Upcoming shows
Real News

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Real News with David Knight

9:00 am 12:00 pm



Maga First News

Upcoming Shows

Join The MAGA Network on Discord

0 0

NATO’s Stoltenberg to stay in top job until 2022

FILE PHOTO: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a joint Georgia-NATO military exercise in Krtsanisi National Training Centre outside Tbilisi
FILE PHOTO: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a joint Georgia-NATO military exercise in Krtsanisi National Training Centre outside Tbilisi, Georgia, March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze

March 28, 2019

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO allies extended on Thursday Jens Stoltenberg’s term as secretary-general until late 2022, putting the former Norwegian prime minister on course to become one of the Western military alliance’s longest-serving leaders.

Stoltenberg, 60, who took up the post on Oct. 1 2014, will now step down two years later than planned on Sept. 30 2022, after having already been extended once already.

Stoltenberg is popular with allies, particularly U.S. President Donald Trump, who credits him with helping increase European defense spending, diplomats have said.

“Allies expressed their support for the secretary general’s work to adapt and modernize NATO and ensure it remains fit for the future,” NATO’s 29 government said in a statement.

NATO, once seen by some as a Cold War relic, has also gained new relevance as the West confronts a resurgent Russia, state-sponsored computer hackers, security threats on its borders and militant attacks on European cities.

If he completes his term as the alliance’s top civilian, Stoltenberg will be the second longest-serving NATO chief, after former Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Luns was in the job from October 1971 to May 1984.

(Reporting by Robin Emmott; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Source: OANN

0 0

Italian right wins Sardinia vote, 5-Star fades

FILE PHOTO: Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini gestures as he attends a news conference regarding the return of former leftist guerrilla Cesare Battisti, in Rome
FILE PHOTO: Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini gestures as he attends a news conference regarding the return of former leftist guerrilla Cesare Battisti, in Rome, Italy, January 14, 2019. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo

February 25, 2019

By Steve Scherer

ROME (Reuters) – A right-wing coalition has won a regional vote on the Italian island of Sardinia, in an outcome that could spell trouble ahead for the 5-Star Movement, part of the ruling coalition in Rome, as European Parliament elections loom in May.

According to a projection after some 80 percent of the vote had been counted, Christian Solinas, the candidate from the rightwing bloc, had won around 48 percent in Sunday’s election for regional governor, well ahead of the incumbent center-left on 33 percent.

The candidate for the populist 5-Star — which won 42.5 percent of the vote in Sardinia in the national election a year ago that catapulted it into government — won just 11 percent.

The center-left candidate, Massimo Zedda, conceded defeat.

The winner Solinas is a senator from the League, the far-right party that rules at the national level in coalition with 5-Star. In regional elections, the League fields candidates as part of an alliance with rightist and center-right parties.

Sardinia is the sixth consecutive region or province to pass from the center-left to the right since the center-left Democratic Party (PD) was ousted from power at a national election in March, underscoring the PD’s ongoing crisis.

It also highlights the declining fortunes of 5-Star, although the party, which has never won power in any of the country’s 20 regions and traditionally fares much better in national ballots, played down the importance of the result. It suffered a similar reversal this month in the region of Abruzzo.

On Monday 5-Star leader Luigi Di Maio, League leader Matteo Salvini and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte were all quick to rule out any repercussions on the government in Rome.

“We must not over-emphasize a regional election,” Conte, who is non-partisan but closer to 5-Star, told reporters on the sidelines of a summit in Egypt. “I don’t believe the results could have any consequences for the national government.”

Di Maio said: “Nothing changes for the government.”

The 5-Star chief has said he will soon unveil plans to re-organize the party, including scrapping the policy of always running alone at local elections.

These are normally won by broad coalitions including numerous so-called “civic lists” which represent local interest groups. In Sardinia there were so many of these that no single party won more than 13 percent of the vote.

The national coalition in Rome has appeared increasingly fractured in recent weeks, with disagreements between the League and 5-Star bubbling up over a series of issues, including the construction of an Alpine tunnel and which side to support in Venezuela’s political crisis.

May’s European Parliament election is widely seen as a test that could affect the balance of power in the government.

