BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s economy expanded faster than expected in the first quarter, official data showed on Monday, helped by a rebound in private consumption and tourism which will help counter a slowdown in exports. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy grew 2.7% in the January-March period from a year earlier, data from the National Economic and…
By Tetsushi Kajimoto TOKYO (Reuters) – The weekend gathering of finance chiefs from the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies did not single out China as a threat in their communique, but left signs the world’s second-largest economy will loom large at this week’s summit in Hiroshima. Efforts to grapple with China’s growing global presence…
By Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan’s wholesale inflation slowed for a fourth straight month in April as rises in raw material costs moderated, data showed on Monday, suggesting that consumer inflation will begin to ease back towards the central bank’s 2% target. The data may diminish market expectations that broadening inflationary pressure will prod the…
By Stella Qiu SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian stocks started the week on a cautious note as investors braced for the release of China’s industrial and retail data, while awaiting a host of U.S. Federal Reserve officials to speak to vindicate market pricing of rate cuts this year. Both S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures eased…
SHANGHAI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) -China’s central bank rolled over maturing medium-term policy loans while keeping the interest rate unchanged on Monday, as expected, but markets expect monetary easing may be inevitable in the coming months to support the economic recovery. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) said it was keeping the rate on 125 billion yuan ($18.08…
By Jamie McGeever ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – There’s a large swathe of the investment community convinced that 2023 will be a solid year for U.S. Treasuries as falling inflation and likely recession prompt the Fed to cut interest rates, but hedge funds are not part of it. Not one bit. The latest Commodity Futures Trading…
SHANGHAI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) – China’s central bank rolled over maturing medium-term policy loans while keeping interest rates unchanged on Monday, matching market expectations. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) said it was keeping the rate on 125 billion yuan ($18.08 billion) worth of one-year medium-term lending facility (MLF) loans to some financial institutions unchanged at 2.75%…
By Jyoti Narayan and David French (Reuters) -ONEOK Inc agreed on Sunday to buy U.S. pipeline operator Magellan Midstream Partners in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $18.8 billion including debt, bringing natural gas-focused ONEOK into transporting refined products and oil. ONEOK will pay $25 and 0.6670 shares of ONEOK common stock for each outstanding…
By Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand’s opposition secured a stunning election win on Sunday after trouncing parties allied with the military, setting the stage for a flurry of deal-making over forming a government in a bid to end nearly a decade of conservative, army-backed rule. The liberal Move Forward party and the…
(Reuters) – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has not been seen in public since Tuesday, did not appear on Sunday at a ceremony in the capital, Minsk, triggering speculation that the veteran leader is seriously ill. The BelTA state news agency reported that Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko read a message from Lukashenko during an annual…