Podcasts about UST

Derek Halpenny, Head of Research Global Markets EMEA & International Securities talks to Jack Greenslade in FX Sales about the move in financial markets this week following the US-China trade war de-escalation announced on Monday. Derek explains why the dollar gain petered out quickly but also highlights the huge buying of UST bonds by private foreign investors. So even though foreign central banks might be selling, the buying by private investors easily offsets that. Derek and Jack also discuss the USD/Asia moves and how investors' behaviours in regard to hedging USD exposures may be changing.

Kia ora,Welcome to Friday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news Trump's back-down on tariffs came as corporate decision-makers concluded reshoring isn't a good idea. There are few moves to bolster US-based production.But first today, Fed boss Powell spoke overnight and he focused on the challenges they face keeping inflation under control. He noted long-term interest rates are now notably higher, driven mainly by risk premiums rather than shifts in inflation expectations, while estimates of the longer-run neutral policy rate have also risen. He noted the US economy has changed a lot since their last review and warned that inflation might become more volatile in future due to more frequent supply shocks, which will make it harder for central banks to achieve price stability. Throughout his remarks, Powell also stressed the critical role of anchored inflation expectations. Meanwhile US initial jobless claims slipped slightly to 205,200 but that was what seasonal factors accounted for and what analysts were expecting. There are now 1.783 mln people on these benefits, a reduction from last week, but it is up almost +100,000 from this time last year.Maybe surprisingly, American producer prices fell by -0.5% in April, following a revised flat reading in March and defying market expectations of a +0.2% increase. This was the first decline in the PPI since October 2023 and the sharpest drop since April 2020, during the early pandemic period. The retreat was largely driven by a -0.7% fall in service costs, the largest since data collection began in December 2009, and that was due to a -1.6% drop in margins for trade services, because businesses are absorbing much of the impact from higher tariffs. PPI is now up +2.4% from a year ago.Industrial production in the US didn't rise as expected in April. In fact factory output fell -0.4%, reversing the increase in March. And the prospects of shifting significant production "back to the US" seem remote in many diverse categories.There were two regional factory surveys released for May overnight, and both declined somewhat. The NY Fed's Empire State survey reported another modest decline. The Philly Fed's survey for their core rust belt region recorded a sharp improvement, better than the improvement expected. But it is still in decline.In a sign of the times a major lithium battery recycler has entered bankruptcy.US retail sales were little-changed in April, following the upwardly revised +1.7% front-loaded pre-tariff surge in March. 2024 gains mean they are +5.2% higher than year-ago levels.The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index in the US fell sharply in May to its the lowest since November 2023 and well below what was expected. Home builders are glum. Current sales conditions fell, sales expectations in the next six months edged lower, and they said traffic of prospective buyers has dropped recently.Meanwhile, housing starts in Canada jumped +30% in April from March and that was well above what was expected. It was their most since June 2023. US tariffs on Canadian softwoods is likely making Canadian house building costs lower.Across the Pacific, Japanese machine tool orders rose +7.7% in April from a year ago, but that growth was a slowing from +11.4% growth in March. But it was the seventh consecutive month of rising machine tool orders. Local orders dropped -5.4% from a year earlier while foreign orders jumped +13.3% on the same basis. India's exports were nothing special in April, certainly not reflective of a rising industrial power. They slipped from March but they were up +9.0% from a year ago due to gains in prior months.In Europe, industrial production rose by +2.6% in March from February, marking the strongest increase since November 2020 and rising from a good +1.1% gain in February. The result easily beat market expectations of a +1.8% rise. The surge was driven primarily by a rebound in output of durable consumer goods.In Australia, they added +75,500 jobs in April, almost 47,500 of them full-time positions. Their employed workforce grew +2.75% in the past year. Their jobless rate eased to 4.1% from 4.3% (although staying at 4.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis which is the metric others report). Inflation pressure plus this strong jobs report might have the RBA re-thinking the wisdom of a rate cut.Bulk freight rates fell -7.0% in the last week to be -18.5% lower than year-ago levels. Container freight rates were also -18.0% lower than year ago levels, but they did rise +8% last week with a surge in outbound cargoes from China across the Pacific on the sudden 'pause' in tariff hikes.The UST 10yr yield is at 4.45%, down -8 bps so far today.The price of gold will start today at US$3218/oz, and up +US$43 from yesterday.Oil prices are -US$2 lower today at just over US$61.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is just on US$64.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 58.7 USc, down -40 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -10 bps at 91.7 AUc. Against the euro we are down -30 bps at 52.5 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just over 67.2 and down a net -40 bps from this time yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$104,020 and up +0.8% from yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has remained modest at just under +/- 1.2%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again on Monday.

Kia ora,Welcome to Thursday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news the price of gold is falling, long term benchmark interest rates keep on rising with larger risk premiums, and monetary policy regulators are coming round to the idea of rate cuts to bolster flagging economic expansion everywhere.But first in the US, mortgage application volumes rose marginally last week from the prior week for the period and holding on to the +11% jump of the previous period. Benchmark home loan rates were basically stable but at an elevated level averaging 6.86%.Canada building consents fell in March and by more than expected although to be fair it only cancelled the February rise and probably isn't too surprising given their election campaign and overall economic uncertainty around relations with the US.Meanwhile, Canadian vehicle sales took off in March, and to its best month since the pandemic, as buyers rushed to get hold of pickups, utes and light trucks ahead of the threat of sharply higher prices. On the other hand, car sales dived.In China, new yuan loan approvals were unusually weak in the April data released overnight. Banks approved loans at their lowest rate for an April since 2005, and at ¥280 bln, that was less than 10% of the good March level and less than half the year ago level, itself unusually weak. Of course, it reflects the initial impact of the trade war on Chinese businesses.In Australia we should note that large parts of Victoria and South Australia are in a severe drought condition, also even parts of Tasmania. Some say it is the worst "in a lifetime" with zero April rainfall extending into May. If there is any hope for livestock farmers it is that grain production has been high in other areas, enabling grain-fed beef to continue. Lucky for them, grain-fed beef demand is rising in China. Those drought conditions contrast with the endless rain Sydney is having.Next week on Tuesday, the Aussie central bank will be reviewing its 4.10% cash rate target. More analysts now see a -25 bps cut then. Although it is no certainty, financial markets also have it priced in.And staying in Australia, regulator ASIC is tackling Macquarie again. ASIC is suing Macquarie Securities alleging it engaged in misleading conduct by misreporting millions of short sales to the market operator for over 14 years. They allege that between 11 December 2009 and 14 February 2024, Macquarie failed to correctly report the volume of short sales by at least 73 million. ASIC estimates that this could be between 298 million and 1.5 billion short sales. The last ASIC action against Macquarie was just a week ago over compliance failures. Today's action is the fifth by ASIC against Macquarie since April 2024.The UST 10yr yield is at 4.53%, up +3 bps so far today.The price of gold will start today at US$3175/oz, and down -US$67 from yesterday.Oil prices are marginally lower today at just under US$63.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is just under US$66.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.1 USc, down -30 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are up +10 bps at 91.8 AUc. Against the euro we are down -30 bps at 52.8 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just under 67.6 and down a net -30 bps from this time yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$103,147 and down almost -1.0% from yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has remained modest at just under +/- 1.1%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

