By Naomi Rovnick and Stella Qiu LONDON, SYDNEY (Reuters) -Global shares fell from 14-month highs hit last week, as investors awaited testimony from U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell in markets that remain dominated by monetary policy bets. The MSCI’s broad gauge of world stocks softened by 0.3%, with Wall Street markets closed for the…
By Praveen Menon SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia’s Senate passed legislation on Monday that paves the way for the country to hold a landmark referendum later this year on whether to recognise its Indigenous people in the constitution. In a final vote in the upper house of parliament, 52 voted in favour of the bill while 19…
By Lewis Krauskopf and Amanda Cooper NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) – A gauge of global stock markets took a breather on Friday after a run to 14-month highs, while the U.S. dollar headed for its biggest weekly slide since January following a heavy week of central bank meetings around the world. The MSCI All-World index edged…
By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – The yen plunged to a 15-year low against the euro on Friday after the Bank of Japan (BOJ) kept its ultra-low interest rate policy and forecast that inflation will slow later this year, in contrast with the European Central Bank’s (ECB) rate hike on Thursday. The Japanese unit…
By Byron Kaye, Melanie Burton and Praveen Menon SYDNEY (Reuters) – Some of Australia’s biggest companies, including miners, banks and retailers, are emerging as powerful sources of support for a campaign to recognise the country’s Indigenous people in the constitution, a development that could sway the outcome of a referendum later this year. The advocacy…
By Howard Schneider, Balazs Koranyi and Leika Kihara WASHINGTON/FRANKFURT/TOKYO (Reuters) -Two years into confronting rising inflation, the world’s top central banks are still waiting for a decisive turn in their favor, with monetary policy edging ever tighter and policymakers maintaining their pursuit of a common 2% inflation target. The European Central Bank on Thursday raised…
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s main opposition Liberal Party leader asked a senator to resign on Friday following allegations of sexual misconduct against him by female senators, which he has denied. The accusations against Liberal Party Senator David Van follow numerous previous complaints about the culture in Australia’s parliament house, which led to an inquiry in…
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Westpac on Friday lifted its forecast for Australia’s cash rate peak to 4.6%, tipping quarter-point hikes in July and August, joining other major banks that are expecting higher rates and slower growth as the central bank turns more hawkish. Rates are already at an 11-year high of 4.1%, but the Reserve Bank…
By Sinéad Carew and Marc Jones NEW YORK, LONDON (Reuters) – MSCI’s global index of stocks rose on Thursday to its highest level since April 2022 after strong U.S. economic data, but the dollar slid following the European Central Bank’s interest rate increase a day after the Federal Reserve paused its hikes. While U.S. jobless…
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Papua New Guinea’s parliament has begun debating a defence deal with the United States, with Prime Minister James Marape acknowledging the concerns of some students and unions ahead of a vote to ratify it in August. The defence agreement will allow U.S. forces to refurbish and develop infrastructure for military and civilian…
