ECONOMY & MARKETS

As the United States pushes ahead with its steepest interest rate hikes in a generation, investors are unusually poised to buy in Asia's emerging markets, betting authorities can tame inflation without triggering the capital-flight chaos of previous cycles.

Bearish bets on the Thai baht extended on risks around recession, the Chinese economy, and inflation, while short bets on most Asian currencies eased slightly but remained firmly around multi-month highs, a Reuters poll showed on Thursday.

As a cost-of-living crisis with no end in sight sends shockwaves through Europe, deals in the region's retail and consumer-products industries have slowed dramatically - even more so than in other sectors, data shows.

Investors are gauging whether the U.S. Federal Reserve has reached the peak of its aggressiveness in hiking rates, with some saying they're ready to up risky positions again.

China will help property developers by issuing 1 trillion yuan ($148.2 billion) in loans for stalled developments, the Financial Times said on Thursday, as it tries to revive the debt-stricken sector and relieve pressure on the economy.

After the U.S. central bank raised its policy target interest rate on Wednesday by three-quarters of a percent for the second month in a row, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell did something he hasn't done since rate hikes began in March: He avoided putting exact numbers to the size of the next rate hike.

U.S. economic growth likely rebounded moderately in the second quarter as companies boosted exports and maintained a strong pace of spending on equipment, which could assuage financial market fears that the economy was already in recession.

The U.S. economy unexpectedly contracted in the second quarter, with consumer spending growing at its slowest pace in two years and business spending declining, raising the risk that the economy was on the cusp of a recession.

India's gold demand in the first half of 2022 jumped 42% from a year ago but consumption in the second half could be lower than last year as higher inflation erodes disposable income, the World Gold Council (WGC) said on Thursday.

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co is ready to buy U.S.

South Korea's financial supervisory and prosecution agencies said on Thursday they would strengthen monitoring and punishment of illegal stock short-selling following an order by the country's president.

New Zealand business sentiment improved slightly in July but remained gloomy in the face of intense inflation pressures, an ANZ Bank survey showed on Thursday.

Australian retail sales edged higher in June but missed market forecasts for the first time in several months, a sign soaring inflation and rising interest rates may be finally curbing consumer demand.

The Bank of Japan must always think about the appropriate means for exiting ultra-loose monetary policy, even if an actual lift-off will be some time away, deputy governor Masayoshi Amamiya said on Thursday.

Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Masayoshi Amamiya on Thursday stressed the need to keep monetary policy ultra-loose due to uncertainty on whether wages will increase enough to compensate households for the rising cost of living.

The dollar dropped to a three-week low versus the yen on Thursday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell assuaged investors' worries about continued aggressive monetary tightening.

The U.S. dollar languished near a three-week low to major peers on Thursday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell assuaged trader worries about continued aggressive monetary tightening.

Asian shares made guarded gains on Thursday as investors scented a possible slowdown in the pace of U.S.

Asian shares made cautious gains on Thursday as investors scented a possible slowdown in the pace of U.S. rate hikes, lowering bond yields and restraining the dollar.

World shares consolidated a 6-week high on Thursday as investors scented a possible slowdown in the pace of U.S.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) on Thursday raised its base rate charged through the overnight discount window by 75 basis points to 2.75%, hours after the U.S.

Most Gulf central banks lifted their main interest rates by three quarters of a percentage point on Wednesday, moving with the U.S.

BTRS Holdings Inc, the owner of business payments vendor Billtrust, is exploring options that include a potential sale, according to people familiar with the matter.

China needs to rethink its zero-COVID policy to avoid more harm to the economy, as well as come up with a long-term solution to the crisis in the real estate sector, a senior International Monetary Fund (IMF) official said in an interview.

Asia-focused lenders HSBC, Standard Chartered and their Southeast Asian peers such as DBS are set to report an improvement in second-quarter net interest income, a key source of revenue, benefiting from higher interest rates.

Consumer-focused firms are seeing no shortage of demand despite the soaring cost-of-living, prompting several to upgrade sales forecasts for the current year, though questions remain about how long that will last.

Europe's largest consumer-focused firms are seeing no shortage of demand despite a cost-of-living crisis, prompting several to upgrade sales forecasts for the current year.

Microsoft Corp and Alphabet Inc results sparked a relief rally on Wednesday in heavyweight technology and growth shares as investors expressed confidence in Big Tech's ability to navigate a recession.

U.S. stocks rallied on Wednesday and the Nasdaq posted its biggest daily percentage gain since April 2020 as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates as expected and comments by Fed Chairman Jerome Powell reassured investors.