APAC stocks traded mostly higher following the rally on Wall St owing to the US-China trade war de-escalation after both sides agreed to cut tariffs by 115ppts for an initial period of 90 days, although some of the gains were capped as the euphoria began to moderate.White House Executive Order said US will cut the minimum tariff on China shipments from 120% to 54%, and a minimum flat fee of USD 100 is to remain.DXY took a breather and gave back some of yesterday's firm gains; 10yr UST futures traded rangebound after recently suffering from a lack of haven appealEuropean equity futures indicate a lower cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.2% after the cash market finished with gains of 1.6% on Monday.Looking ahead, highlights include UK Jobs, German ZEW, US CPI, Speakers include US President Trump, BoE's Pill, Bailey & ECB's Rehn, Supply from Netherlands, UK, Italy & Germany, Earnings from JD.Com, Intuitive Machines, On, Munich Re, Hannover Re, Bayer, K+S, Leg, Ferrovial & A2A.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news the relief rally following the US-China trade de-escalation continues, for equities at least. But worries continue about recession and inflation. Investors want higher risk premiums. And it seems China is in no hurry to resume buying from US sources.But first up today, the overnight dairy Pulse auction delivered similar but slightly lower results for both SMP and WMP that were achieved at last week's full auction, basically confirming the recent shifts, especially the up-shift for WMP.The April US CPI inflation rate came in at 2.3%, a touch lower than the 2.4% expected and which applied for March. That was largely due to fuel costs falling more sharply (-11.8%). The costs of food (+2.8%), rents (+4.0%) and transport (+2.5%) were all higher.Last week's Redbook tracking of US retail sales recorded a +5.8% rise from the same week a year ago. We will likely see this fade as the tariff-induced buying eases off now.The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index dropped in April to its lowest level since October 2024. But the retreat wasn't quite as much as was expected.US household debt data updates were a mixed bag. Total household debt rose +$167 bln from the prior quarter to a record high of $18.2 tln in Q1-2025. Delinquency rates rose from the previous quarter, with 4.3% of outstanding debt now in some stage of delinquency.US importers of Chinese goods still face much higher costs. The net position after the tempest and pullback is 'worse' for inflation, and negative for trade. Struggle is all ahead for global trade.In India, CPI inflation fell to 3.2% in April, and that is its lowest rate since before the pandemic. Food prices were up only +1.8% within that. The current overall inflation rate is now well below their central bank's 4% mid-point target. If it stays there, a rate cut in India may be on the cards.In Germany, there was a sharp bounce-back in the ZEW sentiment survey tracking in May, putting the unusual drop in April behind it. The survey indicates growing optimism for the next six months, driven by the formation of a new federal government there, progress in resolving tariff disputes, and signs of stabilising inflation. Nearly all sectors reported improved sentiment in May.In Australia, updated data seems to indicate that Kiwis are losing the desire to visit there. That said there were 104,600 visits by Kiwis in March, -9.3% fewer than in March 2024 and almost -10% fewer than in March 2018 (a pre-pandemic equivalent). For the year to March 2025, we made 1.367 mln visits to Australia, little different (+1.4%) to the same year in 2024. It is a similar story for Aussies visiting New Zealand. In March 2025 it was -1.7% less than the same month a year earlier.Consumer sentiment in Australia has stayed weak in March, according to a widely-watched Westpac-MM survey.We should probably note that good weather and favourable growing conditions in almost all regions has boosted wheat production - and is pushing down prices. They are now back to levels they first achieved ten years ago and are almost -60% lower than their peak in 2022. For similar reasons, corn prices are falling now too.The UST 10yr yield is at 4.50%, up +4 bps so far today.There rate may go higher. A Reuters poll of bond investors shows them increasingly concerned about both a global recession, and rising inflation. That is, stagflation.The price of gold will start today at US$3243/oz, and up +US$20 from yesterday.Oil prices are up +US$1.50 today at just over US$63.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is just over US$66.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.4 USc, up +90 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -50 bps at 91.7 AUc. Against the euro we are up +30 bps at 53.1 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just under 67.9 and up a net +50 bps from this time yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$104,161 and back up +2.7% from yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has remained modest at just on +/- 1.7%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Kia ora,Welcome to Tuesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news mostly about the China-US Geneva 'agreement' and market reactions.First up, China and the US agreed to cut tariffs on each other by -115%. For the US that means they will go down to 30%. For China, down to 10%. Supposedly the deal is for 90 days to allow further negotiations, but it will likely be endlessly extended. Oddly, China was the only major power to impose reciprocal tariffs and this deal seem to make them a clear winner with the US meeting most of China's demands for de-escalation. Other countries who regarded themselves as friends and who have or are still 'negotiating' with the US are now in a much worse position. That includes neighbours Canada and Mexico, Japan, and of course the EU.Separately, India who made a big effort to deal with Trump, is spurned, and they have other security reasons to feel offended (justifiably or not).US merchants will rush to return to China supply. But it isn't clear that China will be doing the same with US products. The US trade deficit with China, already elevated, is likely to surge after this type of 'Trump negotiation success'.The equity markets liked the retreat and Wall Street took off. The USD strengthened, probably in a way the American's don't want. The bond market sees more risks and increased its risk premium. Gold and bitcoin fell sharply.The size of the tariff taxes became clear in April with the release of the US Budget Statement. These taxes cost US importers $16 bln in the month, an increase of +US$9 bln from a year ago, or +$500 mln/day, far lower than the +US$2 bln/day claimed by Trump. Of course they will now fall from here and it seems will never reach the claimed levels so any budget boost to tackle deficits - a clearly stated policy objective - is likely now in the bin.The May report from the USDA shows that grain production worldwide is rising while consumption isn't. So prices are falling especially in the US in response to their trade policies. More will be used there as feed grains. Oddly, this report noted lower production and export opportunities for beef but overlooked mention of what is presumed to be a surge in beef imports. They did say dairy production will be lower and imports higher.Across the Pacific, Chinese vehicle sales came in for April up +9.8% from the same month in 2024. These sales ran at 2.59 mln units an all-time record high for any April. NEVs took a record 47% share in the month. In all this, foreign brands are struggling to get a share, or even keep their share of this expanding market.The UST 10yr yield is at 4.46%, up +8 bps so far today. Wall Street has taken off today on the China tariff news, up +3.1% in Monday trade. The price of gold will start today at US$3223/oz, and down -US$100 from yesterday.Oil prices are up +US$1 today at just over US$62/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is just over US$65/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 58.5 USc, down -60 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -20 bps at 92.2 AUc. Against the euro we are up +30 bps at 52.8 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just under 67.4 and down -20 bps from this time yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$101,401 and down -2.5% from yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at just on +/- 1.5%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Kia ora,Welcome to Monday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news with claims of "substantial progress" and "a deal we struck" by the Americans in their Geneva talks with China, but no indications of anything from the Chinese. Bluster from the White House doesn't count for much these days.But first in the coming week, US attention will shift to Wednesday's CPI data for April although no real surprises are anticipated. There will be April data for retail sales too, PPI data, housing starts, and the next sentiment update from the University of Michigan at the end of the week.China will report new loan data, house price data, and updates for industrial production and retail sales. Japan will release its Q1-2025 GDP data, and both South Korea and Australia will release labour market data updates. Locally we will get travel, population, retail and productivity data, not to forget the Q1 ready mixed concrete data (!).In Japan, household spending rose +2.1% in March from a year ago and far better than the expected +0.2% gain. It was the strongest growth since December. Helping was that the previous retreats of spending on food basically stopped, while spending on furniture and on recreation rose a good levels.China's April CPI inflation dipped -0.1% from a year ago, holding the same easing for a second month and that was what was expected. It was the third consecutive month of consumer deflation. Within that result, food prices were up +0.3% but beef prices fell -4.9% from a year ago, lamb prices were down -3.8%. Milk prices fell -1.2%.Deflation was more pronounced for producer prices, down -2.7% from a year ago, the steepest retreat for any month in 2025.Staying in China, April exports came in very much better than the pullback that was expected. In fact their trade surplus was almost as strong as the unusual March trade surplus. Few were expecting this 'good' result. Here are the results by trading partner.New Zealand exported twice what we imported from them. For Australia it was almost the same but the Aussies have a higher dependency on China than we do. For the US, they are still taking more that 10% of all Chinese exports although that is down from nearly 13% usually. But Chinese buying of American goods is now under 6% of all Chinese imports, down from the usual 16%. The Americans may have initiated the tariff war, but the Chinese have reacted far faster.Meanwhile China said its Q1-2025 current account surplus hit a record high, more than treble what it was in the same quarter a year ago. US demand saw their merchandise trade surplus leap, while their services deficit narrowed slightly.Across the Pacific in the US, that foreigners are avoiding travel there has been confirmed by new data that shows an historic drop in inbound travel spending. It has only been a sharper drop in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the early stages of the badly-handled response to Covid. The US as a travel destination is a significant reason they have run services surpluses. The travel boycott may build over fears it is unsafe, amid numerous reports of immigration officers detaining tourists or denying entry even for transit.Further the American spring real estate season is shaping up to be 'a dud'. High unsold inventories, high price expectations, and still-high mortgage rates are putting off buyers during this prime selling period.The US barbeque season is approaching and the cost of beef is rising and rising. Tariffs are raising prices and drought is thinning local cattle supply. That means the Americans are more dependent than ever on imported beef, especially ground beef. They are price takers so are paying both the premium for the supply shortfall, plus the full imported tariffs.Looking north, although the Canadian jobless rate rose a touch more than expected to 6.9% in April (and a 3 year high), and there was only a minor rise in overall payroll employment, there was in fact a strong rise in full-time jobs and an equally notable fall in part-time roles.The Canadian dollar fell on the jobless rise. The overall softness however probably means the Bank of Canada will cut its 2.75% policy rate again at their next meeting on June 5 (NZT).The UST 10yr yield is at 4.38%, unchanged from this time Saturday and up +16 bps for the week. The price of gold will start today at US$3323/oz, and down -US$15 from Saturday.Oil prices are holding today at just on US$61/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is still just under US$64/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.1 USc, down -10 bps from Saturday at this time, down -30 bps from a week ago. Against the Aussie we are unchanged at 92.2 AUc. Against the euro we are still at 52½ euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just under 67.6 and little-changed from Saturday, down -20 bps from this time last week.The bitcoin price starts today at US$104,041and up +0.9% from Saturday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at just under +/- 1.7%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Kia ora,Welcome to Friday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news the US Fed looks more trapped in policy choices than it has for a long time.But first up today, a US-UK trade deal was announced to great fanfare. But in fact it isn't much. Rather it is a small set of carve-outs from the previous base case: Car tariffs on British-made cars would come in at 10% rather than 27.5%, steel tariffs would go to zero and the threat of future pharmaceutical tariffs would recede. The overall headline US tariff of 10% seems to still be in place; the UK has offered more market access to the US and a Boeing airplane order. But the US did not get changes on food standards or the UK's digital services taxation. The whole thing is very underwhelming. All headlines, no substance.But the equity markets liked it, even if the bond markets didn't. The USD rose on the news. Perhaps the equity markets also see progress coming in tomorrow's Swiss meeting between China and US representatives?Meanwhile, US jobless claims fell last week and by a bit more than seasonal factors would have assumed, coming in right at the level expected by analysts. There are now 1.846 mln people on these benefits, whereas a year ago there were 1.743 mln on them, a +5.9% rise.American labour productivity fell -0.8 in the March 2025 quarter as output decreased -0.3% and hours worked increased +0.6%. It is their first decrease in productivity since the volatile pandemic years, and prior to that, the first Trump presidency.March wholesale inventories rose marginally (+0.4%) but so did sales in the pre-tariff rush, so the inventory-to-sales balance was little-changed and not exhibiting any stress.Also not changing much were American inflation expectations in April, which isn't as sanguine as it sounds because they came in at the same elevated 3.6% level they jumped to in March. However, households' perceptions about their current financial situations deteriorated, with the share of consumers reporting that they are somewhat or much worse off compared to one year ago increasing. Similarly, households' expectations about their future financial situations deteriorated, with the share of those believing they will be somewhat or much worse off a year from now also rising.In Malaysia, their central bank held its policy rate at 3% overnight, as was expected. They have low inflation, 1.4%, and a good +4.4% economic expansion but one that is fading. And they are vulnerable to the tariff war. In the meantime, Malaysian industrial production is still expanding at a healthy clip.In Europe, German industrial production is on the come-back up +3.0% in March from February, and for the first time since May 2023, hardly lower than year-ago levels. Of course, this is data that predates the onset of the US tariff war.In England, their central bank cut its policy rate by -25 bps to 4.25%, also as expected. But two of their nine members voted for no change. It is their fourth rate cut since August 2023, when their rate reached 5.25% in the previous cycle. They currently have a 2.6% inflation rate, slowly easing, and a +1.4% economic expansion rate.With the Bank of England following the ECB down, along with Canada, soon Australia, and likely New Zealand, it does point out that the US Fed is now boxed in by US fiscal policy, basically unable to cut rates there because of the immediate inflation risks.In Australia, they changed their laws making it clearer that buy-now-pay-later contracts are covered by their National Credit Code (which is Schedule 1 to their National Credit Act). ASIC has now issued regulatory guidance for the BNPL sector.We should probably note that lithium prices have fallen further, with the bubble well and truly over, and prices back to their pre-bubble 2021 levelsThe reduction impetus is going out of global container freight rate changes, down just -1% last week to be -23% lower than year-ago levels. Bulk cargo rates stopped rising in the past week.The UST 10yr yield is at 4.37%, up +10 bps from this time yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3303/oz, and down -US$81 from yesterday.Oil prices are firmer today, up +US$1.50 at just under US$60/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just under US$63/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.1 USc, down -60 bps from yesterday at this time, down a full -1c from Wednesday. Against the Aussie we are down -20 bps at 92.3 AUc. Against the euro we are unchanged at 52.6 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just on 67.6 and down another -20 bps.The bitcoin price starts today at US$101,054 and up +4.6% from yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been moderate at just under +/- 3.0%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again on Monday.

