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El Salvador top court suspends scrapping of Taiwan trade accord

People wait to enter El Salvador's Supreme Court building in San Salvador
People wait to enter El Salvador's Supreme Court building in San Salvador, El Salvador, March 14, 2019. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

March 14, 2019

SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) – El Salvador’s highest court on Wednesday temporarily suspended the cancellation of a free trade pact with Taiwan, after the Central American nation’s sugar industry sought an injunction, arguing the move would hurt its business interests.

In August, the United States criticized El Salvador’s decision to switch diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China, saying the change was of grave concern to Washington.

El Salvador’s sugar chamber asked the country’s highest court for the injunction, saying the December decision by President Salvador Sanchez Ceren to cancel the trade deal put in jeopardy the industry’s property rights and legal security.

Sanchez Ceren’s government order would have canceled the accord on March 15. The free trade agreement gives El Salvador an 80,000-tonne, tariff-free quota to export sugar to Taiwan.

Officials of El Salvador’s government were not immediately available to comment.

In Taiwan, the Foreign Ministry said it was “pleased to see the current development direction of the case” and would respect the legal process as it developed.

Political outsider Nayib Bukele was elected in February as El Salvador’s next president, bringing an end to a two-party system that has prevailed in the violence-plagued country for three decades. He will take office in June.

Last month, a member of his team said Bukele would assess whether the country should maintain diplomatic relations with China.

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said it would continue to pay close attention to the development of the political situation in El Salvador.

Speaking in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said China has relations with all countries, including El Salvador, on the basis of mutual respect, mutual benefit and not interfering in domestic affairs.

The establishment of relations between the two countries had not been easy and should be “cherished” by both sides, he added.

China respects El Salvador’s choices and expects to work with its new government on the basis of mutual respect and equality to advance the healthy development of relations, Lu said.

(Reporting by Nelson Renteria; Additional reporting by Yimou Lee in TAIPEI and Michael Martina in BEIJING; Writing by Anthony Esposito; Editing by Leslie Adler and Clarence Fernandez)

Source: OANN

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America’s 1st Female Astronaut Candidate, Jerrie Cobb, Dies

America's first female astronaut candidate, pilot Jerrie Cobb, who pushed for equality in space but never reached its heights, has died.

Cobb died in Florida at age 88 on March 18 following a brief illness. News of her death came Thursday from journalist Miles O'Brien, serving as a family spokesman.

In 1961, Cobb became the first woman to pass astronaut testing. Altogether, 13 women passed the arduous physical testing and became known as the Mercury 13. But NASA already had its Mercury 7 astronauts, all jet test pilots and all military men.

None of the Mercury 13 ever reached space, despite Cobb's testimony in 1962 before a Congressional panel.

"We seek, only, a place in our nation's space future without discrimination," she told a special House subcommittee on the selection of astronauts.

Instead of making her an astronaut, NASA tapped her as a consultant to talk up the space program. She was dismissed one week after commenting: "I'm the most unconsulted consultant in any government agency."

She wrote in her 1997 autobiography "Jerrie Cobb, Solo Pilot," ''My country, my culture, was not ready to allow a woman to fly in space."

Cobb served for decades as a humanitarian aid pilot in the Amazon jungle.

"She should have gone to space, but turned her life into one of service with grace," tweeted Ellen Stofan, director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum and a former NASA scientist.

The Soviet Union ended up putting the first woman into space in 1963: Valentina Tereshkova. NASA didn't fly a woman in space — Sally Ride — until 1983.

Cobb and other surviving members of the Mercury 13 attended the 1995 shuttle launch of Eileen Collins, NASA's first female space pilot and later its first female space commander.

"Jerrie Cobb served as an inspiration to many of our members in her record breaking, her desire to go into space, and just to prove that women could do what men could do," said Laura Ohrenberg, headquarters manager in Oklahoma City for the Ninety-Nines Inc., an international organization of licensed women pilots.

Still hopeful, Cobb emerged in 1998 to make another pitch for space as NASA prepared to launch Mercury astronaut John Glenn — the first American to orbit the world — on shuttle Discovery at age 77.

Cobb maintained that the geriatric space study should also include an older woman.

"I would give my life to fly in space, I really would," Cobb told The Associated Press at age 67 in 1998. "It's hard for me to talk about it, but I would. I would then, and I will now."