(Additional reporting by Gavin Jones and Angelo Amante, editing by Crispian Balmer, Gareth Jones and Peter Graff)

Source: OANN

0 0

UK house prices pick up in early 2019, but outlook subdued: Halifax

A house door is seen in London
A house door is seen in London, Britain January 19, 2017. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

April 5, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – British house prices rose slightly more quickly in the first three months of 2019 in annual terms but growth is likely remain subdued, given Brexit uncertainty and high property prices, mortgage lender Halifax said on Friday.

Compared with the same period of last year, prices rose by 3.2 percent, faster than a rise of 2.8 percent in the three months to February.

A Reuters poll of economists had pointed to an annual rise of 2.3 percent for the first quarter.

Last week, data from rival mortgage lender Nationwide also showed house prices picked up a bit of speed.

But Britain’s housing market remains weak, especially in London, as Prime Minister Theresa May struggles to find a way to leave the European Union with a transition deal to cushion the shock to the economy.

Shortly before the Brexit referendum in 2016, house prices were rising by about 10 percent a year, according to Halifax.

The lender said that prices in March, in monthly terms, fell by 1.6 percent after jumping by 6.0 percent in February.

Halifax’s index has tended to be more volatile than other measures of house prices of late.

(Writing by William Schomberg; Editing by David Goodman and Angus MacSwan)

Source: OANN

0 0

Asian shares up after Nasdaq, S&P 500 hit record highs

A man looks on in front of an electronic board showing stock information at a brokerage house in Nanjing
FILE PHOTO: A man looks on in front of an electronic board showing stock information at a brokerage house in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer

April 24, 2019

By Andrew Galbraith

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Equity markets in Asia rose on Wednesday morning after upbeat earnings helped the Nasdaq and S&P 500 indexes reach record closing highs on Wall Street overnight, while oil retreated from its near six-month highs.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.1 percent in early trade in Asia. The gains followed a strong performance on Wall Street, driven by robust results from Coca-Cola, Twitter, United Technologies and Lockheed Martin.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.52 percent to 26,647.97, the S&P 500 gained 0.91 percent to 2,934.31 and the Nasdaq Composite added 1.35 percent to 8,123.25.

On Wednesday morning, S&P 500 e-mini stock futures were up 0.03 percent at 2,938.75, just short of a record high of 2,944.75 on October 3.

Australian shares gained 0.6 percent, while Japan’s Nikkei stock index was 0.3 percent higher. Seoul’s Kospi was up 0.1 percent.

Analyst said that alongside better-than-feared corporate earnings, a more supportive policy environment is helping to boost risk appetites.

“The Fed has been joined in its dovish tilt by major central banks across the globe … the tilt globally reflects genuine concern not to allow individual countries and the globe to tip into recession. That risk has receded,” Greg McKenna, strategist at McKenna Macro in Australia, said in a note to clients.

Equity market gains had been bolstered on Tuesday by rising energy shares after Brent crude, the global benchmark, hit its highest level since Nov. 1.

Oil prices had surged after the United States ended six months of waivers that allowed Iran’s eight biggest buyers, most of them in Asia, to continue importing limited volumes of Iranian oil.

Gulf OPEC members said that rather than offset any shortfall resulting from the U.S. decision on waivers, they would raise output only if there was demand.

But early on Wednesday, Brent had given up some gains, trading down 0.54 percent at $74.11 per barrel. U.S. crude dipped 0.54 to $65.94 a barrel.

U.S. Treasury yields ticked lower. Benchmark 10-year Treasury notes yielded 2.5686 percent compared with a U.S. close of 2.57 percent on Tuesday, while the two-year yield, slipped to 2.3516 percent, compared with a U.S. close of 2.364 percent.

The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, eased 0.03 percent to 97.606. The dollar was down 0.04 percent against the yen to 111.82.

The euro edged 0.08 percent lower to buy $1.1216.

Spot gold fell about 0.1 percent to $1,271.07 per ounce.

(Reporting by Andrew Galbraith; Editing by Richard Borsuk)

Source: OANN

0 0

Beto O'Rourke, in NH, predicts he could take Texas in the general election

KEENE, N.H. -- Beto O’Rourke predicts that if he wins the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, he’ll take his native state of Texas in the general election.

The former congressman from El Paso also said he would “absolutely” support his campaign staff if they wanted to unionize. He also would consider lowering the federal voting age to 16, scrapping the Electoral College, increasing the number of justices on the Supreme Court, and eliminating the filibuster in the Senate.