Kia ora,Welcome to Thursday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news the global economy's track is no clearer today.First up, the US central bank kept it key policy rate unchanged at 4.50% for a third consecutive meeting in line with expectations. They are keeping their wait-and-see approach but watching to see if the tariff taxes drive up inflation and slow economic growth. They say they still see expanded economic activity despite signs net exports are volatile. So far they haven't seen the jobless rate move "and labour market conditions remain solid". But they are seeing elevated inflation, and they foresee risks of higher unemployment and higher inflation.Equity markets dropped on the release, as did benchmark bond yields. The USD hardly moved however.Earlier, it was reported that US mortgage application volumes jumped +11% last week from the previous week, ending the three consecutive slumps from earlier in the month. The rebound came after there was another small drop in benchmark mortgage rates.Across the Pacific, China's FX reserves rose in April to their highest level in more than six months (in USD).And staying in China, their central bank said it will cut the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) by -50 basis points, injecting about ¥1 tln in liquidity into their domestic economy. But the cut won't come until May 15 and will then be the first RRR cut in 2025. They also said they will lower the rate on seven-day reverse repurchase agreements by 10 basis points to 1.40%, effective tomorrow, Thursday, May 8. This is the first cut to this key policy rate since September 2024 and could lead to cuts in market and other regulatory rates.And despite denials on both sides, both China and the US said they will meet in Switzerland to discuss stuff on Saturday. Interestingly, the Chinese side will be represented by their lead person for China-US economic and trade affairs, but the US side won't be led by its USTR, but the more senior Treasury Secretary.In the EU there were no surprises in their March retail sales volume data, holding flat again.However, there was positive data out of Germany, where factory orders rose +3.6% in March from February, well above market expectations of a +1.3% gain and putting behind it February's lackluster result. It was their strongest increase since December, with broad-based gains across sectors.Meanwhile, Poland cut its official interest rate by -50 bps to 5.25%. Falling inflation and weak economic activity prompted the move, but it was unusual because they have elections due on May 18 and they are battling Russian election interference.In Australia, regulator ASIC said it has imposed additional conditions on Macquarie Bank's Australian financial services licence after multiple and significant compliance failures – some going undetected for many years and one for a decade.And it seems Peter Dutton wasn't the only party leader to lose his seat at the weekend election. The Greens leader will too. In fact, like the Liberals, the Greens vote fell rather sharply at that election.Separately, the OECD said the global trade in fake goods reached almost US$½ tln in the latest data they have - which is for 2021, posing risks to consumer safety and compromising intellectual property. The breakdown in trade cooperation since won't have lessened the problem.The UST 10yr yield was at 4.28%, down -3 bps from this time yesterday before the US Fed announcement, then slipped slightly further to 4.27%.The price of gold will start today at US$3384/oz, and down -US30 from yesterday.Oil prices are firmer today, down -50 USc at just on US$58.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just under US$61.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.7 USc, down -30 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are unchanged at 92½ AUc. Against the euro we are down -20 bps at 52.6 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just on 67.8 and down -20 bps.The bitcoin price starts today at US$96,653 and up +2.2% from yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at +/- 1.6%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news we are in for a day of significant announcements, but locally and internationally.But first up today, the overnight full dairy auction brought higher prices, up +4.6% in USD terms and up +3.0% in NZD terms. Of note, the butter price hit a new all-time record high of US$74992/tonne. Also, cheddar cheese rose a very sharp +12.0% from the prior full event, and the dominant WMP price was up a heady +6.2%. This has been a very positive outcome, even if it was on relatively low off-season volumes.There seemed to be two big background drivers. First, EU production is slipping and today's NZ auction prices seem to be equalising with European pricing. And secondly, there was a substantial increase in demand from Southeast Asian buyers, shifting from EU supply. Today's result will bring upside to the payout - if it is maintaintained in future events.Elsewhere, there was a good rise in US retail sales last week, up +6.9% from the same week a year ago in the Redbook survey. But as we have noted previously, it is now hard to separate the inflationary effect of the tariff taxes from volume gains. It is about now that the tariff-tax impact will start happening. All eyes are on Apple, because they won't be able to avoid price hikes much longer now.Retaliatory tariff taxes also juiced up US exports in both goods and services in March but it was minor and similar to February. US imports however shot up to a new all-time record high. So the American trade deficit also hit a new record exceeding -$140 bln for the monthNone of this is helping sentiment. The latest survey, this one the RealClearMarkets/TIPP Economic Optimism Index retreated in May from April when a gain was anticipated. It was at its lowest in seven months.Meanwhile, the US logistics managers index returned to more usual levels, but allowing it to do that were rises in inventory and freight costs, rather than the efficiency components.There was a well-supported US Treasury 10 year bond auction earlier today, and that delivered a median yield of 4.28% which was down -6 bps from the prior equivalent event a month ago.Tomorrow will be dominated by the US Fed's meeting outcome. Changed interest rates are unlikely, but there will be intense interest in how they view the present and future economic landscape.In Canada, the widely-watched local Ivey PMI turned into contraction in April.In China, the Caixin Services PMI expansion eased back in April, down from March's three-month high to be below analyst forecasts. This is now the softest expansion in their services sector in seven months. But this Caixin version reported a slightly faster expansion than the official version.There is a lot going on today, and amongst that we are expecting a significant Chinese briefing by their central bank and other regulators about new moves to respond to their economic pressures triggered by the tariff war.In Europe, their April services PMI didn't fall into contraction as expected. Rather it stayed just on the positive side. But it is an anemic expansion all the same.In Australia, household spending slipped in March from February, to be +3.5% higher than March 2024. Of special note was the very sharp -1.3% dive in Queensland.There was an even sharper retreat in building consents in Australia in March with a big -15% dive in consents for building apartments.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.31%, down -3 bps from this time yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3414/oz, and up +US$101 from yesterday, and heading back towards its April 23 record high.Oil prices are firmer today, up +US$2 at just on US$59/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just under US$62.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 60 USc, up +40 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are up +0 bps at 92½ AUc. Against the euro we are up +50 bps at 52.8 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just under 68 and up +10 bps. The Japanese yen has strengthened to limit the TWI-5 shift.The bitcoin price starts today down a mere -0.3% from yesterday at US$94,563. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been low at +/- 0.9%.Join us at 10:45am for the release of the important March quarter jobs report for New Zealand. We are expecting no rise in employment and a rise in the unemployment rate to 5.3%. Variations from that might be market-moving.And then at 2pm we will be covering the RBNZ's half-yearly Financial Stability Report. This will be Christian Hawkesby's first big set piece presentation as Governor, a role he holds until at least October.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

4pm Hour: Jason talks about staying at the Four Seasons this weekend - should he have stayed in or gone out? Dan shares a Monday Message on the need to show up for each other. And finally Jason talks with Professor Rachel Moran from UST about the DOJ's investigation into Mary Moriarty's race policy.

Sara Herguedas de Castro, directora creativa y fundadora en plena pandemia de Studio Hache, un estudio de diseño y comunicación especializado en construir marcas personales y de empresa con propósito. Soy Publicista de formación, con dos magisters, uno en diseño gráfico especialización en desarrollo web, y otro en creatividad publicitaria. Poseo más de 15 años de experiencia en el mundo del marketing y la publicidad, habiendo trabajado tanto para multinacionales, estudios de diseño y cliente final, tanto en España, como en Chile.He trabajado con marcas como Renault, Telefónica, Adidas, Starbucks, Saxoline, Entel, agencias como Ogilvy One, NetthinkIsobar, tanto en América Latina y Europa, desarrollando publicidad, estrategias de posicionamiento que combinan creatividad, visión estratégica y una fuerte identidad emocional.Actualmente resido en Valparaíso, Chile, soy Española, que lleva viviendo en Chile 11 años. He creado una metodología propia, PRISMA, con la que ayudo a emprendedores, creativos y profesionales a diferenciarse en el mercado desde su autenticidad. No solo diseñamos marcas visualmente atractivas, sino que las construimos desde el SER, conectando el propósito personal con la estrategia de negocio. Nuestro propósito como estudio, es poder ayudar aquellos emprendedores a poder posicionarse y diferenciarse dentro de su sector a través del SER y no del HACER. ¿Cómo hacemos todo esto? desarrollando su estrategia de marca, toda su identidad visual, y toda su identidad verbal, y un acompañamiento tras finalizar el proyecto con nosotros.Nuestra propuesta de valor se basa en una asesoría profundamente personalizada, donde acompañamos a nuestros clientes en todo el proceso: desde definir quiénes son, hasta cómo comunicarlo al mundo.Nuestro modelo de negocio combina servicios de alto valor como mentorías 1:1, talleres grupales y creación de marcas completas, trabajando principalmente con personas que buscan dar el salto y destacar en su sector.Desde hace dos años también soy mentora, he pertenecido a la red de mentores de la UST, y actualmente pertenezco a la red de mentores Chrysalis mentorizando a empresas y emprendedores.

Kia ora,Welcome to Tuesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news all eyes are now turning to the US Fed and the results of their meeting about to start.But first up in the US, the widely-watched ISM services PMI for April came in better than expected with a modest expansion, off a nine month low in March. New orders drove the result as did higher inventories. Employment contracted again. Activity was little-changed but still expanding. However price pressures jumped to their highest since February 2023.This contrasts with the globally-benchmarked S&P Global/Markit version which reported its slowest growth for 17 months amid subdued demand and a slump in business confidence and rising costs. Financial markets are preferring to look at the ISM one, however.All eyes now turn to Thursday's (NZT) US Federal Reserve board meeting where most observers think they will hold policy unchanged to see how the price impact of tariffs works out.There was a well supported UST 3yr bond auction this morning and that delivered a median yield of 3.77%, up slightly from 3.70% at the prior equivalent event a month ago.In Washington, there are still no tariff deals. There are negotiations but it seems no-one is rolling over in the way the new US Administration assumed.And as you will already probably know, Warren Buffett has announced his retirement as CEO at the end of this year, when he will be aged 95 years. But he will remain chairman of Berkshire Hathaway.In Canada, things aren't good with their service sector suffering a steep contraction of activity in April.And recession fears are putting a real downer on their real estate markets.Across the Pacific, China is still on holiday. Singapore's April retail sales weakened from March, down a sharpish -2.8% to leave them up just 1.1% from the same month a year ago. Car sales were a significant factor in the month-on-month drop, but not all of it.The results of the weekend's Singaporean general election are in and there was no surprise that they had engineered a dominant win for their ruling PAP party, enough to retain their two-thirds-and-more majority. They won 87 of the 98 seats 'contested' with 67% of the vote. Their courts ensured the opposition could only run weak candidates. They have a 'democracy' in name only.Post-election in Australia, the ASX200 fell -1.0%, and their benchmark 10 year bond rose +10 bps from pre-election levels. Investors think they are facing at least six more years of a Labor-led government, three at least with a majority-Labor government.The key trends in the Aussie election were a stark gender divide with women overwhelmingly repelled by the Liberals, immigrant votes, including Chinese votes, increasingly attracted to Labor, and the rise and rise of Teal candidates (who are social liberals, economic conservatives). The opposition Liberal Party are likely to compound their mistakes by selecting two older socially conservative men to the top leadership.The other notable trend from the Aussie election was the near wipeout of the Greens. Even their leader is having trouble holding his seat.Global food prices rose in April but are only back to the same level they were in 2023 and well below March 2022 levels. But the rise was largely down to rises for meat (up +4.3% from year-ago levels), and especially dairy (up +23% on the same basis).The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.34%, unchanged from this time yesterday.Oil prices are weaker again, down -US$1 at just on US$57/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just under US$60/bbl. These are still four year lows, hurt by the combination of easing global demand along with rising output.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.6 USc, down -20 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -20 bps at 92.3 AUc. Against the euro we are little-changed at 52.3 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just under 67.9 and up +10 bps.The bitcoin price starts today down -1.0% from yesterday at US$94,803. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at +/- 1.1%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Kia ora,Welcome to Friday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news the gold price is tumbling today, ending its recent spectacular rise.But first, American initial jobless claims rose to 223,600 last week, more than expected. There are now 1.907 mln people on these benefits, +153,000 more than at this time last year, a rose of +8.7%.But job cuts announced in April came in less than you might have thought at 105,400, certainly less than for March. But they are +62% higher than year-ago levels.The widely-watched ISM manufacturing PMI for April slipped into a deeper contraction than in March, although slightly less so than expected. Output shrank more sharply and prices rose faster. Meanwhile, new orders declined at a slower pace although new export orders fell steeply. This survey was quite a bit more negative than the S&P Global/Markit version we noted yesterday.One sector that has lost much of its momentum is the US construction industry. It atrophied somewhat in March, again.The expectation is that tomorrow's US non-farm payrolls report will deliver a rise of +130,000, about half the levels they had at the back end of 2024. But there may be downside risks to this estimate. A very weak result will put the Fed in a real bind, having to choose between rescuing jobs in a faltering economy, or pushing back on rising inflation. The last time they had serious stagflation was in the late 1970s, and then the Fed chose fighting inflation over preserving jobs and growth. It caused social unrest, but it beat inflation, and ended stagflation's curse - until now. But fifty years later, few people understand that curse and it's corrosive effects.Across the Pacific, the Bank of Japan held its key interest rate steady yesterday as the new American tariff policy casts a shadow over the Japanese economy. The central bank kept its policy rate at 0.5% during its first board meeting since Washington announced a wave of "reciprocal" tariffs in early April. The yen fell. The BOJ also stood pat at its March meeting following a +25 bps hike in January.And don't forget, China is on holiday, until Tuesday. So data releases there are sparse. It may be a good time for some of them to take a break; outbound export shipments to the US are reportedly down -50%. Despite that, there are signs the US is desperate to get trade talks going but Beijing is playing hard to engage.Australia reported a merchandise trade surplus of +AU$10.8 bln in March. This was a good improvement from the relatively low +AU$8.4 bln in March 2024, but similar to the average March in the prior five years (+AU$10.6 bln). (Australia usually reports seasonally adjusted values, and are much lower than the actual values this year, for some reason.)The Aussie federal election is in its final day now. Pundits seem to think the incumbent government will be returned but with a reduced majority, maybe even requiring a coalition partner. We will know soon enough.Global container freight rates fell -3% last week from the prior week to be -23% lower than year ago levels. Bulk freight rates were little-changed.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.23%, up +5 bps from this time yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3214/oz, and down -US$95 from yesterday.Oil prices are holding lower at just on US$58.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just under US$61.50/bbl. These remain four year lows, down to level last seen in April 2021.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59 USc, down -40 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -20 bps at 92.6 AUc. Against the euro we are little-changed at 52.3 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just on 67.4 and down -10 bps.The bitcoin price starts today up +2.8% from yesterday at US$96,810. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at +/- 1.9%.This briefing is taking a few days off for a short break. We will resume on Tuesday, May 5, 2025.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again on Tuesday.

