Republicans question BlackRock fund governance, revisiting old concerns

By Ross Kerber (Reuters) – A group of 15 Republican state attorneys general have questioned whether directors of BlackRock mutual funds are sufficiently independent of the world’s largest asset manager. In a letter dated July 6 and provided to Reuters on Friday by a representative of Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, the group reviewed longstanding…

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US job gains smallest in 2-1/2 years; labor market still tight

By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. economy added the fewest jobs in 2-1/2 years in June, but persistently strong wage growth pointed to still-tight labor market conditions that most certainly ensure the Federal Reserve will resume raising interest rates later this month. The Labor Department’s closely watched employment report on Friday also showed…

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U.S. appeals court upholds Venezuela creditors ability to sue

(Reuters) – A U.S. court of appeals on Friday rejected Venezuela’s bid to prevent six companies from joining a proposed court auction of shares in a Citgo Petroleum parent to enforce judgments for past expropriation of assets. The decision allows the six to move ahead with their about $3 billion in combined claims against Venezuela…

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China ends Ant Group’s regulatory revamp with nearly $1 billion fine

By Julie Zhu and Jane Xu HONG KONG (Reuters) -Chinese authorities announced on Friday a 7.12 billion yuan ($984 million) fine for Ant Group, ending a years-long regulatory overhaul of the fintech company and marking a key step to concluding a crackdown on the country’s internet sector. China’s central bank said that financial regulators would…

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