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The blue-chip index (.FTSE) fell 0.3%, down for the third straight session, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 (.FTMC) shed 0.4% as of 0829 GMT. The FTSE 100 had a good run earlier this month, buoyed by strength in commodity stocks and defensives like pharmaceuticals. However, markets have taken to a wait-and-see mode as earnings kicked in, to assess the impact of monetary tightening on results. Oil and gas stocks (.FTNMX601010) rose 0.6% as crude prices gained on reports of falling U.S. crude oil and fuel inventories. Drax Group's shares (DRX.L) rose 3.8% after the power generator announced a 150 million pound ($187 mln) share buyback programme.

SummarySummary Companies Britain's house prices show weak rise in AprilBunelm gains on Stifel upgradeMedica Group surges on buyout dealFTSE 100 down 0.2%, FTSE 250 adds 0.2%April 24 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 fell on Monday as energy stocks and base metal miners lost ground on weak demand outlook, while caution set in ahead of a busy week of earnings. Oil giants BP (BP.L) and Shell (SHEL.L) lost 0.9% and 1.2%, respectively, as crude prices fell more than 1% on concerns about rising interest rates, global economic slowdown and fuel demand outlook. The FTSE 100 (.FTSE) fell 0.2%, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 (.FTMC) was up 0.2%, as of 0821 GMT. Growth companies, including Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), Google parent Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) and Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O), are scheduled to report their earnings this week. The FTSE 100 logged its fifth consecutive weekly rise on Friday, marking its longest streak of weekly gains in more than a year, buoyed by commodity stocks, even as weak global economic growth outlook keeps investor sentiment subdued.

☆ Analysis: China rebound buoys hopes for stronger-than-expected US, Europe earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Joice Alves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But recent data and upbeat comments from major companies like LVMH (LVMH.PA), Europe's most valuable listed company, about business in China have given investors some cause for optimism. Refinitiv I/B/E/S data points to a 2.5% decline in earnings growth in the first quarter for STOXX 600 (.STOXX) companies, down from a forecast for 5.4% growth prior to the banking chaos. Europe is headed for a recession too, the data shows, with a drop in earnings of 5.4% expected in the second quarter. But stubbornly high inflation means major central banks are expected to continue to hike rates, at least in May. European financials are expected to report first-quarter earnings growth of 31%, according to Refinitiv.

The Ukraine war made energy and other commodities even more expensive than they were during the pandemic, prompting a global cost-of-living crisis. What has that done to their market share as competitors may be pricing lower and gaining share?" Tineke Frikkee, a fund manager at Unilever and Reckitt investor Waverton Asset Management, said. "Price rises should gradually decelerate as input costs do the same," Frikkee said, adding that companies should instead be investing in product innovation. "It will be a delicate balance, with consumer disposable income stretched in many key markets for these firms," Jack Martin, a fund manager at Unilever investor Oberon Investments, said.

☆ Fact Check-Biden spoke to people on a balcony behind him during Northern Ireland university event
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. President Joe Biden turned to speak to people standing on a balcony above and behind where he was giving a speech at a university in Belfast during his recent visit to Northern Ireland, in April 2023. Users on social media, however, said a video of the moment shows him talking to an “invisible” or imaginary audience. The day after, he spoke at Belfast's Ulster University. The attendees are also visible in the broadcasts published by the White House and Ulster University ( here ), ( here ). Biden looked backwards at people standing behind him during an event in Northern Ireland.

☆ Fact Check-Photo shows 2015 demolition of Istanbul’s rainbow stairs due to construction work, not to erase political message
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A photograph showing Istanbul’s iconic rainbow stairs being demolished in 2015 due to construction has been miscaptioned by users online. A post with more than 3.3 million views at the time of publishing can be seen (here) with the caption, “Yes. There is no reference in the article to the stairs being destroyed in 2015 because of a visual reference to the LGBTQ community. Several other reports have also quoted Cetinel saying that painting the stairs did not stem from a political message, (here), and (here). This photo shows the demolition of Istanbul’s rainbow stairs due to construction work in 2015, and the painter of the stairs has said he was not inspired by activism and they do not have a political message.