WHERE BETO O'ROURKE STANDS IN THE LATEST 2020 POLL

Speaking with reporters after holding his first event in New Hampshire as a presidential candidate, O’Rourke said, "Yes I think we can win Texas. I think we’ve proven we know how to campaign. We’ve been to each one of those 254 counties. We’ve listened to the stories our fellow Texans have told us. We’ve incorporated it in the way in which we campaign.”

In his U.S. Senate run last year, O'Rourke raised $80 million in contributions and nearly defeated incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in the midterm elections. O'Rourke's campaign boosted him to Democratic Party rock-star status and launched him toward his White House bid.

Winning Texas and its 38 electoral votes would be a major coup for the Democrats. The last Democrat to take the state in a presidential election was Jimmy Carter in 1976. Republican President Donald Trump won Texas in 2016 but by a smaller margin than GOP nominee Mitt Romney in 2012.

BETO O'ROURKE'S ROLL OUT: BIG BUCKS BUT SOME STUMBLES

O’Rourke arrived in New Hampshire – the state that will hold the first presidential primary, after an eight-and-a-half-hour drive in his Dodge Caravan from State College, Pa., the home of Pennsylvania State University. He spoke and took questions from a couple of hundred people who had waited at least two hours at Keene State College. The stop was O’Rourke’s first in a 48-hour swing in which he said he would visit all 10 of New Hampshire’s counties.

Asked about lowering the voting age to 16, O’Rourke said “I’m open to the idea of a younger voting age. ... There’s some merit to it.”

And he said he would “seriously consider” scrapping the Senate’s filibuster -- a generations-old tactic for preventing a measure from coming to a vote – as well as the Electoral College and increasing the number of justices on the high court.

“We have to look at some of these institutional reforms, whether it’s the Supreme Court, the Electoral College, the filibuster in the Senate. We’ve got to get democracy and our institutions working again,” he said.

Scrapping the Electoral College -- an idea that some of O’Rourke’s Democratic rivals also support -- is an unpopular idea in New Hampshire, a small state that sees plenty of traffic in the presidential general election thanks to its status as a battleground state.

O’Rourke arrived in the Granite State one day after independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont – one of the front-runners in the 2020 Democratic field – became the first presidential candidate to unionize his campaign staff.

Asked by Fox News if he would do likewise, O’Rourke said: “Absolutely. If those who work on this campaign and who comprise what I hope will be the largest grassroots effort this nation has ever seen, want to unionize, I support that all the way.”

During a question-and-answer session with the crowd, O’Rourke was asked about accepting large sums of contributions from pro-Israeli lobbyists during his 2018 Senate campaign.

“If you’re asking if the contributions I accept connect to the policies I support, the answer is no,” he responded.

O’Rourke once again called for a “two-state solution” between Israel and the Palestinians to achieve peace in the Middle East.

“I believe in peace and dignity and full human rights for the Palestinian people and the Israeli people. The only way to achieve that … is a two-state solution,” he said.

But he also took aim at embattled Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu – a close ally of Trump – as well as Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

“Right now we don’t have the best negotiating partners on either side. We have a prime minister in Israel who has openly sided with racists,” he charged. “On the Palestinian side, we have an ineffectual leader. Mahmoud Abbas has not been very effective in bringing his side to the table.”

O'Rourke was also asked about his commitment to reducing America’s consumption of fossil fuels.

“I support the Green New Deal. Yes, I understand that as close to 2030 as we possibly can, we have to have this economy and this country fully transitioned off a reliance on fossil fuels,” he said.

But he added that “I also drove here in a Dodge Caravan that burns gasoline. ... We also have to acknowledge that we’re still using these fossil fuels right now, so there’s got to be a responsible transition.”

'Collision course with everyday Americans'

The Republican National Committee took aim at O'Rourke.

"By embracing the Green New Deal, calling for an end to the Electoral College and supporting late-term abortions, Beto O’Rourke is on a collision course with everyday Americans who will reject his extremist views that offer no substance or solution," the RNC's Mandi Merritt said.

O’Rourke declared his candidacy last Thursday, and immediately drew throngs of media and large crowds during a three-day swing through Iowa, the state that votes first in the presidential caucus.

The day before he arrived in New Hampshire, O’Rourke announced that he hauled in an eye-popping $6.1 million in his first 24 hours as a candidate, the most yet by any 2020 Democratic White House hopeful.

O’Rourke told Fox News that he would release updated campaign cash figures on Wednesday morning.

