANAUS, Brazilian, Santa Helena, Santa Helena do Ingles, Amazonas, parched, Sao

After college, Sheffield worked for Amoco Corp and later joined his father-in-law's oil company and became CEO five years later. That company would become Pioneer Natural Resources. On his return, he made Permian oil its sole focus: putting natural gas processing, oilfield services and South Texas shale assets on the block. He also embraced an emerging philosophy that emphasized shareholder returns over rapid production gains, rejecting a plan to more than quadruple Pioneer's oil production by 2026. Two of Sheffield's most significant insights were the major role technology would play in reshaping U.S. oil production and the recognition that big oil companies would eventually control the Permian, he said.

Persons: Scott Sheffield, Eduardo Munoz, Texas oilman Scott Sheffield, Dan Pickering, Sheffield's, Bryan Sheffield, Scott, Boone, Daniel Yergin, Sheffield, Darren Woods, he's, Doug Sheridan, He's, Bruce Vincent, Bryan, Arathy Somasekhar, Gary McWilliams, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Natural Resources Company, REUTERS, Rights, Natural Resources, Sheffield, Exxon Mobil, Pickering Energy Partners, SCHOOL Oil, Atlantic Richfield Co, Tehran school's American, Formentera Partners, Amoco Corp, Energy, Exxon, DoublePoint Energy, EnergyPoint Research, Swift Energy, Thomson Locations: New York, Texas, U.S, TEHRAN, Atlantic Richfield, Iran, Tehran, West Texas, Boone Pickens, South Texas, Sheffield, Houston

☆ Oil, Treasuries, gold prices jump amid Mideast fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Caroline Valetkevitch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 26, 2023. Spot gold added 3.2% on the day to $1,928.99 an ounce, and had its biggest weekly percentage gain since March. "Everything that's going on in the Middle East is getting more and more unfortunately depressing and seems to have the potential to get worse," he said. The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) lost 0.98% and MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe (.MIWD00000PUS) shed 0.81%. The dollar was also helped by safe-haven buying driven by the escalating Middle East conflict.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Treasuries, Brent, Marvin Loh, Herbert Lash, Ankur Banerjee, Naomi Rovnick, Marguerita Choy, Richard Chang Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Companies, Treasury, JPMorgan, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Israel, Gaza, Boston, New York

Crude oil storage tanks are seen in an aerial photograph at the Cushing oil hub in Cushing, Oklahoma, U.S. April 21, 2020. The conflict in the Middle East has had little impact on global oil and gas supplies, and Israel is not a big producer. Iran's Oil Minister Javad Owji said on Friday oil prices are expected to reach $100 per barrel due to the current situation in the Middle East, according to the ministry's news agency SHANA. If the U.S. tightens enforcement of sanctions on Iran's oil exports due to any role it may have in the conflict, then Iran's oil supply could fall. On the U.S. supply front, drillers this week added four oil rigs in the biggest weekly rise since March, Baker Hughes said.

Persons: Brent, WTI, Israel, Javad Owji, SHANA, Iran's, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Andrew Lipow, Baker Hughes, Stephanie Kelly, Paul Carsten, Katya Golubkova, Andrew Hayley, Marguerita Choy, David Gregorio, Paul Simao Organizations: REUTERS, Companies, . West Texas, Iran's Oil, Hezbollah, U.S, Wall Street, Lipow Oil Associates, The, of, Petroleum, drillers, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Thomson Locations: Cushing , Oklahoma, U.S, Gaza Saudi Arabia, Israel, Gaza, Tehran, Lebanese, Saudi Arabia, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Iran, China, New York, London, Tokyo, Beijing

Janet Yellen, United States Secretary of Treasury, participates in global infrastructure and investment forum in New York, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. Seth Wenig/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMARRAKECH, Morocco, Oct 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Reuters on Friday that she still believes U.S. shelter inflation will continue to ease despite new consumer price data on Thursday showing a jump in housing costs, but the process may take some time. "We do definitely believe that's coming down over time," Yellen said in an interview on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in Morocco. Yellen has long said that housing costs, will ease over time, helping to bring down core inflation, and said Thursday's CPI report has not deterred her from that view. "I think we have very good reason to believe, with lags, that will come down, and I don't think there's anything in the report that would cause us to think that's a mistake in judgment," Yellen said.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Seth Wenig, Yellen, David Lawder, Andrea Ricci, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Treasury, Rights, . Treasury, Reuters, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Federal Reserve, CPI, Thomson Locations: United States, New York, Rights MARRAKECH, Morocco

☆ Japan tells G20 it may need to act in FX market
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The remarks came as the yen renewed its declines against the dollar, and underscored Tokyo's resolve to keep markets on edge over the chance of exchange-rate intervention to prop up the Japanese currency. "I told the G20 meeting we need to be mindful of the risk that market volatility could heighten, including in the currency market, as monetary tightening continues globally," Suzuki told a news conference after attending a meeting of Group of 20 (G20) finance ministers and central bank governors. "I also said excess volatility in the currency market was undesirable, and that we may need to take appropriate action depending on developments," Suzuki said. The official said Tokyo stood ready to act in the currency market if market moves become too volatile. Japan last intervened in the currency market to prop up the yen in September and October last year.

Persons: Shunichi Suzuki, Susana Vera, Suzuki, Kazuo Ueda, Leika Kihara, Cynthia Osterman, David Gregorio, Marguerita Choy Organizations: International Monetary Fund, World Bank, REUTERS, Japanese Finance, . Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, Group, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Tokyo, MARRAKECH, Japan

☆ Growing tanker fleet, cheaper freight challenge Russian oil price cap
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Jonathan Saul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

It also means that enforcing the price cap will have a limited impact on Russian revenues. Had the oil price been above $60 at the time, sanctions would have severely disrupted Russian exports. However, the price for most Russian oil only rose above $60 in July, which meant traders, shipping companies and Russian exporters had months to prepare. So many vessels are willing to sail loaded with Russian oil that freight rates have fallen - effectively handing Russian producers even more revenues. Freight rates for Russian Urals crude shipments to Asia for October cargoes plunged to the lowest levels since the implementation of the price cap, traders said.

Persons: Shun, Tatiana Meel, Mike Salthouse, Sellers, ” Claire McCleskey, Jonathan Saul, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, United Arab, Intelligence, Reuters, International Energy Agency, Shipping, U.S, Link, Thomson Locations: Nakhodka Bay, Nakhodka, Russia, LONDON, refiners, China, India, U.S, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Moscow, Ukraine, Baltic, Asia, Saudi Arabia, Novorossiysk, East, Africa, Latin America, London, MOSCOW

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