Town Hall News

SHANGHAI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) – China’s central bank rolled over maturing medium-term policy loans while keeping interest rates unchanged on Monday, matching market expectations. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) said it was keeping the rate on 125 billion yuan ($18.08 billion) worth of one-year medium-term lending facility (MLF) loans to some financial institutions unchanged at 2.75% from the previous operation. In a Reuters poll of 30 market watchers conducted last week, […]

(Reuters) – Former world number one Jason Day said he had considered giving up on golf a couple of years ago after he ended his five-year title drought with a one-stroke victory at the Byron Nelson in Texas on Sunday. It was the Australian’s first win on the PGA Tour since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship and his 13th in all since he won his maiden title, also at the […]

Turkey Decides Future of Republic, Fate of Erdoğan in Tight Race   Turkey faces historic election, determining either the extension of President Erdoğan’s 20-year rule or a shift towards a more secular path   By Mohammad Al-Kassim/The Media Line   [Istanbul] Turkey is heading to the polls on Sunday in a historic election that could extend President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s 20-year hold on power or put the mostly Muslim nation […]

By Jyoti Narayan and David French (Reuters) -ONEOK Inc agreed on Sunday to buy U.S. pipeline operator Magellan Midstream Partners in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $18.8 billion including debt, bringing natural gas-focused ONEOK into transporting refined products and oil. ONEOK will pay $25 and 0.6670 shares of ONEOK common stock for each outstanding Magellan common unit, representing a premium of 22% based on Magellan shares’ closing price on […]

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey headed for a runoff presidential vote after President Tayyip Erdogan outperformed projections in Sunday’s election as he sought to extend his two-decade rule, holding a sizable lead over his rival but falling short of an outright majority. Neither Erdogan nor rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu cleared the 50% threshold needed to avoid a second round, to be held on May 28, in an election seen as a verdict […]

By Stella Qiu SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian stocks started cautiously on Monday as investors braced for a China policy rate decision and economic data this week, while awaiting a host of U.S. Federal Reserve officials to speak to vindicate market pricing of rate cuts this year. Early action was sluggish following a report on Friday showed U.S. consumer sentiment slumped to a six-month low in May and long-term inflation expectations […]

By Tom Bateman HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) – When Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hosts leaders of the Group of Seven richest nations in Hiroshima this week, restaurants in the city hope to put a local speciality on the map, with a choice of fillings to cater for foreign tastes. A gateway to tourism on the western side of Japan’s main island, Hiroshima’s name is forever carved in history as the […]

(Reuters) – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has not been seen in public since Tuesday, did not appear on Sunday at a ceremony in the capital, Minsk, triggering speculation that the veteran leader is seriously ill. The BelTA state news agency reported that Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko read a message from Lukashenko during an annual ceremony at which young people swear allegiance to the ex-Soviet state’s flag. The agency gave […]

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Oil prices settled more than 1% lower on Friday, falling for the fourth consecutive week, as the market balanced supply fears against renewed economic concerns in the United States and China. Brent crude futures settled down 81 cents, or 1.1%, to $74.17 while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) U.S. crude futures fell 83 cents, or 1.2%, to $70.04. Both benchmarks settled about 1.5% lower week on week. […]