"It just didn't work out then, and I just hope and pray it will now," she added.

It didn't. NASA never flew another elderly person in space, male or female.

Geraldyn Cobb was born on March 5, 1931, in Norman, Oklahoma, the second daughter of a military pilot and his wife. She flew her father's open cockpit Waco biplane at age 12 and got her private pilot's license four years later.

The Mercury 13's story is told in a recent Netflix documentary and a play based on Cobb's life, "They Promised Her the Moon," is currently running in San Diego.

In her autobiography, Cobb described how she danced on the wings of her plane in the Amazon moonlight, when learning via radio on July 20, 1969, that Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had landed on the moon.

She wrote: "Yes, I wish I were on the moon with my fellow pilots, exploring another celestial body. How I would love to see our beautiful blue planet Earth floating in the blackness of space. And see the stars and galaxies in their true brilliance, without the filter of our atmosphere. But I'm happy flying here in Amazonas, serving my brethren. 'Contenta, Senor, contenta.' (I am happy, Lord, happy.)"

Source: NewsMax America

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Connecticut man crashes vehicle into stranger’s yard, wanders in naked, police say

A family in Connecticut had an unusual guest on Saturday after a man crashed his SUV into their yard and then walked around their house naked.

The Newtown Police Department told FOX61 they were dispatched to the home after residents said a naked man they did not know was wandering around their home.

The residents were out shopping in the morning and returned home to find 35-year-old Joseph Achenbach of Watertown inside.

CHAOS AT WALMART AS WOMAN PERFORMS KARATE, SON EXPOSES HIMSELF, DOG STEALS FOOD, POLICE SAY

During the investigation, officers determined that Achenbach had crashed his Ford Escape into the backyard of the residents' home and wandered into the house through an unlocked sliding glass door.

Joseph Achenbach was arrested after police said he crashed his SUV into a family's yard and then wandered in their home.

Joseph Achenbach was arrested after police said he crashed his SUV into a family's yard and then wandered in their home. (Newtown Police Department)

Police said that the 35-year-old's clothes could not be found at the scene, and it is believed that he was naked when he crashed the car, FOX61 reported.

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Police believe that alcohol and drugs played a role in the suspect's behavior.

Achenbach has been charged with criminal trespassing, reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct and driving while intoxicated. He's being held on $5,000 bond and will appear in court Monday.

Source: Fox News National

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Former U.S. interior secretary Zinke joins mine exploration firm’s board

FILE PHOTO: US Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke arrives at the US Capitol prior to the service for former President George H. W. Bush in Washington, DC, USA
FILE PHOTO: US Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke arrives at the US Capitol prior to the service for former President George H. W. Bush in Washington, DC, USA, 03 December 2018. Shawn Thew/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

April 16, 2019

By Valerie Volcovici

(Reuters) – Former U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who stepped down in December amid ethics investigations, has joined the board of junior mining exploration company U.S. Gold Corp, the company said on Tuesday.

Zinke, who ran the Interior Department, which oversees America’s vast public lands, aggressively pursued President Donald Trump’s agenda to promote oil drilling and coal mining by expanding federal leasing, cutting royalty rates, and easing land protections despite environmental protests.

“Zinke has a lot of credibility in the mining industry. We think his credibility and gravitas will give us visibility, which we need to advance the company and benefit our shareholders,” U.S. Gold Corp CEO Edward Karr told Reuters.

The company has a gold exploration project on Wyoming state land at the Copper King deposit and is going through state environmental reviews and regulations. It also has the Keystone project, which has 650 mining claims on a major gold trend on federal land managed by Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Nevada.

Karr said the company wants to prove that there is a world class deposit there to attract interest from mining company Barrick Gold, which owns property to the north of the Keystone project.

“Where Zinke could provide value is being on the ground and interacting with BLM’s Nevada office,” he said.

In a statement, Zinke said his work at Interior “can add tremendous value to the company.”

“I am excited to work closely with management and the Board to help make mining great again in America,” he said.

(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Susan Thomas and Alistair Bell)

Source: OANN

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License required to repair doors? Regs spark heated debate in Arizona

PHOENIX -- Arizona wants to make it easier for workers who need an occupational license for their jobs.

A bill making its way through the state legislature would allow out-of-staters moving to Arizona to do their job with the occupational license they received from another state. Right now, Arizona has some of the most stringent laws that require workers to go through the state’s rigorous licensing standards before being allowed to work.