☆ Fact Check-Fabricated Joe Biden tweet about anti-LGBTQ legislation passed by Uganda’s parliament shared online
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The image also purports to show replies from Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni and Russian President Vladimir Putin. There is no record of the tweets, and the handles differ from the official accounts of these world leaders. Reuters reported that Uganda’s parliament passed a law making it a crime to identify as part of the LGBTQ community on March 21, 2023. There is a spacing issue with Biden’s handle, which appears to have a space between “Joe” and “Biden” in the screenshot circulating online. An alleged tweet by Joe Biden on Uganda’s law making it a crime to identify as LGBTQ has been fabricated.

☆ Column: The new US Social Security forecast: what it means for retirees
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Mark Miller | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But if the headlines stemming from the annual report of the Social Security trustees jangled you, take a deep breath. The report, released on March 31, forecasts that the Social Security retirement trust fund reserves will be depleted in 2033. What does the new Social Security forecast mean for current and future retirees? But the trust fund also can accumulate balances when Social Security runs surpluses, as has been the case for the last several decades. A: Social Security collects FICA contributions only up to a certain level of wages - $160,200 this year.

☆ Morning Bid: Markets brush off OPEC as factories stall
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike DolanRelatively calm world markets have brushed off OPEC's latest twist and focussed more squarely on stalled global manufacturing and edgy U.S.-China relations. Crude oil prices held much of Monday's pop higher on the surprise weekend production cut by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. But Brent crude remains below levels seen just before the Silicon Valley Bank bust last month and is still tracking year-on-year declines of 20%. Strikingly, both short and long-term inflation expectations embedded in the Treasury markets , have barely budged since the OPEC news. McCarthy, the third-most-senior U.S. leader after the president and vice president, is due to host a meeting in California on Wednesday with Tsai.

☆ Next boss: downturn in UK economy won't be long lasting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 29 (Reuters) - The boss of British fashion retailer Next (NXT.L) said on Wednesday he did not think the downturn in the UK economy would be long lasting and anticipates a sharp recovery in 2024. Recent gauges of Britain's economy, such as consumer confidence data, have suggested it could sidestep a prolonged recession which had been widely predicted last year. "We've never thought that the downturn would be long-lasting," Next CEO Simon Wolfson told Reuters after the retailer reported full-year results. Next said it would not need to increase prices this year by as much as previously thought. However higher costs for wages and energy are still expected to reduce its profit this year.

☆ UK stocks climb as banks, export-focused companies rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SummarySummary Companies FTSE 100 up 0.3%, FTSE 250 adds 0.3%March 29 (Reuters) - UK stocks edged higher on Wednesday, supported by gains in banks amid easing fears of a financial sector meltdown, while shares of export-focused energy and materials companies gained as the pound weakened. The exporters-heavy FTSE 100 (.FTSE) rose 0.3% as the pound slipped 0.2% . Industrial metals (.FTNMX551020) and precious metals (.FTNMX551030) miners rose 0.1% and 0.5%, respectively. Late on Tuesday, John Glen, chief secretary to the UK Treasury, told Reuters that Britain's banks had not seen deposit outflows in reaction to the failures of U.S. regional lenders. Shares of UK lenders (.FTNMX301010) gained 0.7%.

☆ Fact Check-Resurfaced clip shows farmer protests spraying police with hay in Brussels in 2015
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video showing protesters spraying hay on to a police line dates back to a 2015 demonstration in Belgium, but the footage has been recently miscaptioned in posts claiming it depicts a Dutch farmers protest in March 2023. Examples are viewable on Twitter (here) and Facebook (here ), with one popular tweet reading, “The Netherlands is seizing privately owned farm land. In protest, Dutch farmers are spraying government buildings and riot police with MANURE! Another video by outlet New Europe, seemingly depicting the same scene as the clip shared online (youtu.be/14vowMfvrIs?t=26 ), also shows the tractor throwing hay at police officers. This video showing protesters spraying hay on to a police line was filmed in Belgium in 2015.

☆ Fact Check-Donald Trump statement calling Ron DeSantis a ‘RINO’ is fabricated
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A fabricated statement attributed to former U.S. President Donald Trump, in which he purportedly threatens Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and calls him a “Republican in name only”, or RINO, stems from a satirical account. Reuters has previously addressed statements falsely attributed to Trump amid rumors of an imminent indictment or arrest (here), (here). I don't report the facts, I improve them.” Reuters has previously debunked satirical claims that stemmed from this account (here), (here). Another indication the statement is fabricated is that the logo at the top of the page replaces “President Donald J. Trump” with “President Doofy J. Trump.”Although some users identified the fabricated statement as satire, other were duped into thinking it is legitimate (tinyurl.com/89nsy4ub), (tinyurl.com/bdeepfux). A statement attributed to Trump threatening DeSantis and calling him a ‘RINO’ is fabricated.