Kia ora,Welcome to Thursday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news the consequences of US policy changes are now starting to show up in the data.The big overnight news is the Q1-2025 US GDP report. The American economy shrank at an annualised rate of -0.3% in the period, the first retreat since Q1-2022. This was a sharp reversal from +2.4% growth in the previous quarter and well below market expectations of +0.3% growth. A surge in imports was one key factor as businesses rushed to stockpile goods in anticipation of higher costs from the tariff announcements. But that didn't include consumers because their spending growth cooled to 1.8%, the slowest pace since Q2-2023. Federal government spending fell -5.1%, the steepest drop since Q1-2022.That 'cooled' consumer spending reversed in March with a tariff-stocking-up rise for them too (especially for cars) ahead of the April cost increases. PCE inflation cooled a little, but not yet back to mid-2024 levels. Personal disposable income rose less than spending in March.Financial markets reacted negatively to the larger than expected GDP shifts.This weekend we get the April non-farm payrolls report and currently markets expect a smallish rise of +130,000. But that may be an over-estimate. The ADP survey of private business only added +62,000 workers to their payrolls in April, less than half of the downwardly revised 147,000 payrolls in March and well below market expectations of +115,000.April data is weaker than for March, so prospects for Q2-2025 economic activity do not look flash for the giant US economy. US mortgage applications sank again last week, and for a third straight week. A pullback in new orders and production levels in April saw the Chicago PMI contract for its 17th consecutive month.But US pending home sales jumped in March from February, ahead of tariffs which are expected to make new home purchases more expensive. But they are -0.6% lower than year-ago levels which itself was a weak base.And still in the US, it is becoming clearer who will be paying the tariffs. Retail giant Walmart has raised the white flag, telling Chinese suppliers to resume shipments suggesting to them it will 'absorb' the new border costs. Of course they will be passed on to consumers.Across the Pacific, we are looking ahead to the Bank of Japan rate decision later today, although the landscape has changed there and they are unlikely to raise their +0.5% policy rate now.Japan's industrial production was weakish in March, coming in lower than expected from the prior month to be little-changed from March a year ago. At the same time they reported retail sales +3.1% ahead of the same month a year ago which was lower than expected, also with current weakness from February.Nearby, Korea said their industrial production came in better than expected in March although not as strong as for February. Korean March retail sales however gave back a small bit of the outsized rise in February.In China, their May Day holiday starts today and runs to May 5, inclusive. (They were required to work on April 27 (Sunday) to give them five consecutive "days of rest". They may not be resting; travel bookings for domestic trips are up through the roof this year. (Don't forget, in China, the standard working week is 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week, which is a five-day work week (Monday-Friday). However, it's important to note that the 996 work culture, where employees work from 9am to 9pm, six days a week, is a common reality, especially in their tech industry.)Once again the official factory PMI for China came in with a small contraction (a definite slowing), while the private Caixin version came in with a small expansion, although a slight slowing. Separately, the official services PMI came in with a slightly better expansion. In all cases, new order levels retreated.In Europe, the German economy expanded slightly in Q1-2025 from Q4-2024. Inflation was steady in April at 2.2%, and retail sales were up +2.2% on a volume basis from March year-ago levels, but little change from February.That all helped the overall EU GDP to expand +1.4% in Q1-2025 from a year ago, up +0.4% from Q4-2024. It is rate that the EU outperforms the US, and this isn't so much because the EU is rising, more that the US is falling.Whichever way you sliced it, Australia's inflation came in at 2.4% in March from a year ago. That was true for the quarterly CPI, and the monthly inflation indicator. Both were little-changed from the respective prior releases. There's now talk of a post-election rate cut from the current 4.10% cash rate target.The pre-tariff shoring up saw air cargo demand spike in March, led by activity in Asia/Pacific, and the US. Come April and May, this spike is expected to reverse quite sharply. Passenger air travel is flattening right out, especially in North America. But it is being held up by strong China and India domestic demand, and still-good Asia/Pacific international demand.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.17%, unchanged bp from this time yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3309/oz, and down -US$10 from yesterday.Oil prices are down more than -US$2 at just under US$58.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is down more than -US$3, now just over US$61/bbl. These are four year lows, down to level last seen in April 2021.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.4 USc, unchanged from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -20 bps at 92.8 AUc. Against the euro we are little-changed at 52.3 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just on 67.6 and essentially unchanged.The bitcoin price starts today down -1.3% from yesterday at US$94,182. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at +/- 1.2%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news negative data is starting to flow more aggressively in the US as the consequences of dumb policy show through. It been a track to decline for the first 100 days of Trump II.First, the US Redbook index of retail sales rose +6.1% last week from the week before, but the strong suspicion is that much of this is inflation-related.And that is supported by a sharp drop in consumer sentiment reported by the Conference Board, down to a 13 year low in April and confirming the UofM earlier sentiment survey.US job openings fell by -288,000 to 7.192 mln in March, down -901,000 from a year ago to the lowest level in six months and well below market expectations of 7.5 mln. The drop was broad-based. Their quit rate rose to an 8 month high.The US trade deficit in goods widened sharply to -US$162 bln in March, the largest on record, and well above the expected -US$146 bln gap as tariff threats drove US importers to front-load their purchases. Unsurprisingly, that alos generated a spike in wholesale inventories.This bad trade result probably cements a very weak Q1-2025 GDP result. The next AtlantaFed GDP Now update will come tomorrow, and is unlikely to be pretty.The Dallas Fed's services sector survey pointed to weaker conditions and a weaker outlook.The Canadian election has resulted in a narrow win for the center-left (in North American terms) Liberals and the Quebec coalition partner. This is an unusual fourth consecutive win for the Liberals, and an unlikely one, very much aided by Trump trolling. It will be a tough gig because they are clearly facing recession, also flowing from the newly-fractious US relationship.The ECB survey on consumer inflation expectations in the euro-zone rose in March with the year ahead expectation up to 2.9%, its highest in a year.EU consumer sentiment dropped in March and to its lowest since December.And we should probably note that Denmark says it wants the EU to join the CPTPP.In Australia, there are three days left of campaigning in their federal election. Polling is tightening. Despite those polls still showing Labour ahead, much will depend on how voters rank their preferences, which could make it rather close.The overnight dairy Pulse auction came in better than the futures market signaled. The SMP price rose as expected and to its highest in a year, but the WMP price did not fall as expected, rather it showed a small gain and to its highest in three years.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.17%, down another -4 bps from this time yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3319/oz, and down -US$17 from yesterday.Oil prices are down -US$1.50 at just on US$60.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is down a bit less, now just under US$64.50/bbl. These are two-week lows as global trade tensions and weak US data dampened the demand outlook.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.4 USc, down -0.2% from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are up +10 bps at 93 AUc. Against the euro we are unchanged at 52.2 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just on 67.6 and down -10 bps.The bitcoin price starts today up +1.3% from yesterday at US$95,401. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been low at +/- 0.9%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

In six short trading days from 4/2 to 4/9, the SPX realized as much vol as it did during the ENTIRE year of 2024. The protracted risk-off that began with the “Liberation Day” fallout ranks only behind Covid and the GFC in terms of severity using data going back to 1990. While we've likely moved past peak VIX, in the aftermath of recent chaos is an overhang of uncertainty that may hamper critical decision-making. I see plenty of lingering uncertainties - from the uneven communication from the WH, from the unpriced reactions of our trading partners and from how the market will need to price in the potential economic and corporate profit fallout from the last several weeks. Unfortunately, the recent period has been a totally unforced exercise in negative branding for both the dollar and US government bond market. For the VIX to run to 50 and for duration not to rally concurrently is a bad outcome, amounting to an asset pricing taste test that went poorly. Scott Bessent and Company need to more effectively safeguard one of our most prized possessions, the US government bond market. The Ten-Year note, not the SPX, is the risk asset. The real financial tail risk that would bring about a spiral higher in the VIX would seem to lie in the potential that long-dated UST yields rise quickly. From a contagion standpoint, the Ten Year is the vulnerability. It's not being treated as such. I hope you find this useful. Have a great week. 

