US lawmakers seek to lower biofuel blending compliance costs

By Stephanie Kelly NEW YORK (Reuters) – A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced legislation this week directing the Biden administration to allow oil refiners to purchase compliance credits for U.S. biofuel blending laws at a lower, fixed cost compared to the open market. The proposal would reduce rising compliance costs associated with the U.S….

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Leveraged bets in US Treasury market could ‘amplify’ stress, BoE warns

By David Randall NEW YORK (Reuters) -Large leveraged bets by hedge funds in the U.S. Treasury market could “amplify stress” in global financial markets should rates markets move sharply, the Bank of England said in a report published on Wednesday. Hedge funds have taken record short positions in two- and five-year Treasury futures this year,…

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Wall Street cheers cool CPI with stock rally; dollar, yields decline

By Lawrence Delevingne (Reuters) -Wall Street stocks advanced on Wednesday and the dollar and Treasury yields fell after new U.S. inflation data showed a slowdown in the seemingly relentless rise of consumer prices. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) gained just 0.2% last month, the Labor Department said on Wednesday, lifted by rises in gasoline prices…

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Crypto ransom attacks rise in first half of 2023 – Chainalysis

By Elizabeth Howcroft LONDON (Reuters) – Crypto crime fell overall in the first six months of 2023, but the volume of payments to ransomware attackers surged and is on track for its second-biggest annual total on record, blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis said on Wednesday. Cryptocurrency prices have gradually risen this year, recovering after a string…

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Russian hackers lured embassy workers in Ukraine with ad for a cheap BMW

By James Pearson LONDON (Reuters) -Hackers suspected of working for Russia’s foreign intelligence agency targeted dozens of diplomats at embassies in Ukraine with a fake used car advert in a bid to break into their computers, according to a cybersecurity firm report published on Wednesday. The wide-reaching espionage activity targeted diplomats working in at least…

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Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn must answer questions in Smartmatic US defamation case

By Jack Queen (Reuters) – Steve Bannon and Michael Flynn, two allies of former U.S. President Donald Trump, must answer questions under oath in voting technology company Smartmatic’s defamation lawsuit against right-wing media outlet Newsmax, court records showed on Wednesday. Florida-based Smartmatic served subpoenas on Bannon, who served as a White House strategist under Trump,…

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US dollar stumbles, drops to more than one-year low as inflation eases in June

By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) – The dollar crashed to its lowest in more than a year on Wednesday after data showed the rise in U.S. consumer prices moderated in June, suggesting the Federal Reserve may have to raise interest rates only one more time this year. The dollar index dropped to as low…

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Banks can manage outflow risk in Fed’s new payment service system, Mester says

By Michael S. Derby NEW YORK (Reuters) – Cleveland Federal Reserve President Loretta Mester said on Wednesday that the U.S. central bank’s new real-time money moving system is being designed in a way that should help ensure financial stability should bank stress arise. Mester acknowledged concerns that FedNow, a real-time, all-hours payment system the central…

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