Town Hall News

By Leika Kihara and Yoshifumi Takemoto TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan is stepping up efforts toward issuing a digital yen with the creation of a government advisory panel and the launch of a pilot programme, joining a growing number of countries exploring a central bank digital currency (CBDC). The finance ministry will set up a panel of experts as early as April to discuss the feasibility of issuing a digital yen, […]

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Tom Westbrook A lot of investors went in to this year expecting the U.S. interest rate outlook to reveal itself, and for clarity on that front to inform pricing for pretty much everything else. Three months have gone by and it hasn’t quite worked out that way. Pulling in one direction is a bank collapse that set interest […]

(Reuters) -Top seed Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev booked their spots in the Miami Open semi-finals with wins over American opponents on Thursday, while Elena Rybakina saw off world number three Jessica Pegula to reach the women’s final. Taylor Fritz showed great fight but was unable to match Alcaraz’s level, the defending champion taking control with an instant break of serve in each set on the way to a 6-4 […]

By Sudarshan Varadhan BEIJING (Reuters) -Oil prices were very slightly down in Asian morning trade on Friday as bullish sentiment about Chinese demand and potential Middle Eastern supply disruptions was tempered by uncertainty over U.S. economic data on Friday. Brent futures, which have risen nearly 6% this week, were down 19 cents, or -0.24%, at $79.08 a barrel at 0415 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell by 1 […]

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s manufacturing activity expanded at a slower pace in March, official data showed on Friday, raising doubts about the strength of a post-COVID factory recovery amid weaker global demand and a property market downturn. The services sector was stronger, with activity expanding at the fastest pace in nearly 12 years after the end of China’s zero-COVID policy in December boosted transportation, accommodation and construction. The official manufacturing […]

By Takahiko Wada and Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) – Core consumer inflation in Japan’s capital Tokyo slowed in March for a second month but remained well above the central bank’s 2% target, data showed on Friday, highlighting broadening price pressures in the world’s third-largest economy. A separate index stripping away energy prices rose at the fastest year-on-year pace since 1990, a sign the effect of government subsidies to curb utility […]

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s government on Friday said it plans to restrict exports of 23 types of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, aligning its technology trade controls with a U.S. push to curb China’s ability to make advanced chips. The trade and industry minister in a press release said it will impose export controls on six categories of equipment used in chip manufacturing, including cleaning, deposition, lithography and etching. It did not […]

(Reuters) – Video streaming service Netflix Inc is restructuring its film group, which will result in layoffs and the departure of two of its most experienced executives, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. As part of the restructuring, Netflix will combine small and midsize picture productions units, resulting in a few job cuts, and scale back the company’s output to ensure high quality titles, the report said. It will also centralize decision […]

(Reuters) – The governing body of table tennis said it will follow the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) guidance on Russian and Belarusian players by allowing them to compete as neutrals. The IOC issued a set of recommendations on Tuesday for international sports federations that will allow athletes from the two countries to return since their ban last year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Belarus helped facilitate. The International Table […]