Carol Beckwith, a resident of nearby Fitzwilliam, N.H., told Fox News that "Beto-mania" is “coming our way.

"We haven’t had much exposure to it really, compared to other people," she said, adding that she remained undecided on whom she’ll vote for in next February’s primary.

"I want the best person for the job," she said.

But Russ Provost of Richmond, N.H., is already sold on O’Rourke, saying he’s already contributed to the Texan's campaign.

“I watched him on TV a number of times," Provost said. "I liked his style. I want someone young. I want someone under 60 to take over the reins of this country. I don’t want older people running it anymore.

“If he could take Texas and just win the same states Hillary won, he wins."

Source: Fox News Politics

0 0

Vegas signs KHL’s Gusev for playoffs

FILE PHOTO: 2018 IIHF World Championships
FILE PHOTO: Ice Hockey - 2018 IIHF World Championships - Group A - Russia v Slovakia - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 14, 2018 - Nikita Gusev of Russia in action. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor/FIle Photo

April 14, 2019

Nikita Gusev, the reigning MVP of the Kontinental Hockey League, is joining the Vegas Golden Knights for their playoff run.

He signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Golden Knights on Sunday and is expected to practice with the team on Monday.

Vegas and the San Jose Sharks were tied 1-1 in their best-of-7 series entering Sunday’s Game 3 in Las Vegas.

“He’ll join our group (Monday) and we’ll see where it goes,” Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant told reporters. “I’m not going to make any promises either way. We’ll see what happens. I like our team. I’ve liked our team all year. If we think we need him to put in the lineup, we’ll see where it goes.”

Gusev, 26, has been on the roster of SKA St. Petersburg since the 2015-16 season. He led the league in scoring this season with 82 points (17 goals, 65 assists). He was released from his contract this week after SKA St. Petersburg was eliminated in the KHL conference finals.

He has played nine seasons in the KHL and was part of Russia’s gold-medal team in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

The Tampa Bay Lightning drafted him in the seventh round of the 2012 NHL Draft. Vegas acquired his rights in a trade with Tampa Bay during the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

0 0

Nikolas Cruz, Parkland school shooter, might go on trial in early 2020, judge says

A Broward Circuit judge wants the trial for the suspect accused of committing a mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida to begin in 2020.

Judge Elizabeth Scherer said at a hearing on Thursday that she intends to set a definitive trial date soon for Nikolas Cruz. The 20-year-old allegedly opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High on Feb. 14, 2018, killing 17 people and wounding 17 others — a crime to which investigators say he confessed.

PARKLAND SHOOTING ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY: STUDENTS, COMMUNITY UNITE FOR EVENTS HONORING VICTIMS, FIRST RESPONDERS

"I'm asking both sides to take that into account. Pace yourselves," the judge said. "I just ask you to keep that in mind as a goal moving forward."

Assistant State Attorney Jeff Marcus said prosecutors and defense attorneys are working as rapidly as possible to identify and interview witnesses, sort through evidence and begin planning what would likely be the biggest trial in recent Broward County history — if not ever.

"It does give us a place to work toward," the assistant state attorney said of the 2020 goal.

Attorneys for Cruz have said the former Stoneman Douglas student will plead guilty in return for a life prison sentence, but prosecutors have refused that offer.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Investigators allege Cruz, who's also accused of assaulting a jail corrections officer while in custody, confessed to the shooting the day he was arrested. Prosecutors released cellphone video of Cruz describing beforehand exactly what he planned to do at the school.

Considering he allegedly confessed, Cruz's trial would most likely focus more on his mental and emotional problems, as well as his fascination with violence, guns and death. Those issues also would play a central role in whether a jury chooses to impose the death penalty.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Real News with David Knight

9:00 am 12:00 pm



FILE PHOTO: The logo of the OPEC is seen at OPEC's headquarters in Vienna
FILE PHOTO: The logo of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries at OPEC’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria December 5, 2018. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo

April 26, 2019

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he called the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and told the cartel to lower oil prices.