The law would impact jobs that require a license from the state -- barbers, realtors, nurses, bus drivers, respiratory therapists, security guards, teacher assistants and even to repair doors.The bill could set the tone for the rest of the nation when it comes to loosening occupational licensing requirements.

“This is actually a first of its kind bill and I think it's one that's going to set the trend for a lot of other states,” Steve Slivinski, Arizona State University Center of Economic Liberty senior research fellow, said.  “It's going to make Arizona a lot more competitive for people moving to the state…a lot of the licensing burdens we see nowadays are really excessive. It’s overregulation.”

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Realtor and State Rep. Warren Petersen sponsors the bill and said the goal is to offer universal occupational licensing recognition to anyone in the country who moves to Arizona, which Petersen said would make Arizona the first state in the country to allow that—and wants to let out-of-staters know “Arizona is open for business.”

“Were you educated?" Petersen sadi. "Were you doing a similar profession? So, the reality is, it’s not asking to…give them the upper-hand, it’s saying we’re going to put you on the same level as us. You’ve gone through what we’ve gone through so you shouldn’t have to start all over.”

“Were you educated?" Petersen sadi. "Were you doing a similar profession? So, the reality is, it’s not asking to…give them the upper-hand, it’s saying we’re going to put you on the same level as us. You’ve gone through what we’ve gone through so you shouldn’t have to start all over.” (Fox News)

“Those people have already gone through the same process, there’s a lot of parody in this bill because this bill looks at those other states and says did you get licensed in your state?” Petersen said. “Were you educated? Were you doing a similar profession? So, the reality is, it’s not asking to…give them the upper-hand, it’s saying we’re going to put you on the same level as us. You’ve gone through what we’ve gone through so you shouldn’t have to start all over.”

ARIZONA'S GOP GOVERNOR WAGING WAR AGAINST OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING LAWS

Even though Petersen is a realtor, the Arizona Association of Realtors is strongly against the bill, with concerns over out-of-state realtors coming in without the proper educational background that could put the public and homeowners at risk. In Arizona, to be a realtor you have to go through 90 hours of license education and six hours of contract writing, along with paying licensing fees.

“By having people come into the industry and not necessarily have the education or the background, it really could potentially create some situations where people are financially harmed…We do not believe that there's too much regulations,” Laslavic said.

“By having people come into the industry and not necessarily have the education or the background, it really could potentially create some situations where people are financially harmed…We do not believe that there's too much regulations,” Laslavic said. (Fox News)

Nicole Laslavic is the Arizona Association of Realtors vice president of government affairs and said the organization knows what works best for the industry in Arizona, having a “very specific, unique set of circumstances.” Laslavic said the statutes in place to be a licensed real estate agent are “sufficient.”

“By having people come into the industry and not necessarily have the education or the background, it really could potentially create some situations where people are financially harmed…We do not believe that there's too much regulations,” Laslavic said. "What we do believe is that when we are establishing regulation and government oversight that it needs to be done in a thoughtful manner where, ultimately, what we pass at the legislature and what’s signed at the governor’s office protects the public. ”

Certain occupational licensing professions are supporting the bill, like the Arizona Nurses Association, the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, and local Arizona chambers of commerce.

When it comes to those professions, including barbering, Petersen argues you don’t lose that skill simply by packing up and moving to another state.

“I don't think it's right,” Torres said. “I think everybody should pay. (You’re) trying to work under a license or you having any kind of license, go to the state board. Put your information down, put your name down let the state know that you’re licensed through this state, not just anywhere.”

“I don't think it's right,” Torres said. “I think everybody should pay. (You’re) trying to work under a license or you having any kind of license, go to the state board. Put your information down, put your name down let the state know that you’re licensed through this state, not just anywhere.” (Fox News)

“They would need to show us how somebody's hair in Arizona is vastly different than somebodies hair in another state,” Petersen said. “I’ve lived in multiple states and my hair stayed the same in every state that I moved to…That’s exactly what this bill does, it recognizes that your skills, your talent, your education, your experience, it doesn't dissolve just because you crossed the border into the state of Arizona.”

But, Junior Torres, who owns a barber shop in Phoenix, is concerned about people moving from another state and start working at a barbershop “just like that” without having to go through the same Arizona process he and other barbers did to get their licenses, including paying fees.

