French nationwide strike to extend as pension reform fight intensifies
Protests against plans to raise pension age to 64Majority of voters reject reformGovernment, unions determined to stand their groundPARIS, March 7 (Reuters) – France’s nationwide strike against a planned pension reform, which disrupted train services, shut schools and halted fuel deliveries, will spill into Wednesday as unions seek to force a government retreat on the […]
US companies rush to issue corporate debt, busiest February ever
WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) – U.S. companies with the highest credit ratings sold a record $144 billion of debt securities so far in February to get ahead of further potential interest rate hikes, meeting strong demand from investors looking to capitalize on a spike in yields.Investment-grade rated corporate bond issuance in February has been the […]
China says U.S. ‘endangered’ peace with Taiwan Strait fly-through
BEIJING/TAIPEI, Feb 27 (Reuters) – China accused the United States of “endangering” peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait after a U.S. military plane flew through the sensitive waterway on Monday, with the U.S. Navy responding that it had been in international airspace.Beijing has been incensed by U.S. military missions through the narrow strait, most […]
Wall St ends sharply down, posts biggest weekly drop of 2023
Dow’s worst weekly performance in 5 monthsPCE data comes in strong, showing resilient consumerFor the week, all down: Dow 2.99%, S&P 2.66%, Nasdaq 3.33%Indexes down: Dow 1.02%, S&P 1.05%, Nasdaq 1.69%Feb 24 (Reuters) – Wall Street’s main indexes posted their biggest weekly drop of 2023 after sharp losses on Friday, as investors braced for the […]
Morning Bid: Powell confesses ‘This time it’s different’
A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike Dolan.Jerome Powell calmed the horses, a bit.In attempting to parse last week’s blockbuster January jobs report, the Federal Reserve Chair on Tuesday reprised his take from last Wednesday’s policy meeting – essentially that another couple of Fed rate hikes were probably needed […]
Wall St gains over 1% after encouraging inflation data with Fed next
Nasdaq posts biggest January gain since 2001U.S. labor cost growth slows in fourth quarterExxon, UPS rise after results, Caterpillar slumpsFed decision on interest rates on WednesdayIndexes up: Dow 1.09%, S&P 500 1.46%, Nasdaq 1.67%NEW YORK, Jan 31 (Reuters) – Major U.S. stock indexes closed over 1% higher on Tuesday as labor cost data encouraged investors […]
Biden says no F-16s for Ukraine as Russia claims gains
Russian administrator claims foothold in VuhledarKyiv says Russian gains come at huge costThink-tank says delay in Western arms halted Ukraine’s advanceKYIV, Ukraine/WASHINGTON Jan 30 (Reuters) – The United States will not provide the F-16 fighter jets that Ukraine has sought in its fight against Russia, President Joe Biden said on Monday, as Russian forces claimed […]
China aims to boost consumption and imports as global demand cools
BEIJING, Jan 28 (Reuters) – China’s cabinet said on Saturday it would promote a consumption recovery as the major driver of the economy and boost imports, state broadcaster CCTV reported, at a time of cooling global demand as major economies teeter on the brink of recession.At a meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, China’s state […]
Japan PM says can’t rule out return of deflation despite price spike
TOKYO, Jan 27 (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday that a return to deflation in the world’s third-largest economy cannot be ruled out, because domestic demand remains weak.The comment came hours after data showed Tokyo’s consumer inflation, a leading indicator of Japanese price trends, hit a 42-year high in January, keeping […]
Japan’s factory activity extends declines for third straight month – PMI
TOKYO, Jan 24 (Reuters) – Japan’s manufacturing activity contracted for a third straight month in January as export weakness persisted amid a worsening global outlook, a corporate survey showed on Tuesday.The au Jibun Bank flash Japan manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) was at a seasonally adjusted 48.9 in January, unchanged from the final reading in […]