* NZ food prices fall 0.8 pct in Dec* Adds downside risk to Q4 CPI -analyst (Recasts, adds market reaction, analyst comment)WELLINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - New Zealand's food prices dropped for the fourth month in a row in December, pointing to a weaker outlook for consumer price inflation that weighed on the local dollar.Food prices fell 0.8 percent on the month, led by a drop in the cost of groce...Read More
Gold enjoyed a nice lift late last week as the yellow metal cruised to $1,337.40 at the close of trading Friday in New York.Spot gold gained $21.40 between Wednesday and Friday, clearly benefiting from the fallout of a dramatic selloff of US government debt. February gold futures rose 0.29% to $1,338.80.According to Bloomberg, Chinese government officials have recommended slowing or halting purcha...Read More
TOKYO, Jan 15 (Reuters) - SoftBank Group Corp plans to list its core mobile-phone unit in Tokyo and overseas as early as this spring, raising some 2 trillion yen ($18 billion) in one of Japan's biggest initial public offerings, the Nikkei newspaper said on Monday.The parent will sell some 30 percent of SoftBank Corp, aiming to debut the shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and elsewhere, possibly Lo...Read More
Jan 15 (Reuters) - Australian shares are expected to open higher on Monday, led by financials, taking their cue from Wall Street, which hit record highs on earnings optimism.Wall Street continued its rally on Friday with record closing highs as the fourth-quarter earnings season kicked off with solid results from banks, and robust retail sales drove investor optimism about economic growth. The loc...Read More
Jan 15 (Reuters) - Stock MarketsNet ChngStock MarketsNet ChngS&P/ASX 200** 6,070.10 2.5 NZX 50**8,242.35 -8.09DJIA25,803.19228.46NIKKEI**23,653.82-56.61Nasdaq7,261.06249.29 FTSE**7,778.64 15.70S&P 500 2,786.24 18.68 Hang Seng** 31,412.54292.15SPI 200 Fut 6049.0 31.0STI** 3,520.56 7.88SSEC**3,429.32 3.97KOSPI** 2,496.42 8.51-------------------------------------------------------------------...Read More
MONTREAL/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's Bitmain Technologies is eyeing bitcoin mining sites in Quebec, a company spokesman told Reuters, as expectations of a potential Chinese crackdown on cryptocurrency mining make the energy-rich Canadian province an attractive alternative.China has grown into one of the world's biggest sources of cryptocurrency mining but there are signs Beijing is increasing scr...Read More
DETROIT, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Volkswagen's core autos division increased vehicle sales to a new record last year, as rising demand for VW brand models in the Americas and the key Chinese market offset a decline in western Europe.Although the emissions test-cheating scandal of September 2015 has cost the German group billions of euros in fines and penalties, it does not seem to have caused major dama...Read More
Jan 15 (Reuters) - Stock MarketsNet ChngStock MarketsNet ChngS&P/ASX 200** 6,070.10 2.50NZX 50**8,242.35 -8.09DJIA25,803.19228.46NIKKEI**23,653.82-56.61Nasdaq7,261.06249.29 FTSE**7,778.64 15.70S&P 500 2,786.24 18.68 Hang Seng** 31,412.54292.15SPI 200 Fut 6049.0 31.0STI** 3,520.56 7.88SSEC**3,429.32 3.97KOSPI** 2,496.42 8.51-------------------------------------------------------------------...Read More
* Trading bands will be widened to 2.5 pct* Bankers say market well prepared* Inflation could prompt dirham depreciation By AzizEl YaakoubiDUBAI, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Morocco's introduction of a more flexible exchange-rate system from Monday could result in only a slight depreciation in the short term, analysts and bankers said, but the dirham could become more vulnerable if commodity prices rise....Read More
CAIRO, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Average yields on Egypt's three- and nine-month treasury bills fell at an auction on Sunday, central bank data showed.Yields on the 91-day bills fell to 18.394 percent from 19.202 at the last sale, while yields on the 266-day bills also fell, to 17.659 percent from 18.573 percent. (Reporting by Arwa Gaballa; Editing by Kevin Liffey) Disclaimer: The views expressed in thi...Read More