“Gasoline prices are coming down. I called up OPEC, I said you’ve got to bring them down. You’ve got to bring them down,” Trump told reporters.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
Sonia Bompastor, director of the Olympique Lyonnais womenÕs Youth Academy, leads a training at the OL Academy near Lyon
Sonia Bompastor, director of the Olympique Lyonnais womenÕs Youth Academy, leads a training at the OL Academy in Meyzieu near Lyon, France, April 16, 2019. REUTERS/Emmanuel Foudrot

April 26, 2019

By Julien Pretot

MEYZIEU, France (Reuters) – Olympique Lyonnais president Jean-Michel Aulas was wringing out his women’s team shirts in the locker room on a rainy London day eight years ago when he decided it was time to take gender equality more seriously.

It was halftime in their Champions League semi-final second leg against Arsenal at Meadow Park with 507 fans watching and Aulas realized that his players did not have a another kit for the second half.

“Next time, there will be a second set just like for the men, that’s how it’s going to work from now on,” he said.

Lyon have since won five Champions League titles to become the most successful women’s team in Europe and recently claimed a 13th consecutive domestic crown.

They visit Chelsea on Sunday in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final, with a fourth straight title in their sights.

At the heart of their achievements is a pervasive ethos that promotes gender equality throughout the club, starting in the youth academy.

In 2013, Aulas appointed former Lyon and France player Sonia Bompastor as head of the Women’s Academy — the female equivalent of one of France’s top youth set-ups that has produced players such as Karim Benzema, Alexandre Lacazette and Hatem Ben Arfa.

At the Youth Academy, girls and boys share the same facilities.

“Pitches, physiotherapy rooms are the same for all,” the 38-year-old Bompastor told Reuters.

As the girls train under the watch of former Lyon and France international Camille Abily, the screams of the boys practicing can be heard nearby.

The boys and girls also benefit from the same psychological support that includes hypnosis sessions and yoga.

“We have a ‘mental ability’ cell and the hypnotist acts on the girls’ subconscious, on their deeply held beliefs after observing them on and off the pitch,” Bompastor added.

SAME TREATMENT

One message the Academy staff are trying to convey is that girls are as good as boys.

“Women’s nature is such that we have low self-esteem. So self-esteem is a big topic for our girls,” said Bompastor.

This is not the case with the boys, she added.

“Some 14, 15-year-old boys still think they would beat our professional players, we tell them this would not be happening. We still need to work on those beliefs,” she said.

Female players also have to face questions that their male counterparts do not, Bompastor explained.

“In France there is a problem with the way women are considered, there are high aesthetic expectations. So we get heavy questions on femininity, intimate questions that men don’t get,” she said.

OL’s Academy has been held up as a shining example for others to follow, even in the U.S., where women’s soccer has a wider audience than in Europe.

“About one third of the (senior women’s) squad comes from the Academy, we have a good balance,” said Bompastor.

“I’m getting tons of requests from American universities and foreign clubs, who want to come and visit our facilities.”

‘ONE CLUB’

The salaries of the senior players is one area where there remains a large discrepancy between Lyon’s men’s and women’s teams.

While the three best-paid women players in the world are at Lyon with Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg earning 400,000 euros ($445,520) a year, this figure is dwarfed by the around 4 million euros earned annually by men’s player Memphis Depay.

There is, however, a level of interaction between the men’s and women’s players that is not present at many other clubs.

“When you talk about OL you talk about women and men, you talk about one club and you feel it when you are here or outside in the city,” Germany defender Carolin Simon told Reuters.

“We see it when we play in the big stadium. It’s not ‘normal’ for women’s football,” the 26-year-old, who joined the club last year, added.

Lyon’s female players also enjoy respect from their male counterparts, Simon said.

“It’s very cool, it’s a big honor to feel that it doesn’t matter if you are a professional man or woman. We talk with the men, there are handshakes, it’s a good atmosphere and it’s also why we are successful,” said Simon.

“The men respect us and it’s not just for the cameras.”

Her team mate, England’s Lucy Bronze, sees the men’s respect as key to improving women’s football.

“We might not be paid the same but they are just normal with us, they see us as footballers the same as they are,” Bronze told Reuters.

“Being at Lyon has really opened my eyes. To improve women’s football, it starts with having the respect of your male counterparts. It’s the biggest thing because they can influence so many people.”

(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Toby Davis)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
FILE PHOTO: Ethiopian migrants, stranded in war-torn Yemen, sit on the ground of a detention site pending repatriation to their home country, in Aden, Yemen
FILE PHOTO: Ethiopian migrants, stranded in war-torn Yemen, sit on the ground of a detention site pending repatriation to their home country, in Aden, Yemen April 24, 2019. REUTERS/Fawaz Salman/File Photo

April 26, 2019

GENEVA (Reuters) – Yemeni authorities have rounded up about 3,000 irregular migrants, predominantly Ethiopians, in the south of the country, “creating an acute humanitarian situation,” the U.N. migration agency said on Friday.

