House Republicans pass debt-ceiling hike, hoping to spur Biden to talks

By David Morgan and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday narrowly passed a bill to raise the government’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling that includes sweeping spending cuts over the next decade. The bill isn’t expected to pass the Senate, and President Joe Biden would veto it if it did…

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European commercial real estate investment slumps to 11-year low in Q1 2023

By Elizabeth Howcroft LONDON (Reuters) -European commercial real estate investment fell to its lowest in 11 years in the first quarter of 2023, MSCI Real Assets said on Thursday, as investors spooked by higher interest rates and the economic outlook put acquisition plans on ice. The number of offices sold – Europe’s largest real estate…

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Nestle uses Airbus satellites to monitor reforestation in Thailand

By Richa Naidu LONDON (Reuters) – Nestle is piloting using Airbus satellites to monitor reforestation, amid global concerns about whether consumer goods companies are doing enough to reduce their carbon footprints. Airbus’ Pléiades Neo satellites will provide high-resolution images in the Ranong and Chumphon provinces of southern Thailand that will help to ensure trees Nestle…

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Facebook owner Meta touts AI might as digital ads boost outlook; shares jump

By Katie Paul and Akash Sriram (Reuters) -Meta Platforms Inc CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday that AI was helping the company boost traffic to Facebook and Instagram and earn more in ad sales, as it forecast quarterly revenue well above analyst expectations. Meta shares surged 12% in after hours trading, adding over $50 billion…

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Swedbank Q1 profits beats expectations on better deposit margins

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Swedish bank Swedbank reported first-quarter net profit above market expectations on Thursday and said higher deposit margins had boosted results, although credit impairments also rose. The rival of Handelsbanken, SEB and Nordea said net profit totaled 7.56 billion Swedish crowns ($733.24 million) versus a year-ago 4.48 billion, topping a mean forecast of 6.62…

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Speed of US bank failures to play starring role in Fed, FDIC post-mortems

By Hannah Lang and Ann Saphir WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Of all the facts that have emerged about last month’s two U.S. bank busts – the unanswered warning letters from regulators, the ignored interest-rate risk, the outsized levels of uninsured deposits – one data point in particular continues to stir deep-seated unease among finance officials:…

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Factbox-Fed, FDIC reviews of US bank failures to spotlight problems, fixes

The failures of two large regional U.S. banks in mid-March blew a $22 billion hole in the nation’s deposit insurance fund and shook confidence in the global financial system. On Friday the banks’ regulators – the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – will publish their accounts of what happened at both institutions,…

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