Kia ora,Welcome to Tuesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news there have been some unusual events overnight. And that's putting it mildly.Canadians are voting in federal elections, ones where the winner will need to tackle a weird US administration. The US president injected himself into the campaign at the last minute with a claim Canadians should vote for him to make Canada the 51st state of the US. There are no exit polls yet, but it is likely to steel Canadians to reject the call in record numbers whatever the result is.The clear instability of the Trump action saw Wall Street fall almost immediately but has recovered slightly since. There are nerves on Wall Street about some impending Big Tech results out soon too.In the real world, Canadian wholesale sales slipped -0.3% in March.In the US, the Dallas Fed factory survey dived to its worst level since the pandemic, and before that its worst level since early 2016. The fall was worst in new orders. Inflation rose. Confidence in the future weakened. The US oil patch isn't a happy place.In Europe, we should probably note that there has been a major electricity grid failure in Spain and Portugal with much of the country blacked out, although service is now being restored.Separately, a key ECB figure said the European Central Bank may cut interest rates below the neutral level that keeps the economy in balance. He said euro zone inflation may come in lower than expected as a result of American tariff actions and require the much looser settings.In Asia, India said its industrial production rose +3.0% in March from a year ago, similar to the slowdown reported in February, a lot more tamer than the expansion rate has been recently although back to its long term average. This is not evidence their economy is booming from manufacturing.In China, their centr5al bank is signaling that both rate cuts and reserve ratio cuts are on their to-do list "at the right time". Both will boost liquidity and shore up any economic wavering.Singapore's unemployment rate ticked up a little, but only from an historically low level and only back to its long-run level.Singapore has a national election on Saturday, May 3. No surprise is expected in a contest closely controlled by the ruling party.Australia's federal election is on the same day and that outcome is a lot more uncertain.Australia is one of very few countries to have a AAA credit rating from Moody's, S&P, and Fitch. Now analysts at S&P are openly concerned about the cost of election promises in light of their budget forecasts that earlier showed long-term deficits rising. Election victory might be a bit of a poisoned chalice if it also comes with a downgrade, higher debt servicing costs and rising deficits. Public policy choices then become very hard, very necessary, and very unpopular.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.21%, down -4 bps from this time yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3336/oz, and up +US$17 from yesterday.Oil prices are down -US$1 at just under US$62/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is down a bit more, now just over US$65.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.6 USc, unchanged from Saturday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -30 bps at 92.9 AUc. Against the euro we also down -30 bps at 52.2 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today still just on 67.7 and down -30 bps as well.The bitcoin price starts today little-changed at US$94,137 and down just -0.1% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at +/- 1.4%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Kia ora,Welcome to Monday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news this week we may start to see some hard data from the US and how the Trump insurgency is affecting the world's largest economy. Already sentiment surveys seem pretty negative.For us, the week ahead will be dominated by the March quarter financial system data releases from the RBNZ on Wednesday.Internationally, we will remain trapped watching the chaotic policy changes from Washington and trying to assess how they may impact us. Wall Street's earning season releases will also be a big influence, especially results from Big Tech. And the Americans will release their Q1-2025 GDP results, PCE inflation data, and their ISM PMI survey results. And at the end of the week we will get the April non-farm payroll results for the US labour market.The Bank of Japan is scheduled to review its monetary policy, but they are unlikely to make any changes in the fog of uncertainty around trade policies. Australia will release its Q1-2025 CPI data (expect a dip to 2.2%). China will release its official PMI survey results.Over the weekend, China said its March industrial profits were better than expected, but private sector profits slipped again. However, overall profits rose +0.8% from a year ago. Also better were foreign company profits which were up +2.8% on the same basis.China said they are adding another ¥500 bln in medium-term lending facility funding. This is the second month they have pushed out substantial additional liquidity in this way.And China says more than 120 million people have benefited from their old-for-new consumer goods trade-in subsidy program, driving sales of more than ¥720 bln.And the BS meter is on high after Trump said that “we're meeting with China” on tariffs, comments aimed at soothing jittery financial markets. But Chinese officials say no talks have taken place.In fact, China cancelled some large pork and soybean orders to US suppliers. American farmers not only have to bear the brunt of trade policy gone rogue, they are also battling rouge weather.Singapore said its industrial production rose in March, a bounce-back from a weak February result. But the recovery wasn't as strong as analysts had expected.Across the Pacific, US initial jobless claims fell last week to +209,700 and to the level expected. But seasonal effects suggested this reduction should have been larger. There are now 1.89 mln people on these benefits, still higher than year ago levels. This is despite Federal pressure on States to deny long term undocumented workers access to benefits.New durable goods orders jumped in March by +10.9%, the largest rise in seven months. Capital goods orders rose +24.1%. But non-defense, non-aircraft capital goods orders were only up +1.8%. This is probably why the March or April PMIs didn't note a general rise in factory orders.US existing-home sales fell -5.9% in March from February to be -2.4% lower than one year ago.Meanwhile the Kansas City Fed factory survey reported lower activity, higher costs, and unchanged order levels.Nationally, the Chicago Fed's National Activity Index reported a small slip in March. This is consistent with the overall Fed Beige Book monitoring.And finally for the US, the UofM sentiment survey for April was -8.4% lower than for March, -32% weaker than a year ago. These are big drops. Year-ahead inflation expectations surged from 5.0% in March, an unusually high level, to 6.5% this month, the highest reading since 1981.North of the border, Canada reported February retail sales and they slipped from January to be +2.1% ahead of year ago levels. This data is volume data, so a real increase.And its election day in Canada (tonight NZ time). There has been a notable surge in early voting. Official data for this was released a week ago, and that showed 7.3 million electors had voted in advance at that stage. This is a +25% increase from the 5.8 million electors who voted in advance in the last federal general election in 2021. They have 27.6 mln eligible voters this time.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.25%, up +1 bp from this time Saturday.The price of gold will start today at US$3318/oz, and up +US$88 from Saturday.Oil prices have held from Saturday be still just over US$63/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just under US$67/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.6 USc, down -10 bps from Saturday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -10 bps at 93.2 AUc. Against the euro we unchanged at 52.5 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today still just on 68 and unchanged from Thursday, but up +40 bps from a week ago.The bitcoin price starts today at US$94,238 and down -0.8% from this time Saturday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has again been low at +/- 0.7%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

US President Trump said it depends on China how soon tariffs can come down and they have spoken to 90 countries regarding tariffs already.US President Trump said if they don't have a deal, they will set tariffs and could set the tariff for China over the next two or three weeks, while he suggested that there is daily direct contact between US and China.White House Economic Advisor Hassett said the USTR has 14 meetings scheduled this week with foreign trade ministers and there are 18 written offers from trade ministers, while he stated China is open to talks.APAC stocks were ultimately mixed despite the positive handover from Wall Street - the risk momentum waned overnight as trade uncertainty lingered owing to the mixed signals from the US.Overnight, US equity futures marginally eased, DXY slightly softened, spot gold and 10yr UST futures rebounded from the prior day's troughs.European equity futures indicate a flat cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down U/C after the cash market closed with gains of 2.8% on Wednesday.Looking ahead, highlights include German Ifo, US Durable Goods, Jobless Claims, IMF/World Bank Spring Meeting; Speakers including ECB's Lagarde & Lane, Fed's Kashkari, BoE's Lombardelli & Riksbank's Seim; Supply from Italy, UK & US; Earnings from Alphabet, Intel, American Airlines, Freeport, Southwest Airlines, PepsiCo, Dow Chemical, Merck, Valero, PG&E, T-Mobile, Vale, Eni, Anglo American, Weir, BNP Paribas, Sanofi, Orange, STMicroelectronics, Air Liquide, Renault, Carrefour, Michelin, SGS, Roche & Nestle.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Tom has a TV and a pair of speakers set up now! Kaleidescape joins the 8K Association. Epson QS100 adds a UST projector to the Q-Series. Emotiva’s RMC-1+ and XMC-2+ Pre-Pros finally bring HDMI 2.1 and DTS:X Pro. Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders begin in Canada and the USA. Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCa6vh 00:00:00 – […] The post AV Rant #964: College Life appeared first on AV Rant.

Kia ora,Welcome to Thursday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news that as tariffs kick in, the US gets higher prices and lower activity. The White House is signaling it wants to pull back from its bluster (whiff of panic?), although China is yet to respond.But first in the US, mortgage applications fell sharply last week to be just +6% above the weak week a year ago. Benchmark interest rates rose, which seems to have choked off new purchase borrowers, and refinance borrowers.Sales of new single-family homes rose +6.0% in March from a year ago at a seasonally adjusted annualised rate of 724,000 and the highest in six months, and much better than market expectations of 680,000 homes. But to be fair this latest level is still within the range it has been for the past 27 months. They still have unsold inventories of over 8 months of sales at the current rate, which is a lot for builders to carry.The latest US Treasury bond auction, for the key 5yr Note, was well supported but delivered a yield of 3.93%, down from 4.04% at the prior equivalent event a month ago. This is the maturity that foreign institutions prefer so is a good indicator of foreign support of US debt instruments. More than a quarter of all US Treasury debt is owned by foreigners, more than a third in the 2-5 year maturities. If we see a pullback, it will be in these auctions, and evidenced by rising yields.The S&P/Markit US Manufacturing PMI rose marginally in April from March to a small expansion, better than the market expectations of a small contraction. Although growth was modest, this marked the fourth consecutive month of expansion in factory activity. Meanwhile, the equivalent services PMI fell sharply to a two month low. There are warning signs here. Prices charged for goods and services rose in this latest month at the sharpest pace for 13 months, increasing especially steeply in manufacturing (where the rate of inflation hit a 29-month high) but also picking up further pace in services (where the rate of inflation struck a seven-month high). More generally, sentiment fell among the surveyed companies.The US Fed's April Beige Book is out and it is picking up similar themes; lower sentiment, stuttering demand, and rising prices. They are more muted in the Beige Book surveys, but they are still being noted.There were 'flash' PMIs out for other countries overnight too. The EU factory PMI contracted its least in 27 months, but their services PMI retreated a bit more. In India, both of their PMIs stayed very expansionary. In Japan, there was a "return to growth" in April. In Australia, the new order components are rising but most other aspects are not. Election uncertainty may be playing a role here.In China, they said they will issue ¥1.3 tln (NZ$300 bln) in ultra-long-term special government bonds starting today (Thursday). Some of that liquidity will be used to fund consumption incentives as they try to speed their shift away from export dependency.Coal prices hit a four year low yesterday as warm autumn weather in Asia, and lower industrial demand is being swamped by high output. Prices are now back to where they were in 2016. Rising supply and stunted demand is having the same price impact on oil.Global financial stability regulators are increasingly worried about the resilience of the financial sector, and have issued a warning about the consequences of dodgy and capricious public policy.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.38%, down -2 bps from this time yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3282/oz, and down -US$116 from yesterday.Oil prices have fallen -US$2.50 from yesterday to be now just over US$61.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just on US$65.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.6 USc, down another -20 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -10 bps at 93.6 AUc. Against the euro we up +30 bps at just on 52.6 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today still just at 68 and unchanged from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$93,933 and up +2.7% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has again been modest at +/- 1.8%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And because tomorrow is the Anzac Day holiday, we will do this again on Monday.

With a passion for serving and growing the local church, particularly in areas where it's difficult to train and raise up leaders, Dr. Michael Reeves, President of explains how UST trains pastors and leaders in the church worldwide—including pastors for churches in hostile areas and restricted nations. Listen as Dr. Reeves explains the importance of the education to equip church leaders to know God, love and adore Him and His ways, and know the gospel so they may effectively preach it. This training, and the deep knowledge of God is fosters, helps pastors withstand persecution when it comes. Dr. Reeves will also share about his own missions experience living on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the lessons he learned living in a Muslim culture and seeing how Christians were treated—and how they responded. “You become like the God you worship,” Reeves says. “When believers only have Christ—and not other substitutes for Him—it seems that they're able to taste of that joy more deeply. He'll also share thoughts on how each of us can nurture our own prayer life. Pray for believers to have a deeper knowledge of God and be inspired by the testimonies of persecuted Christians, which display beautiful evidence of the power of the gospel.

Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news reality and expectations seem to be diverging.But first up today we can report that the weekly dairy Pulse auction for SMP and WMP brought little-change in the WMP price from the previous full GDT auction in USD, while the SMP price rose +3.0% on that same basis, but basically a recovery. However things are reversed in NZD due to the weaker greenback, with the WMP price falling -1.4% and the SMP price only up +1.7% in our currency.Internationally, the IMF warned that rising US tariffs are marking the start of a new global era of slower growth. Since January, sweeping import duties and retaliation are raising trade barriers to levels not seen since the Great Depression. The IMF cut its global growth forecast for 2025 to +2.8% from +3.3%, and sees continued weakness through 2026. The US will be among the hardest hit, with 2025 growth cut to +1.8% from +2.7%. Others like Mexico, Canada, China, and the EU will feel some effects but are likely to be minor compared to the US.Meanwhile, the US Treasury Secretary has told a private meeting the tariff war is unsustainable and will ease 'soon'. News of these remarks has led to a financial market rally. The problem remains however as neither Trump or China show any signs of backing down, and Bessent himself admitted that talks to de-escalate haven't even started. Markets might be getting ahead of themselves, as is Bessent.In the US, the Redbook retail impulse monitor was up +7.4% last week from the same week a year ago, the highest since the end of 2022. But this is becoming more of a measure of inflation than real sales activity as the tariff-taxes get passed through.The Richmond Fed's factory survey for the mid-Atlantic states reported weak results. It plummeted to -13 in April from -4 in the previous month, and well below market expectations. It is the sharpest decline in factory activity since November. Meanwhile their service sector gauge fell too.The latest and large US Treasury bond auction saw less support, but more than sufficient. However the median yield fell back to 3.74%, compared to the 3.94% at the prior equivalent event a month ago.Canadian producer prices rose +4.7% in the year to March, but they are rising at a quicker pace in recent months. Canada is in its final week of election campaigning.Across the Pacific, Taiwanese export orders rose to the elevated level of US$53 bln in March, but they have been doing this for so long now that the year-on-year gain isn't special for them, 'only' up +12.5%.In the EU, consumer sentiment fell more than expected in April to its lowest level since November 2023.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.39%, a -1 bp dip from this time yesterday. The price of gold will start today at US$3398/oz, and down -US$19 from yesterday.Oil prices have risen +US$1 from yesterday to be now just under US$64/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just on US$67.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.8 USc, down -20 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are up +10 bps at 93.7 AUc. Against the euro we up +20 bps at just on 52.3 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today now just on 68 and little-changed from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$91,488 and up +5.4% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has again been moderate at +/- 2.6%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