“IOM is deeply concerned about the conditions in which the migrants are being held and is engaging with the authorities to ensure access to the detained migrants,” the International Organization for Migration said.

The migrants are held in open-air football stadiums and in a military camp, it said in a statement.

The detentions began on Sunday in the city of Aden and the neighboring province of Lahj, which are under the control of the internationally recognized government backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Iran-aligned Houthi rebels control Sanaa, the capital, and other major urban centers.

Both sides are under international diplomatic pressure to implement a United Nations-sponsored ceasefire deal agreed last year in Sweden and to prepare for a wider political dialogue that would end the four-year-old war.

Thousands of migrants arrive in Yemen every year, mostly from the Horn of Africa, driven by drought and unemployment at home and lured by the wages available in the Gulf.

(Writing by Maher Chmaytelli, Editing by William Maclean)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
U.S. dollar notes are seen in this picture illustration
U.S. dollar notes are seen in this November 7, 2016 picture illustration. Picture taken November 7. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – Following are five big themes likely to dominate thinking of investors and traders in the coming week and the Reuters stories related to them.

1/DOLLAR JUGGERNAUT

The dollar has zipped to near two-year highs, leaving many scratching their heads. To many, it’s down to signs the U.S. economy is chugging ahead while the rest of the world loses steam. After all, Wall Street is busily scaling new peaks day after day.

Never mind the cause, the effect is stark. The euro has tumbled to 22-month lows against the dollar and investors are preparing for more, buying options to shield against further downside. Emerging-market currencies are also in pain, with Turkish lira and Argentine peso both sharply weaker.

Now U.S. data need to keep surprising on the upside or even just meet expectations. The International Monetary Fund sees U.S. growth at 2.3 percent this year. For Germany, the forecast is 0.8 percent. The U.S. economy’s rude health has given rise to speculation the Fed might resume raising interest rates. Unlikely. But as other countries — Canada, Sweden and Australia are the latest — hint at more policy easing, there seems to be one way the dollar can go. Up.

(GRAPHIC: Dollar outperforms G10 FX – https://tmsnrt.rs/2Dz17S5)

2/FED: UP OR DOWN?

Wall Street is near record highs and recession worries are receding, so as we mentioned above, investors might wonder if the Federal Reserve will start raising rates again.

Such a pivot is unlikely after the Fed killed off rate-rise expectations at its March meeting. And the latest Reuters poll all but puts to bed any risk of rates will go up this economic cycle, given inflation remains below the Fed’s alarm threshold and unemployment is the lowest in generations.

Before the March rate-pause announcement, a preponderance of economists penciled in one or more increases this year. But that has flipped. A majority of those surveyed April 22-24 see no further tightening through December and more are leaning toward a cut by the end of next year.

Indeed, interest rate futures imply Fed Funds will be below the current 2.25-2.50 percent target range by this December.

Recent positive consumer spending and exports data have eased market concerns of a sharp economic slowdown. But inflation probably needs to run hot for a long period to panic policymakers off their wait-and-see course.     

(GRAPHIC: Federal funds and the economy – https://tmsnrt.rs/2DzjTZz)

3/HEISEI TO REIWA

Next week ends three decades of Japan’s Heisei era. Heisei, or Achieving Peace, began in 1989 near the peak of a massive stock market bubble and closes with the country trapped in low growth, no inflation, and negative interest rates.

The new era that dawns on May 1 is called Reiwa, meaning Beautiful Harmony. It begins when Crown Prince Naruhito ascends the Chrysanthemum Throne. But do investors really want harmony? What they want to see is a bit of economic growth and inflation to shake up the status quo.

The Bank of Japan’s stimulus toolkit to revive a long-suffering economy is anything but harmonious and yet it’s set to stay. The central bank confirmed recently rates will stay near zero for a long time. But the coming days may not be harmonious or peaceful for currency markets. A 10-day Golden Week holiday kicks off on April 29 and investors are fretting over the risk of a “flash crash” – a violent currency spasm that can occur in times of thin trading turnover.