☆ Fact Check-Digitally altered image shows Mark Wahlberg wearing anti-liberal T-shirt
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

American actor Mark Wahlberg was not pictured wearing an anti-liberal T-shirt. The image is altered and the original shows Wahlberg wearing a plain black T-shirt. Examples of the altered image can be viewed (here) and (here). The original photograph shows Wahlberg dressed in a plain black T-shirt and was captured by Associated Press photographer Chris Pizzello in June 2012 (here). The original shows Wahlberg wearing a plain black T-shirt.

☆ Fact Check-Video purporting to show Soviet-era tanks shipped from Russia to Ukraine dates to at least 2019
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video purporting to show Soviet-era tanks being shipped from Russia to battle in Ukraine is being circulated online, but the clip predates Russia’s invasion of its neighbour and is unrelated. Designed before World War II, these antiques will quickly become food for Leopards,” said one Twitter user sharing the footage on March 22 (here ). However, an online search of still images taken from the clip reveals that it dates to at least Jan. 18, 2019, three years before Russia invaded Ukraine. The Russian Embassy in Laos posted about the transfer of 30 T-34 tanks on Jan. 10, 2019 (here ). Video purporting to show Soviet World War Two tanks being shipped from Russia to Ukraine in March 2023 can be traced back to 2019.

☆ Explainer: The business of water: no one-size-fits-all approach
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Isla Binnie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPSA group of experts established by the Dutch government is proposing "Just Water Partnerships" in which development finance institutions would invest alongside private firms to improve water systems in lower-income countries. One of those, the Calvert Global Water Fund, tracks the performance of an index of companies that "are offering products or services that are part of a solution to global water challenges," said portfolio manager Jade Huang. "There is no one-size-fits-all approach that can help to approach the many aspects of dealing with water challenges," Huang added. Lance Coogan, who developed that concept for water price indexing, describes it as "the volume-weighted average of the actual water transactions that are taking place". How can you have those things without having the water price?"

☆ Fact Check-Fabricated Donald Trump statement on paying legal fees for protesters during his arrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A statement attributed to former U.S. President Donald Trump claiming he would pay the legal fees of protesters during his arrest is fabricated as satire. The statement says, “I WILL PAY THE LEGAL FEES FOR EVERYONE WHO PROTESTS FOR ME ON TUESDAY IN NEW YORK WHEN I AM ARRESTED. Reuters has previously addressed statements falsely attributed to Trump amid rumors of an imminent indictment or arrest (here) (here). The earliest iteration Reuters could find of the statement that Trump would pay protesters’ legal fees was shared via a satirical Twitter account on Mar. This statement was not published by former U.S. President Donald J. Trump.

☆ Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel defends fivefold price hike of Covid vaccine during Senate grilling
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Moderna plans to raise the list price of its vaccine 400% to $130 when the shots are sold on the private market as early as this fall. Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel on Wednesday defended the company's plans to hike the price of its Covid shots fivefold, deflecting pressure at a Senate hearing to abandon the increase while taking barbs over his compensation. Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., questions Stephane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, during the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing titled Taxpayers Paid Billions For It: So Why Would Moderna Consider Quadrupling the Price of the COVID Vaccine? He told the committee that the Covid vaccine market is changing substantially as the U.S. government stops buying and distributing the shots for the entire country. The Covid vaccine remains Moderna's only product on the market at the moment.

☆ Watch live: Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel testifies before Senate on Covid vaccine price hike
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Moderna's CEO, Stephane Bancel, is testifying Wednesday before the Senate health committee on pricing of the company's Covid-19 vaccine. The Boston biotech company plans to charge $130 per dose once the vaccination program moves to the private market as early as this fall. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., chair of the health committee, slammed Moderna in a letter to Bancel in January, calling the price hike "outrageous." Learn more and register today: http://bit.ly/3DUNbRoAfter Sanders sent the letter, Moderna said it will create an assistance program to keep the vaccine free for people who are uninsured or underinsured. People who have Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance should still receive the shot at no cost, but Sanders said the price increase "will cost taxpayers billions of dollars."