«Hacía ocho años que tenía en jaque a todo el Cibao. Se presentaba de improviso en Santiago, desaparecía y al otro día abaleaba un soldado en Salcedo.... Se dijo que era brujo; que cuando lo quería, se hacía invisible. Se le temía como a un dios implacable. El Gobierno despachó cientos de hombres tras él, y el ejército llenaba la cárcel de pobres campesinos, sospechosos de encubrirle. Nada.... »... Me llenó de sorpresa verlo tan sereno... como si no fuera el objeto de una caza feroz y larga. Llevaríamos más de media hora allí. Él había contado innumerables episodios de su vida y parecía muy cansado. Tenía una voz triste.... Él era campesino, joven.... »—Quique. Quizá yo pueda serle útil sin faltarle a mi conciencia. »—No, amigo, no tiene que faltarle; sólo lo quería pa conversar con usté. Me parece que no voy a durar mucho, y como de mí se habla tanto, no quería morirme sin que siquiera un hombre supiera que de no acosarme como un perro con rabia, esto se hubiera evitao.... »... Torné a verlo. Ni miraba ni se movía. Negro, triste y perseguido... »—No piense mal, Quique. ¿Por qué va a morirse usté? »—Es que tengo que morirme, amigo.... He pasao muchos años poniéndole el frente al diablo y llevándome en claro a muchos vagamundos; pero hace unos quince días que me pasó una cosa muy mala, y dende entonces ni an duermo.... Quique había estado rondando por Licey en pos de un compadre enfermo, y los soldados lo velaron. Ellos no acertaban nunca, porque la fama de Quique les hacía temblar el pulso a los mejores. Además, no se cuidaban de que hubiera o no gente. Mejor si la había, porque así se propalaba la noticia de que se había enfrentado al temible Quique Blanco, y eso, claro, podía proporcionar algún ascenso. Así, ese día una niña cruzaba cerca del fuego. La cogió una bala de Quique. Él la vio caer, y de golpe sintió que se le aflojaba el corazón. »—Dende ese día ando como loco, amigo. Cierro los ojos y la veo cayendo. Era una pobre criatura. No me lo perdono, amigo, y quisiera tener el poder de Dios pa devolvérsela a su mama.... »—¿Usté tiene hijos, Quique? —pregunté. »—No, amigo. Si hubiera tenío uno... »Adiviné el resto. En su lógica primitiva, dar su hijo en pago de la muerta era una solución. ¡Y eso lo pensaba él, que no sabía cómo se quiere a un hijo!... »Dos días después... me encontré con la noticia de que un muchacho de Moca había sorprendido a Quique Blanco durmiendo y le había destrozado la cabeza de un tiro con el revólver del propio muerto. Más tarde supe que habían paseado el cadáver por todos los pueblos del Cibao, para que la gente no creyera que seguía vivo.»1 Este cuento del ilustre escritor cibaeño Juan Bosch, uno de sus Cuentos escritos antes del exilio y por lo tanto antes de que llegara a ser presidente de la República Dominicana, nos recuerda que Dios sí dio a su Hijo en pago de la muerte que merecía cada uno de nosotros a causa de nuestro pecado, y que, a diferencia de lo que sucedió luego de que mataron a Quique Blanco, no había cadáver suyo que pudiera pasearse por los pueblos de Judea o de Galilea «para que la gente no creyera que seguía vivo». Porque Jesucristo resucitó,2 y hoy quiere que lo busquemos de todo corazón para que lleguemos a conocerlo en persona como Él realmente es, un Dios poderoso pero clemente y compasivo.3 Carlos ReyUn Mensaje a la Concienciawww.conciencia.net 1 Juan Bosch, «La verdad», Cuentos escritos antes del exilio (Santo Domingo: Edición Especial, 1974), pp. 38‑47. 2 Jn 3:16‑17; Ro 4:25; 6:23; 1Co 15:3‑4 3 Éx 34:6; Neh 9:17; Sal 86:15

Kia ora,Welcome to Tuesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news that gold is rising, being the 'last man standing' as a perceived safe-haven asset. And American bond funds are having a moment, a negative one. Outflows are continuing, building selling pressure at the rate of about US$10 bln per week and have done so for the past five weeks now.The position of the US dollar and US Treasuries are being directly undermined by the US president. He and his advisers have been raging about the role of the Fed boss. If he tries to remove him, expect a larger market reaction, especially from the bond market. But so far it is all bluster.But first, it will be a short, truncated week post-Easter with just three business days until Frida's ANZAC Day holiday. Our March export results are one of the few data releases. We will also get an update this week from the RBNZ's six-monthly credit condition survey.Internationally, we will get the start of the March 'flash' PMIs for April. Wall Street will continue with its early earnings season results, dominated this week by big tech. US durable goods orders for March, and confidence survey results for April are also due for release this week.Over the weekend China left its key lending rates unchanged for the sixth consecutive month in April. After that, the yuan rose as did the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges. Expectations for a reserve ratio cut to boosrt bank liquidity are mounting there.China ramped up its budget spending in the first quarter at the fastest pace since 2022, allocating nearly 22% of planned outlays to counter weakening foreign demand amid an ongoing tariff war. The move is part of a broader strategy to boost domestic demand and support industries hit by trade tensions.Earlier they said foreign direct investment into the country is struggling again. In January it was down -14% from a year ago to ¥13.4 bln in the month. It rose to ¥16.6 bln in February. a +16% year-on-year gain. But it March it was only ¥6.9 bln, a -45% drop from from the same month a year ago. China prefers to look at this data "year-to-date" but that masks the current weakness.Japanese CPI inflation stayed high in March although it did slip to 3.6%, and the second consecutive decrease and the lowest of 2025.Across the Pacific, the US dollar has fallen to a three year low. Sentiment is being undermined by the Trump attacks on the US Fed. And it seems pretty clear that the US in now in a tariff-tax recession. Not only is the Atlanta Fed's GDPNow signaling a -2.2% economic contraction, the blue chip 'consensus' forecasts are now showing up with contraction forecasts too. And the spread into investors funds is happening rather quickly now. 90 of the top 100 best-performing exchange-traded funds of last year are down in 2025, with an average loss of -13%, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.American new housing starts unexpectedly dropped -11.4% in March from February to an annualised rate of 1.324 mln, the lowest level in four months and virtually the same as the same month a year ago. But the expectation is that these will fall from here as new-builds get much more expensive from the tariff-tax effect.US initial jobless claims came in at 220,000 last week, an increase although less of an increase than seasonal factors would have anticipated. But that puts them +5.1% higher than year-ago levels.Diving even more is the Philly Fed's factory survey in the heartland Pennsylvania manufacturing rust belt. This is the icon region the tariff-taxes are supposed to save. But they aren't feeling any benefit - although hardly surprising to everyone but MAGA zealots. New orders dropped to pandemic levels, and apart from the pandemic, the overall sentiment has seen its fastest and steepest drop since these survey records started in the 1970s.In Canada, they are a week away from their federal election (Monday, April 28, 2025 Canadian time). The polls are tightening but the incumbent Liberal Party still holds a comfortable lead over the Conservatives. Likewise in Australia, their federal election is in the week after that. Polls there also show a comfortable lead for the incumbent Labor Party. In both cases, the conservative forces are undermined by the toxic Trump effect. But on the other side, the Labor Party is wavering in some key heartland Sydney seats, hurt by "the Gaza issue".In Europe, they are in a better position to cut interest rates because they also don't have the inflation pressures the US has. And they have. The European Central Bank cut its policy interest rates by -25 bps on Thursday, as expected, marking the sixth consecutive cut since June and bringing the key deposit rate down to 2.25%. They say their disinflation process is progressing well and they have now dropped previous references to a "restrictive" policy stance. They also say that their growth outlook has worsened from the escalating trade tensions.On Thursday, Australia released its March labour market data and there was a good +33,000 rise in new jobs, bouncing back from the February drop. The March data saw the increase evenly split from an increase in full-time jobs and part-time jobs. Their jobless rate unchanged stayed at 4.2%. There are +308,000 more people employed in Australia over the past year, a rise of +2.2%. The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.40%, up +7 bps from this time Saturday. Wall Street is taking it on the chin in its Monday session, down a very sharpish -3.1% on the S&P500, and staying down. The Nasdaq is down -3.6%, the Dow down -3.3%, so a broad retreat. The price of gold will start today at US$3417/oz, and up +US$90 from Saturday.Oil prices have fallen (in USD), down -US$1.50 from Saturday to be now just over US$63/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just on US$66/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 60 USc, up +60 bps from Saturday at this time and its highest in six months. Against the Aussie we are up +50 bps at 93.6 AUc. Against the euro we unchanged at just on 52.1 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today now just under 68 and its highest since mid December.The bitcoin price starts today at US$86,811 and up +2.6% from this time Saturday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has again been moderate at +/- 2.2%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

With a passion for serving and growing the local church, particularly in areas where it's difficult to train and raise up leaders, Dr. Michael Reeves, President of Union School of Theology (Wales), explains how UST trains pastors and leaders in the church worldwide—including pastors for churches in hostile areas and restricted nations. Listen as Dr. Reeves explains the importance of the education to equip church leaders to know God, love and adore Him and His ways, and know the gospel so they may effectively preach it. This training, and the deep knowledge of God is fosters, helps pastors withstand persecution when it comes. Dr. Reeves will also share about his own missions experience living on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the lessons he learned living in a Muslim culture and seeing how Christians were treated—and how they responded. “You become like the God you worship,” Reeves says. “When believers only have Christ—and not other substitutes for Him—it seems that they're able to taste of that joy more deeply. He'll also share thoughts on how each of us can nurture our own prayer life. Pray for believers to have a deeper knowledge of God and be inspired by the testimonies of persecuted Christians, which display beautiful evidence of the power of the gospel. The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, as well as giving free access to e-books, audio books, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

Khutbah Jum'at - Ust. Ammi Nur Baits, ST., BA. hafizhahullahu.Judul : Harapan Kosong.Sumber : YouTube.