MOSS, Norway, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Norway's Conservative-led government has agreed to include the small centrist Liberal Party in the cabinet, expanding it to three parties from two, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said on Sunday.Solberg's government of her Conservative Party and the smaller right-wing Progress Party, had negotiated with the Liberals since the start of January for possible inclusion.Add...Read More
(Repeats story first published on Jan. 12 with no changes to text)By Lewis KrauskopfNEW YORK, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Volatility awaits shares of U.S. construction, engineering, building materials and other companies tied to infrastructure spending, but steel-nerved investors could be poised for gains if they weather a few bumps.The stocks are set to be in focus in the coming weeks as President Donald...Read More
JERUSALEM, Jan 14 (Reuters) - The Israel Securities Authority (ISA) said on Sunday it approved a plan to allow Israeli companies traded in Singapore, Hong Kong and Toronto to easily dual-list on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE)."These are markets whose regulatory level is as high as in Israel and dual-listing could encouraging trade on TASE," ISA Chairman Shmuel Hauser said.In 2000, th...Read More
CAIRO, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Egypt's budget deficit for the first half of the 2017-2018 fiscal year starting in July dropped to 4.4 percent from 5 percent last year, a finance ministry statement said on Sunday.Egypt has been looking to tighten control of its finances as it pushes ahead with ambitious economic reforms tied to a $12 billion three-year International Monetary Fund lending programme it ag...Read More
SHANGHAI, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Tianjin Tianhai Investment Co Ltd , a unit of Chinese aviation and shipping conglomerate HNA Group , said on Sunday that media reports that the firm planned to sell Ingram Micro were false.The firm said the company was not involved in a situation as described by Chinese media reports, which said Tianjin Tianhai was looking to sell its U.S. electronics distributor subsi...Read More
DUBAI, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Banking shares helped Saudi Arabia's stock market rise in early trade on Sunday, while Qatar headed for a seventh straight day of gains as investors bought ahead of annual dividend announcements.The Saudi index was 1.0 percent higher after an hour with all 12 listed banks climbing after Saudi Arabia's central bank lifted the maximum loan-to-value ratio for mortgages taken...Read More
CAIRO, Jan 14 (Reuters) - INTEREST RATESLatestLast change PreviousCentral18.75 06/07/1716.75 bank o/n depositCentral19.75 06/07/1717.75bank o/n lendingCentral19.25 06/07/1717.25bank discount rate MONTHLY DATA _____________ Month Pvs Yr agoUrban 21.92623.3consumerDecemberprices(year-on-year,pct change) CoreinflatioDecember19.8625.53 25.86n (year-on-year,pct change) Foreign December37.02036.72324....Read More
DUBAI, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Gulf stock markets may have a slightly firm tone on Sunday in response to positive trends in the oil price and global equity markets, although there is little fresh news within the region to spur buying.Brent oil rose 61 U.S. cents on Friday to settle at $69.87 a barrel, a new 2-1/2 year high, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.9 percent. After the close on...Read More
On Tuesday, I got the chance to ride in a self-driving car — an opportunity only a handful of people in the world have experienced.As I stood outside the Las Vegas Convention Center, home to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), I hailed a 4.4 mile Lyft to the Aria Hotel.But what started as an ordinary ride soon turned extraordinary with a single pop-up asking if I wanted to try out a self-dr...Read More
That was fun. Since mid-December gold has behaved like a tech stock, jumping from $1,240/oz to $1,337 and carrying a long list of gold mining stocks along for the ride. Now everybody’s asking the same question: Is this finally the start of the long-overdue run at gold’s (and silver’s) 2011 record high, or just a case of futures speculators once again panic-buying themselves into...Read More