By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand’s consumer inflation came in slightly above expectations in the second quarter, driving swap rates higher as the market pushed out expectations for when the central bank might start cutting the cash rate. Consumer prices rose 6.0% year-on-year in the second quarter, slower than the 6.7% increase in…
By Andrew Goudsward and Jacqueline Thomsen (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed an Ohio public interest lawyer as President Joe Biden’s latest nominee to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a vote that was largely along party lines. Rachel Bloomekatz was approved by a vote of 50-48 to the Cincinnati-based appeals…
(Reuters) – Power demand in Texas hit a record high for a second straight day on Tuesday as homes and businesses cranked up air conditioners to escape a brutal heat wave. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the grid for more than 26 million customers representing about 90% of the state’s power…
(Reuters) – The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating private equity firm One Equity over communications with investors, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. One Equity, which was once JPMorgan Chase’s buyout arm, has recently been in settlement talks with regulators that have sought a fine of…
By Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States on Tuesday moved to let Iraq pay Iran for electricity via non-Iraqi banks, a U.S. official said, a step Washington hopes may keep Tehran from forcing unpopular power cuts during the sweltering Iraqi summer. Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed a 120-day national security waiver allowing Iraq…
By Kanishka Singh and Nathan Layne (Reuters) -Michigan’s attorney general on Tuesday announced felony charges against 16 Republicans for participating in an alleged “false elector” scheme that aimed to overturn then-President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss in the battleground state. While more than 1,000 people have been charged with crimes related to the violent Jan….
By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday turned back a bid by hardline conservatives to end five presidential emergency declarations that allow for sanctions against America’s enemies in the Middle East and Africa. Four Republican Representatives – Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar and Eli Crane – used…
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea has decided to raise the minimum wage by a three-year low of 2.5% in 2024, its Minimum Wage Commission said on Wednesday, amid slowing growth and high inflation. The minimum hourly wage will be raised to 9,860 won ($7.80) next year, up from 9,620 won this year, the commission said….
By Tetsushi Kajimoto TOKYO (Reuters) – Confidence at big Japanese manufacturers fell in July for the first time in six months, the Reuters Tankan survey showed on Wednesday, in a sign of growing exporter concern about weakening overseas demand. Their index fell to plus 3 in July, from plus 8 in the previous month. Industries…
By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden has created a new role on the National Economic Council (NEC) to tackle anticompetitive business practices, naming NEC member Hannah Garden-Monheit as Director of Competition Council Policy, the White House said on Tuesday. Garden-Monheit, a former U.S. trial attorney with experience in the private sector, told Reuters…