☆ Fact Check-‘I freed a thousand slaves’ quote falsely attributed to Harriet Tubman
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A quotation attributed to Harriet Tubman about having “freed a thousand slaves” resurfaced on social media around the anniversary of the abolitionist icon’s death, but experts told Reuters there is no record of Tubman ever saying it. The quotation, “I freed a thousand slaves; I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves,” has been shared on Twitter (here) and Facebook (bit.ly/3yCgfdh), (bit.ly/3Fpgyfh) following the 110th anniversary of Tubman’s death on March 10, 1913. “She wouldn’t have to convince anyone.”According to Kate Clifford Larson, who has written two books about Tubman (www.katecliffordlarson.com/), the fabricated quote started circulating in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Clifford Larson also noted that Tubman did not free a thousand slaves. There is no evidence that Harriet Tubman ever said she freed a thousand slaves and would have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.

☆ Water’s big moment risks getting lost in the weeds
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Antony Currie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The latest is research published last Thursday by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water. The sum, though, is just $140 million, and the U.S. government’s International Development Finance Corporation is pouring in three-quarter of the proceeds. But there is a decent investment case for water without state or supranational support. Without them, water’s big moment risks getting lost in the weeds. Follow @AntonyMCurrie on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSThe United Nations 2023 Water Conference starts on March 22, World Water Day, in New York.

☆ UK's Ofcom delays BT fibre pricing decision after CEO remarks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Rivals such as Virgin Media O2 and alternative fibre providers known as altnets are investing billions of pounds to build competing networks. 'SIGNIFICANT CONCERN'But comments made by BT Chief Executive Philip Jansen to the Financial Times - headlined "BT chief warns Openreach fibre push will 'end in tears' for rivals" - caused "significant concern", Ofcom said. Ofcom chief Melanie Dawes said in a letter to Jansen, published on Friday, that the regulator was committed to network competition. "They must question why BT Group is reducing its wholesale charges whilst increasing the prices that consumers pay for broadband," INCA said. BT's earlier wholesale pricing, Equinox, was challenged by altnet CityFibre, but Ofcom decided not to intervene.

☆ U.S. judge in Texas will soon rule on the abortion pill mifepristone. Here's what could happen
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The Alliance For Hippocratic Medicine wants Judge Kacsmaryk to nullify the FDA's medical approval of mifepristone, which would effectively ban the abortion pill across the US. Senate Judiciary Committee | YouTubeA Texas judge will soon issue a pivotal ruling in a closely watched case challenging the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. It's also possible that Kacsmaryk could order the agency to impose tighter restrictions on access to mifepristone but stop short of completely halting sales. Abortion rights groups and legal experts expect the judge will rule against the FDA in some form. Possible injunctionIf Kacsmaryk issues an order to withdraw mifepristone from the market, there are several ways such a ruling could be drafted.

☆ Citing 'death threats,' Texas judge asked attorneys to keep news of hearing on legality of abortion pill quiet
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Alliance For Hippocratic Medicine wants Judge Kacsmaryk to nullify the FDA's medical approval of mifepristone, which would effectively ban the abortion pill across the US. But Kacsmaryk asked the attorneys to not to publicize the hearing, citing security concerns. Those present at the Friday conference call included lawyers from the Justice Department, the abortion pill maker Danco Laboratories, and a group that opposes abortion called the Alliance Defending Freedom. A group of physicians who oppose abortion called the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine asked Kacsmaryk in November to order the Food and Drug Administration to withdraw its approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. The abortion pill has become the central flashpoint in the legal battle over access to abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade last June.

☆ Factbox: Global firms with exposure to collapsed SVB
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

March 13 (Reuters) - Startup-focused lender SVB Financial Group (SIVB.O) became the largest bank to fail since the 2008 financial crisis last week, sending shockwaves across global markets as billions of dollars belonging to companies and investors were left stranded. The collapse raised concerns that the end of decades-long era of cheap money would reveal cracks in the global financial system as climbing interest rates expose vulnerabilities in the economy. HSBC (HSBA.L) said on Monday it is acquiring the UK subsidiary of SVB for 1 pound, rescuing a key lender for technology start-ups in Britain. Below is a list of companies across the globe that have revealed their exposure to SVB:EUROPEAround 16 tech and life sciences companies in Europe have disclosed about $190 million in exposure to SVB in the UK and the United States. Moonpig adds that SVB UK is one of ten lenders that provide senior debt facilities to the group as part of a strong banking syndicateASIA-PACIFICNITRO SOFTWARE (NTO.AX)Australia's productivity software maker Nitro Software Ltd (NTO.AX) said it had about $12.18 million of its global cash reserves held on deposit at SVB.

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