The year has already seen two yen spikes and many, including Japan’s housewife-trader brigade – so-called Mrs Watanabes – appear to have bought yen as the holiday approaches. Their short dollar/long yen positions recently reached record highs, stock exchange data showed.

(GRAPHIC: Japan stocks: from Hensei to Reiwa – https://tmsnrt.rs/2W6a7Fe)

4/EARNING TURNING

Quarterly earnings were supposed to be the worst in Europe in almost three years, but with a third of results in, things are looking a little rosier.

Two-thirds of companies’ results have beat expectations, and they point to earnings growth of 4.5 percent year-on-year. Financials have delivered the biggest surprises, according to analysis by Barclays.

That might just show how low expectations were. In fact, analysts are still taking a red pen to their estimates.

The latest I/B/E/S data from Refinitiv shows analysts on average expect first-quarter earnings-per-share for STOXX 600-listed companies to fall 4.2 percent. That would be their worst quarter since 2016 and down sharply from an estimated 3.4 percent just a week earlier.

Those estimates may end up being a little too bearish as earnings season goes on, quelling worries that Europe is heading toward a corporate recession.

GSK and Reckitt Benckiser will give the market a glimpse of the health of the consumer products market and spending on everything from toothpaste, washing powder and paracetamol.

(GRAPHIC: Earnings forecasts – https://tmsnrt.rs/2DuO2ZF)

5/WAITING FOR THE OLD LADY

Sterling has gone into the doldrums amid the Brexit delay and unproductive talks between the UK government and the opposition Labour party on a EU withdrawal deal. The resurgent dollar, meanwhile, has taken 2 percent off the pound in April. It is unlikely the Bank of England will be able to rouse it at its May 2 meeting.

Despite robust retail and jobs data of late, the economic picture is gloomy – 2019 growth is likely to be around 1.2 percent, the weakest since 2009, investment is down and Governor Mark Carney says business uncertainty is “through the roof”.

Indeed, expectations for an interest rate increase have been whittled down; Reuters polls forecast rates will not move until early 2020, a calendar quarter later than was forecast a month ago. The hunt for a new governor to replace Carney in October adds more uncertainty to the mix.

The recent run of UK data has fueled hopes of economic rebound. That’s put net hedge fund positions in the pound into positive territory for the first time in nearly a year. The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street might temper some of that optimism.

(GRAPHIC: Sterling positions – https://tmsnrt.rs/2XJwUXX)

(Reporting by Alden Bentley in New York, Vidya Ranganathan in Singapore; Karin Strohecker, Josephine Mason and Saikat Chatterjee in London; compiled by Sujata Rao; edited by Larry King)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren suggested that doctors and nurses don’t treat African American women the same way they do white women.

Warren appeared on Wednesday together with a number of other 2020 Democratic candidates at the She The People Forum in Houston, discussing issues concerning women of color.

WARREN’S $1.25T EDUCATION PLAN ‘SWEEPING’ GIVEAWAY TO THE WEALTHY AT EXPENSE OF THE POOR, WAPO EDITORIAL BOARD SAYS

The Massachusetts senator announced on stage a plan to decrease the childbirth mortality rate among black women while identifying a systematic problem with how they are treated.

“And there is a specific problem, as you rightly identified, for women of color who are three, four times more likely to die in childbirth,” Warren said.

“And here’s the thing, even after we do the adjustments for income, for education, this is true across the board. This is true for well-educated African American women, for wealthy African American women, and the best studies that I’m seeing put it down to just one thing, prejudice,” she added.

“That doctors and nurses don’t hear African American women’s medical issues the same way that they hear the same things from white women.”

“That doctors and nurses don’t hear African American women’s medical issues the same way that they hear the same things from white women.”

— Elizabeth Warren

CHARLIE KIRK: WARREN AND OTHER DEMS OFFER FREE MONEY – BUT DON’T TELL YOU PRICE WILL BE YOUR FREEDOM

Warren went on to get into details of her plan, noting that hospitals will be given bonuses if they manage to reduce the childbirth mortality rate among black women in an effort to give financial incentives for those doctors and nurses to provide better care.

“And if they don’t, then they’re going to have money taken away from them,” Warren added.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“I want to see the hospitals see it as their responsibility to address this problem head-on and make it a first priority. The best way to do that is to use the money to make it happen because we gotta have change, and we gotta have change now.”

Source: Fox News Politics

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
Current track

Title

Artist