Kia ora,Welcome to Thursday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news gold has taken off, hitting yet another new all-time record high as fear stalks markets today and risk is definitely 'off'. But the NZD is rising. As we publish, markets are moving quickly so this snapshot will date just as quickly.But first in the US, mortgage applications fell -8.0% last week from the same week a year ago, with the refinance component down a rather sharp -12% on the same basis. These retreats came as benchmark mortgage rates rose +20 bps from a week agoA rush to buy cars ahead of the April tariff taxes delivered a boost to March retail sales that was even more than expected. Without those car sales, March retail was barely improved, and that does not adjust for price inflation so in volume terms, core retail sales are declining now. That trend will have global implications.American industrial production rose +1.3% from a year ago and this does adjust for price changes, so a small improvement. But it did shrink in March compared to February.Sentiment by American house builders was little-changed in March from February, but it is -21% lower than a year ago, and -13% lower than two years ago. In fact, excluding the pandemic, you have to go back to the GFC to find it this poor in a March month. That is not good because it is the start of their Spring selling season. Survey results show that tariff taxes are not being paid by importing countries, rather by the builders at this stage. As profits dive, that will be passed on to buyers next.There was a US Treasury 20 year bond auction earlier today and demand was slightly lower so the median yield rose to 4.75%. That is a rise from the 4.59% at the prior equivalent event a month ago.Fed boss Powell was talking earlier today, saying that tariffs pose a real challenge to meet their dual inflation+jobs mandates. Inflation pressures are here now which argues for rate settings to rise, while economic growth is expected to leak away soon hurting jobs, arguing for a rate cut. He said they will "wait for greater clarity" to see where the dominant pressure comes from.These comments were not the magical thinking equity markets wanted to hear, and the realities of what faces the US economy has seen Wall Street pull back today. The Nasdaq is down -3.9%, the S&P500 down -2.8%. The Dow is down -1.8%. Gold is the safe-haven parking lot.In Canada, they are also waiting. Rather than continue with their rate cut track, the Bank of Canada has paused that track, keeping its policy rate at 2.75% as they too watch inflation rise and economic activity leak away. Interestingly, the TSX is only down -0.3%, hit far less than Wall Street.Across the Pacific, Japan's February machinery orders rebounded sharply, rising well above market expectations for a modest +0.8% increase to its highest level in a year. Manufacturing orders rose +3%, while non-manufacturing orders jumped +11.4%. This rise matches the separate machine tool order data for March which was also up sharply. And these first see prosperity ahead; The Reuters Tankan sentiment index rose sharply in April. But the same firms surveyed were gloomy for the months further out in 2025.China claimed its economy grew at a +5.4% rate in Q1-2025 (real), the same rate as for Q4-2024. They said retail sales were up +5.9% (nominal) in March from a year ago, better than the +4.0% in February and the best rise since December 2023 which benefited from a low base. They also said industrial production was up +7.7% (nominal) in March, far better than the +5.6% expected and far better than the +5.9% February gain. Electricity production was only up +1.8% (real) year on year in March, so either they are making spectacular energy efficiency gains, or something other than electricity powers their industry, or something doesn't add up. Anecdotal reports from many regions don't paint quite the picture these official stats paint.Meanwhile, Chinese new home prices in March edged lower from February, but there are range of changes in the 70 top Chinese cities. Still only Shanghai shows a year-on-year gain. Among the same cities, none show any gain for resales of existing houses and some declines are now as much as -11% (Jinhua, 7 mln population, and Tangshan, 7.7 mln).The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.27%, down another -6 bps from this time yesterday. The price of gold will start today sharply higher at a new record of US$3337/oz, and up +US$108 from yesterday or +3.3%.Oil prices have firmed marginally, up +50 USc from yesterday to be now just over US$62/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just over US$65.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.3 USc, up +20 bps from yesterday at this time and still the highest since mid-December. The fall of the USD embeds. Against the Aussie we are unchanged at 92.9 AUc. Against the euro we down -40 bps from yesterday at just on 52.4 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today now just on 67.6 and unchanged from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$83,854 and holding again, down less than -0.9% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has again been modest at +/- 1.3%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. This podcast will take a break over the Easter holiday weekend and we will do this again Tuesday.

US stocks pared some of Wednesday's historic gain, the Dollar was heavily sold, while the long-end of the Treasury curve saw further selling despite a strong US 30yr auction.The risk-off mood further exacerbated after reports that the White House clarified that US tariffs on China now totalled 145% after the latest hike (20% already in place + 125% added this year).APAC stocks mostly followed suit to the declines on Wall St, DXY suffered another bout of selling pressure, 10yr UST futures were lacklustre following the recent volatility.European equity futures indicate a positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.5% after the cash market closed with gains of 4.3% on Thursday.Looking ahead, highlights include UK GDP, US PPI, UoM Prelim, Moody's review on France, UK, Italy, Spain & Switzerland's Credit Rating, Speakers including Fed's Musalem, Williams & BoE's Greene, Supply from Italy, Earnings from JPMorgan, BlackRock, Wells Fargo, Bank of New York Mellon, Morgan Stanley & Fastenal.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

US President Trump's reciprocal tariffs alongside the 104% levy on China came into effect; US President Trump said China is manipulating its currency in offset against tariffs, and added the US will be announcing tariffs on pharmaceuticals soon.Shanghai Comp. (+0.2%) was somewhat cushioned following recent stabilisation measures and expected policy support; E-mini S&P futures fell (-2.2%); markets await China's response.10yr UST futures notably slumped amid a surge in yields due to trade war concerns and after a weak 3yr auction stateside.RBI and RBNZ both cut their respective rates by 25bps as expected - both central banks flagged trade uncertainty; Japan's BoJ, MOF, FSA hold meeting to discuss international financial markets at 08:00BST.European equity futures indicate a lower cash market open with EuroStoxx 50 futures down 4.3% after the cash market closed with gains of 2.5% on Tuesday.Looking ahead, highlights include US Wholesale Sales, FOMC Minutes, Trump Executive Orders, Speakers including BoJ's Ueda, ECB's Knot, Cipollone & Fed's Barkin, Supply from UK & US, Earnings from Delta & Constellation Brands.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Hour 3: On the DeRush-Hour: what's going to stop the stock market skid? Jason talks to Dr. Tyler Schipper from UST. Then Dave Schwartz joins the show to talk about Paige Bueckers getting her Natty, the Men's Final Four and what's ailing the Twins

Send us a textIn this revolutionary episode, host Elisa Pratt uncovers how Nicole Crabtree orchestrates UST's impressive educational ecosystem. Nicole reveals the project management magic behind delivering 200 free events annually, explaining how Asana automation eliminates decision fatigue and maintains consistency. Listeners will learn why panel discussions featuring association professionals create the most engagement, how strategic interaction is "baked in" to virtual formats, and why Wednesday at 1pm yields the highest attendance. The conversation takes an unexpected turn when Nicole shares her personal liberation story of rehoming the family ducks—a perfect metaphor for knowing when to scale back and say "no" to preserve quality in both professional and personal life.Support the show

There's a lot going on under your feet! On this episode, Jeff and Kelly talk to Ben Thomas from UST Training to find out just what's going on with underground storage tanks: how they've changed over the years, Ben's evolving role in the industry, and what happens when things go wrong.   About Ben: Ben Thomas brings to the UST industry over three decades of experience, networking and ideas to help owners and inspectors solve complex technical problems in the management of UST systems. Ben's experience goes back to 1986, when he supervised UST removals in Vermont. Between 1989 and 1995, Ben oversaw cleanup of leaking UST sites in northern Alaska. From 1995 to 2002, he ran Alaska's UST leak prevention program. Ben gained national attention for his innovative work in web page development, outreach material, financial responsibility compliance, and most notably the Alaska third party inspection program. Since leaving Alaska in 2002, Ben's principal focus has been education, training, and outreach to the nation's UST owners, operators, inspectors and technicians.

For many women, Ramadan can feel like a time of missing out—whether due to responsibilities in serving the family or being on their menses and unable to fast or pray. But Ramadan is not just about fasting and standing in prayer.In this video, Ust. Abu Taymiyyah shares 7 meaningful ways women can stay engaged and reap the rewards of this blessed month, even when they can't perform certain acts of worship. Don't let these days slip away—make the most of Ramadan in every way possible!Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:24 1. Spending time in reflection with Allah 05:02 2. Supplicating during the night 05:56 3. Engaging in the remembrance of Allah 06:27 4. Providing food for those who are fasting 07:04 5. Waking up others to pray at night 07:48 6. Pardoning one another 09:05 7. Giving in charity

APAC stocks took their cues from the tech-led sell-off stateside after the Nasdaq suffered its worst day since 2022.European equity futures indicate a positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.4% after the cash market finished with losses of 1.5% on Monday.US equity futures (ES +0.2%, NQ +0.1%) regained some composure after the prior day's sell-off which saw the S&P 500 fall to a six-month low.DXY is steady after a choppy session yesterday with G10 majors broadly contained; antipodeans marginally lag.10yr UST futures extended their advances amid a flight to quality, Bunds gradually rebounded and reclaimed the 128.00 level.Crude futures were lacklustre with demand hampered alongside the global risk-off sentiment.Looking ahead, highlights include US NFIB Business Conditions, US JOLTS, EIA STEO, ECB's Lagarde, de Guindos, Lane, Villeroy & Escriva, Supply from Germany & US.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

On our fifth Summit League Segment of the Indoor Season, we sit down with Olivia Keller, an all-around athlete for the Tommies who is ranked highly in both the heptathlon and 800 meters this season. Olivia shares about the learning curve of learning the heptathlon events and the culture shift at UST over the past several years. Your hosts Ryan & Cam also preview this week's Summit League Peak Performers and preview both the UST men's and women's programs.

Are You A Scorpion Or An Oyster? : Levels Of Gratitude by Ust. Tabari Zahir. For more information and further updates, please visit us at https://www.icoi.net. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Srini Ramaswamy and Ipek Ozil discuss the upcoming UST futures roll dynamics. Speakers: Srini Ramaswamy, Global Head of Rates Derivatives Strategy Ipek Ozil, Senior Derivative Strategist This podcast was recorded on 12 February 2025. This communication is provided for information purposes only. Institutional clients can view the related report at https://www.jpmm.com/research/content/GPS-4907777-0 GPS LINK for more information; please visit www.jpmm.com/research/disclosures for important disclosures. © 2025 JPMorgan Chase & Co. All rights reserved. This material or any portion hereof may not be reprinted, sold or redistributed without the written consent of J.P. Morgan. It is strictly prohibited to use or share without prior written consent from J.P. Morgan any research material received from J.P. Morgan or an authorized third-party (“J.P. Morgan Data”) in any third-party artificial intelligence (“AI”) systems or models when such J.P. Morgan Data is accessible by a third-party. It is permissible to use J.P. Morgan Data for internal business purposes only in an AI system or model that protects the confidentiality of J.P. Morgan Data so as to prevent any and all access to or use of such J.P. Morgan Data by any third-party.

Le sujet :Les stablecoins prennent de plus en plus de place dans l'environnement des cryptomonnaies. Quel est leur rôle ? Et pourquoi faut-il s'y intéresser lorsqu'on investit ?L'invité du jour :Mathieu Charret est le fondateur de Mon Livret C, une société spécialisée dans la gestion de portefeuilles en cryptoactifs. Au micro de Matthieu Stefani, il nous explique tout ce qu'il faut savoir sur les stablecoins.Découvrez : Les différents types de stablecoinsLes principaux usages de ces tokensLes raisons de leur succès grandissantLes rendements nets potentielsLes risques à éviterIls citent les références suivantes :USDC (Circle)DAI (Maker)EthereumLes smart contractsLes oraclesAAVEAinsi que d'anciens épisodes de La Martingale :#232 - Crise des SCPI : le marché a-t-il touché le fond ?#242 - Les pépites du Web3 à suivre en 2025Merci à notre partenaire Louve Invest :Louve Invest vous propose jusqu'à 3,5 % de cashback sur les frais de souscription des SCPI éligibles (jusqu'à 350 € pour 10 000 € investis !).Cliquez sur ce lien pour bénéficier des offres avec cashback boosté :)On vous souhaite une très bonne écoute ! C'est par ici si vous préférez Apple Podcasts, ou ici si vous préférez Spotify.Et pour recevoir toutes les actus et des recommandations exclusives, abonnez-vous à la newsletter, c'est par ici.La Martingale est un podcast du label Orso Media.

