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Yen slips after rallying on suspected intervention, stocks mixed
Yen slips after rallying on suspected intervention, stocks mixed
by  AFP

The yen weakened Thursday following another surge against the dollar that fuelled speculation Japanese authorities had intervened for a second time this week, after Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell warned interest rates would stay higher for longer.

Evictions surge in Arizona with housing shortage and rising prices
Evictions surge in Arizona with housing shortage and rising prices
by  AFP

Wearing a bulletproof vest and with a gun strapped to his waist, Constable Lennie McCloskey opens his folder and looks through the court orders: eleven evictions to be carried out today. But what he sees most nowadays is people who haven't been able to scrape together enough money to make the rent that month -- sufficient cause for a landlord to get a court ordered eviction.

US private sector job growth higher than expected: ADP
US private sector job growth higher than expected: ADP
by  AFP

Hiring in the US private sector cooled in April but job growth was still higher than anticipated, boosted by the services sector, payroll firm ADP said Wednesday. Other sectors adding jobs included trade, transport and utilities, as well as education and health services, said ADP. But analysts caution that private payroll numbers can be revised significantly.

Pfizer profits drop on lower Covid-19 product sales
Pfizer profits drop on lower Covid-19 product sales
by  AFP

Pfizer reported a drop in profits on lower sales of Covid-19 related profits Wednesday as it steers investments to other pharmaceutical areas and implements previously announced cost cuts. Much lower sales of Covid-19 vaccine Comirnaty and therapeutic Paxlovid accounted for a 20 percent drop in first-quarter revenues to $14.9 billion compared with the year-ago period.

GSK profit drops in first quarter on higher costs
GSK profit drops in first quarter on higher costs
by  AFP

British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline on Wednesday said its net profit fell 23 percent in the first quarter as the company faced higher exceptional costs compared with a year earlier. Following the update, the group's share price edged up 0.1 percent in early trading on London's top-tier FTSE 100 index, as the group also upgraded its full-year outlook for sales.

US Fed likely to keep rates steady as hopes of early cuts fade
US Fed likely to keep rates steady as hopes of early cuts fade
by  AFP

The US Federal Reserve is expected to hold interest rates steady for a sixth straight meeting Wednesday, with a summer start to cuts looking less likely owing to stubborn inflation. Analysts broadly expect an announcement on runoff to come this week or at the next interest rate meeting in June. bys/sst/dan

Weak yen boosts tourist wallets in Japan
Weak yen boosts tourist wallets in Japan
by  AFP

Foreign tourists are flocking to Japan in record numbers and thanks to a sliding yen many are living like kings, splashing out on everything from kimonos to knives and slap-up meals. "Thanks to the weak yen, foreign customers are buying a lot of handmade knives, even as prices rise," said Yuki Suzuki, 21, who works in a shop selling knives, another tourist favourite.

Asian markets track Wall St down ahead of Fed decision
Asian markets track Wall St down ahead of Fed decision
by  AFP

Asian stocks sank in holiday-thinned trade Wednesday, tracking a sharp sell-off on Wall Street after fresh US data dealt another blow to hopes the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this year. That provided another hammer blow to hopes the Fed will cut rates this year, with bets already reduced to just one by January -- compared with an expected six at the start of 2024.