FIREFIGHTER HAS BECOME MASTER OF MAXING OUT OVERTIME PAY

“I don't think it's right,” Torres said. “I think everybody should pay. (You’re) trying to work under a license or you having any kind of license, go to the state board. Put your information down, put your name down let the state know that you’re licensed through this state, not just anywhere.”

“That’s like having somebody out in the street not having a license, they can just have a fake license or something and you just don’t know, I wouldn’t want that, I would want somebody being licensed to come up in here and show proof that they’re with the state,” Torres said. “That’s how its been for years, so why change it.”

“That’s like having somebody out in the street not having a license, they can just have a fake license or something and you just don’t know, I wouldn’t want that, I would want somebody being licensed to come up in here and show proof that they’re with the state,” Torres said. “That’s how its been for years, so why change it.” (Fox News)

Torres said there’s been a lot of barbers who’ve come looking for work who’ve had licenses from other states but he can’t honor those because this is his livelihood and he doesn’t want to put people at risk. But, if this bill becomes law, that would change.

“That’s like having somebody out in the street not having a license, they can just have a fake license or something and you just don’t know, I wouldn’t want that, I would want somebody being licensed to come up in here and show proof that they’re with the state,” Torres said. “That’s how its been for years, so why change it?”

Petersen said America has been a “beacon and example of freedom and entrepreneurship to the rest of the world and that's something that we need to preserve and maintain.”

“As we allow these excessive regulations and occupational licensees to proliferate, it's really stifling motivation for people to work, it's stifling entry into the economy, and it's really a downward pressure on productivity and people accomplishing things and promoting to the economy and to society,” Petersen said.

The occupational licensing bill is now up for a final vote in the Senate.

Arizona governor Doug Ducey is a strong advocate of the bill, even mentioning it in this year's State of the State. He plans on signing it, if it’s passed.

“100,000 people will move here this year,” Ducey said. “There’s a job available for every one of them. Lots of them are trained and certified in other states. Standing in their way of earning a living in Arizona, our own licensing boards, and their cronies who tell them -- 'you can’t work here. You haven’t paid the piper.' Let’s stop this foolishness. Pass Warren Petersen’s bill to grant universal recognition for all occupational licenses -- and let them work.”

Source: Fox News National

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Fiat Chrysler recalls 320,000 Dart cars that could roll away

A Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) sign is seen at its U.S. headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan
FILE PHOTO: A Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) sign is seen at its U.S. headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S. May 25, 2018. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook

April 19, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV said Friday it is recalling more than 320,000 Dodge Dart compact cars in North America that could roll away because of a defective part that could allow the

shift cable to detach from the transmission.

The Italian-American automaker said the recall covers 2013 through 2016 model year automatic transmission Dart cars and that the defect could prevent drivers from shifting vehicles into park. The company said it is not aware of any crashes or injuries related to the issue but has several thousand reports of related repairs to vehicles. The company said a cable bushing may degrade after prolonged exposure to high ambient heat and humidity.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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Cops: Gunman broke into home, fatally shot pizza deliveryman

Authorities say a pizza deliveryman was shot and killed when he made a delivery to a home under construction in Philadelphia.

The shooting occurred around 7 p.m. Tuesday just outside the home. Authorities believe the gunman broke into the home so he could arrange for the delivery there and rob the deliveryman.

The 30-year-old deliveryman was shot once in the chest and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. His name has not been released.

The gunman fled the scene and remained at large Wednesday.

Source: Fox News National

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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

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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

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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

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U.S. President Trump departs for travel to Indianapolis from the White House in Washington
U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he departs for travel to Indianapolis, Indiana from the White House in Washington, U.S., April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

April 26, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said trade talks with China are going very well, as the world’s two largest economies seek to end talks with a trade agreement to defuse tensions.

Trump said on Thursday he would soon host China’s President Xi Jinping at the White House.

Earlier this week, the White House said that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer would travel to Beijing for more talks on a trade dispute marked by tit-for-tat tariffs between the two countries.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day at the White House in Washington
U.S. President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up to his audience as he hosts Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

April 26, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday praised Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments on North Korea this week following the Russian leader’s summit with Pyongyang’s Kim Jong Un.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump also said China was helping with efforts aimed at the denuclearization of North Korea.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Makini Brice; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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