In October, the crypto industry saw a jaw-dropping acquisition: Bridge, a stablecoin-focused company, was bought by Web2 payments giant Stripe for $1.1 billion. Now, three months later, Bridge co-founder Zach Abrams opens up about the wild journey that led to this moment, from navigating collapses like Terra's UST and USDC's depegging, to securing compliance and fraud prevention as core priorities. Zach also delves into his vision for the future of stablecoins, whether the U.S. dollar will continue to dominate, and why global financial infrastructure needs an upgrade. Plus, he recounts how timing and resilience helped Bridge stand out amidst massive industry challenges. Show highlights: 01:49The problems of the payments system and how stablecoins could solve them 13:35 What Bridge is, how it works and what types of consumers it serves 19:33 What significant inconveniences Bridge found throughout its journey 25:56 How Zach's background in Coinbase influenced the launch of Bridge 30:20 Whether there will be multiple stablecoins or just a couple of winners 33:49 How Bridge worked with their customers to improve its product 39:35 The story of how Bridge was acquired by Stripe for $1.1 billion 46:37 Whether its dependence on banks is a problem for Bridge 53:02 How Bridge deals with fraud and compliance  59:50 What Zach thinks about the competition in the stablecoin landscape 1:04:37 Why Zach believes that the fiat infrastructure landscape is still Bridge's main competitor 1:10:08 Whether the U.S. dollar will remain the overwhelmingly predominant currency in stablecoins Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! Stellar Build Better Polkadot Guest: Zach Abrams, Co-founder of Bridge Links Recent coverage of Unchained on stablecoins: How This Stablecoin Business in Africa Is Taking on SWIFT and Big Banks Why Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev Is Betting Big on Crypto, Stablecoins, and Prediction Markets CNBC: Stripe's $1.1 billion deal for crypto firm Bridge marks much-needed win for VCs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's show we cover the Home Theater announcements that we found interesting. It's not an exhaustive list of what was shown but things we wanted to share with you. We also read your email and take a look at the week's news. News: Disney to Merge Hulu + Live TV With Fubo, Taking on YouTube TV and Ending Venu Lawsuit RadioShack Returns To U.S. As Product Brand Roku tallies 90 million streaming households at start of 2025 Other: Samsung and Google's Eclipsa Audio is here to take on Dolby Atmos CES 2025 Up until now, CES has primarily showcased laptops, gaming, TVs, and smart home technology, excelling in these traditional areas. However, this year's event has shifted its focus to include some emerging, trendier categories. We are seeing AI announcements across the board and numerous innovative concepts aimed at making augmented reality more accessible. On this week's show we cover the Home Theater announcements that we found interesting. It's not an exhaustive list of what was shown but things we wanted to share with you. Next week, since we record before CES closes, we'll look at products that won awards as well as any announcements you may have found interesting as shared with us. RCA introduces two new NEXTGEN TV models in 55" and 65" sizes -  The 65” RCA NEXTGEN TV up to 1500 nits of peak brightness, 664-zone Mini-LED QLED, suggested retail price of $949.99.  The 55” RCA NEXTGEN TV up to 1500 nits of peak brightness, 240-zone Mini-LED QLED suggested retail price of $699.99.  New for 2025 is the attractive RCA ANTD8E, an amplified, multi-directional indoor antenna covered in a high-tech fabric with a diamond shape design. Equipped with SMARTBOOST advanced technology and dual-stage amplification and built-in 4G/LTE/5G filter to improve reception, the ANTD8E can be positioned on its included stand or mounted on a wall and includes nine feet of coaxial cable to connect to the TV at a suggested retail price of $59.99. A full line-up of RCA Outdoor Televisions is also planned in a range of screen sizes and price points, with a “spirit of wilderness” and Mossy Oak camouflage design. Built with a sleek, modern design in a weatherproof and durable dust-free case, RCA Outdoor TVs are designed to work in extreme temperatures – from minus 22 degrees to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Our Outdoor RCA line includes an exceptionally bright 2000 nit display for crystal-clear viewing even in bright sunlight. Full Press Release RCA Outdoor TV  43-inch ($3,999, suggested retail price), 55-inch ($4,999, suggested retail price)  65-inch ($5,999, suggested retail price) 75-inch ($7,999, suggested retail price). Google Home hubs now work locally with Matter This week, Google announced the integration of Home Runtime into its Google Home hubs, allowing for full local control of Matter devices. With this update, Google Nest hubs, speakers, Chromecasts, Google TV devices running Android 14, and certain LG TVs can now connect to and manage Matter devices locally. This change enhances reliability, privacy, and reduces latency for users controlling their devices at home. Notably, even without internet access, Google Assistant will still be able to operate functions like turning on lights, marking a significant shift from the platform's previous reliance on cloud connectivity. Google Blog Post TCL's 2025 mini-LED TVs for 2025 The Super High Energy mini-LED chip may increase brightness by 53% TCL has made enhancements to its mini-LED backlight design that will result in less blooming or “halo” artifacts where light areas seep into dark areas – a 67% reduction, according to the company. 50- to 98-inch screen sizes, coming to the US in early 2025 Pricing for TCL's QM6K Series is as follows: 50-inch: $749.99  55-inch: $799.99  65-inch $999.99 75-inch: $1,299.99  85-inch: $1,999.99 98-inch: $3,499.99 The 65, 75 and 85-inch QM6K models are available now for preorder at TCL's website. More information from TCL LG G5, C5 and M5 OLED TV LG also announced AI-based features that seek to improve picture, audio and the overall user experience. LG is officially unveiling the LG G5 OLED, the C5 OLED and M5 OLED along with lots of AI upgrades, Here's what we know so far. The G5 will be available in the following sizes: 48, 55, 65, 77, 83 and 97 inches. The M5 is essentially a G5 with wireless connectivity. All of the TV's inputs are located on a separate box (dubbed the Zero Connect Box on the LG M4) which then wirelessly transmits audio and video to the M5's OLED display. The C4 will be available in 42-, 48-, 55-, 65-, 77- and 83-inch models. Full Press Release HDMI 2.2 Announced HDMI 2.2 has been announced at CES 2025. The new specification comes with 96Gbps bandwidth — double what you get with HDMI 2.1. It will be available in a new Ultra96 HDMI Cable. It features next-gen HDMI Fixed Rate Link tech to provide “optimal audio and video.” More impressively, it enables 4K resolution with up to 480 frames per second (fps), and up to 12K at 120 fps. Full Press Release HISENSE MARKS NEW ERA OF DISPLAY INNOVATION WITH ITS FIRST CONSUMER MICROLED AT CES 2025 Hisense unveiled the 136MX MicroLED, the brand's first consumer-ready MicroLED display. This launch marks a pivotal milestone in making cutting-edge display technology more accessible to households, catering to the growing demand for larger, more immersive screens without compromising durability or long-term performance. By eliminating traditional backlight limitations, 136MX delivers precise contrast, lifelike colors, and a viewing experience that sets a new standard for the industry. By combining MicroLED display technology with its R&D expertise, Hisense is once again redefining the possibilities of home entertainment. Powered by Hisense's flagship Hi-View AI Engine X chipset, the 136MX optimizes every frame with its AI-based algorithms, enabling precise color conversion, dynamic 3D color management, and rich display details. Black nanocrystals further enhance performance by reducing reflectivity to ensure exceptional clarity even in well-lit spaces. With brightness levels reaching up to 10,000 nits and a color gamut covering 95% of the BT.2020 color space, Hisense's 136MX delivers vivid, true-to-life colors, setting a new benchmark for home entertainment displays. Full Press Release Technics launched the EAH-AZ100 Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds Reference Class True Wireless Earbuds with Dolby Atmos and noise cancelling, The AZ100 earbuds feature, reference-quality high-resolution audio; advanced, industry-leading noise cancellation; and improved JustMyVoice™ technology to keep calls clear. Connects to 3 devices simultaneously. Launching in sleek Silver and Black with its signature stylish ergonomic design, Technics EAH-AZ100 Earbuds will be available for purchase online at Technics.com and at trusted retailers starting today, January 7, with a suggested retail price of $299.99. More info TiVo OS Will Be Launching in the U.S. Market With Sharp TiVo announced that it will be entering the U.S. television market with Sharp Home Electronics Company of America. The Sharp Smart TV Powered by TiVo will be the first television in the series to be made available to American consumers, as soon as February 2025. Boasting a beautiful Ultra High Definition and High Dynamic Range 55” QLED screen, plus Dolby Atmos®, and 3 HDMI ports, it will be a smart TV that reinforces Sharp's reputation for quality. In Europe, TiVo last year launched a range of Sharp models in the UK starting at the equivalent of $372 USD. Sharp's consumer website currently lists four TiVo-powered TV models/screen sizes (43 inches, 50 inches, 55 inches and 70 inches). Sharp also offers TVs powered by other platforms, including operating systems from Roku and Google. Nothing Earth Shattering in the way of Hardware from Sony Sony's press conference did not showcase exciting new hardware announcements. Instead, the emphasis was primarily on the entertainment aspect of their business. Valerion Unveils VisionMaster Max Valerion debuted their VisionMaster MAX, a cinematic-grade home theater projector. Its Kickstarter project raised over $10.7 million and became the highest-funded projector in crowdfunding history.  Featuring the OpticFlex Lens System for customizable viewing. The specifications include: 3000 ISO lumens, a 15,000:1 contrast ratio, and a 110% Rec. 2020 color gamut. The VisionMaster MAX promises stunning image quality and a theater-like experience, projecting up to 300 inches. Enhanced with Dolby Vision, IMAX Enhanced, and other advanced features, this flagship model sets a new standard for home entertainment technology. Additionally, its innovative external lens offers increased versatility, further enhancing the viewing experience. The VisionMaster Series is now available for global pre-order on Valerion's website, with deliveries starting February 2025. VisionMaster Max $3,999 USD, VisionMaster Pro2 & Pro $2,499 USD, and VisionMaster Plus2 & Plus $1,499 USD Samsung Brings Samsung Vision AI to Its Widest Lineup Yet Samsung is ushering in a new era of AI-driven screen technology, with Samsung Vision AI features now integrated across its most comprehensive lineup ever — including Neo QLED, OLED and QLED, and The Frame models. This expansion underscores Samsung's commitment to bringing intelligent, adaptive screens to more users, redefining what's possible in home entertainment and smart living. At the forefront of this innovation is the Neo QLED 8K QN990F, Samsung's most advanced TV to date, designed to deliver unparalleled performance, sleek design and smarter AI-driven experiences. Powered by the latest NQ8 AI Gen3 Processor, the TV leverages a suite of on-device AI features to enhance picture quality, sound clarity and overall viewing experience: 8K AI Upscaling Pro: Elevates lower-resolution content up to stunning 8K quality, ensuring incredible detail and clarity in every frame. Auto HDR Remastering Pro: Analyzes content frame by frame, applying scene-adaptive color expansion for lifelike visuals and vibrant colors, even in dark scenes. Adaptive Sound Pro: Uses AI to separate and optimize sound components like speech, music and sound effects, delivering clear, balanced audio. Color Booster Pro: Enriches color expression with AI-driven scene analysis and enhanced  image processing for each frame. AI Mode: Adaptively optimizes picture and sound leveraging AI-based content recognition  and TV area analysis for an optimal viewing experience in any setting. Samsung also unveiled The Premiere 5, the industry's first interactive triple-laser ultra-short-throw (UST) projector. Designed to redefine home entertainment, The Premiere 5 introduces an interactive touch feature, allowing users to engage directly with the screen. This innovation seamlessly combines high-quality projection with versatile functionality, featuring Samsung LightWARP technology to project images onto everyday objects for creative and immersive experiences. No Specs are available as this may be one of those items that never sees the light of day. Full Press Release  Displace TV: The World's First Truly Wireless 4K TVs with All-in-One Entertainment and Productivity Hubs Displace is bringing all-in-one entertainment and productivity hubs that go beyond the traditional TV experience. Both models offer a sleek, cable-free design, and revolutionary new features powered by Displace OS, an all-new AI Agent-driven operating system that will redefine how Displace users interact with their TVs and perform tasks easier than ever before. These next-generation 4K TVs are powered by two long-lasting, rechargeable Li-ion batteries, ensuring a truly wireless experience that eliminates the clutter of cords and cables. Consumers can either mount the TV on a wall in just 10 seconds without tools or drilling or place it on a table using the all-new concealed push-to-pop legs. All the Displace TV screens are OLED. Displace Pro and Basic are both offered in 55-inch and 27-inch models. Exclusively during CES, all Displace models will be available for pre-order for $1,000 off the original price. During CES, Pro models can be ordered in 55-inch for $4,999 or 27-inch for $2,999, while the Basic models will be available in 55-inch for $2,499 or 27-inch for $1,499. All models are available for pre-order with shipping expected to begin March 28, 2025. Full Press Release