National Dollar Day

TOKYO/LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) – The dollar gained on the euro and pound on Thursday after a U.S. Federal Reserve policy maker said he wasn’t in a hurry to cut rates, while traders braced for key economic data and hesitated to move on the yen on concern about a potential Japanese intervention. The Japanese currency was steady at 151.36 per dollar having traded just shy of the 152 mark at its weakest since 1990 on Wednesday before Japan’s top monetary officials suggested they were ready to intervene to prevent further declines. The euro was last down 0.41% at $1.0782 at its lowest in five weeks, and the pound was down 0.22% at $1.2614. That left the dollar index up 0.2%…

JOHANNESBURG, March 22 (Reuters) – South Africa’s rand weakened in early trade on Friday, in line with other emerging market currencies as the U.S. dollar gained on global risk sentiment. At 0745 GMT, the rand traded at 18.9700 against the dollar , about 0.7% weaker than its previous close. The dollar was up almost 0.3% against a basket of global currencies, and set for a second week of gains. “The dollar reversed all of Wednesday’s post-FOMC losses yesterday after the Swiss National Bank surprised markets by cutting its benchmark rate by 25 basis points, and U.S. economic data surprised to the top side,” said Andre Cilliers, Currency Strategist at TreasuryONE. There was further support for the dollar from a dovish…

JOHANNESBURG, March 22 (Reuters) – South Africa’s rand weakened in early trade on Friday, in line with other emerging market currencies as the U.S. dollar gained on global risk sentiment. At 0745 GMT, the rand traded at 18.9700 against the dollar , about 0.7% weaker than its previous close. The dollar was up almost 0.3% against a basket of global currencies, and set for a second week of gains. “The dollar reversed all of Wednesday’s post-FOMC losses yesterday after the Swiss National Bank surprised markets by cutting its benchmark rate by 25 basis points, and U.S. economic data surprised to the top side,” said Andre Cilliers, Currency Strategist at TreasuryONE. There was further support for the dollar from a dovish…

CLEVELAND, Ohio — With one more sleep until opening day, the Guardians are preparing for a season unlike any that Cleveland has seen in more than a decade. With new manager Stephen Vogt at the helm and several new faces in the lineup, what expectations do you have for the club heading into the regular season? On Wednesday’s podcast, Paul Hoynes and Joe Noga discuss what they expect from Guardians players and the team as a whole. Listen and read along with an AI-generated transcript of the podcast below. Read the automated transcript of today’s podcast below. Because it’s a computer-generated transcript, it may contain errors and misspellings. Joe Noga (00:15): Welcome back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast. I’m…

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Argentina’s markets are in celebration mode ahead of the long Easter public holiday with sovereign bonds and equities on a prolonged rally buoyed by fiscal tightening and pro-investor measures taken by libertarian President Javier Milei. Some dollar bonds have hit record highs since a major debt restructuring in 2020 after Milei took office late last year, pledging to put the country’s creaking finances in order, reach a zero deficit and take a “chainsaw” to spending by the state. “The imbalances are reducing. In February, both the fiscal result and the trade balance were positive again, for the second consecutive month. The markets? They are celebrating,” said local economist Esteban Domecq. Argentine markets will have a curtailed…

NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Kirkland’s, Inc. (Nasdaq: KIRK) (“Kirkland’s Home” or the “Company”), a specialty retailer of home décor and furnishings, announced financial results for the 14-week and 53-week periods ended February 3, 2024. “Fiscal 2023 was a year of significant change across our entire organization that culminated in a positive holiday sales season and healthy momentum to build off of going into 2024,” said Amy Sullivan, CEO of Kirkland’s Home. “The fourth quarter marked our first full quarter of capitalizing on the strategic repositioning initiatives we’ve implemented, which generated positive comparable sales results, strong gross margins, and healthy operating cash flow. Although we remain in the early stages of our strategic repositioning, we are pleased with…

EVANSVILLE, Ind.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Shoe Carnival, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCVL) (the “Company”), a leading retailer of footwear and accessories for the family, today reported results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended February 3, 2024 (“Fiscal 2023”) and provided annual guidance for its fiscal year ending on February 1, 2025 (“Fiscal 2024”). “I would like to thank our dedicated team members and vendor partners for their support in driving growth during the key holiday period and setting us up for continued growth in 2024. With the acquisition of Rogan’s, we are now at an all-time high of 429 stores. Rogan’s will be immediately accretive to our results in 2024 and the level of accretion is expected to meaningfully increase in 2025.…

BEIJING – When marketing planner Johnnie Zhu, 28, visited Singapore for a day over the New Year weekend, he blew his budget by 30 per cent on the back of higher-than-expected food and transport costs. Mr Zhu, who was in transit on his way to Mount Bromo in Indonesia’s East Java, spent about 1,500 yuan (S$280) in that one day in Singapore. In Indonesia, he spent 500 to 600 yuan a day. “I found the souvenirs at the airport particularly expensive,” he told The Straits Times. Mr Zhu bought three small Merlion soft toys – each the size of about half a palm – for around 100 yuan and a keychain for 50 yuan for family and friends back home.…

BEIJING: When marketing planner Johnnie Zhu, 28, visited Singapore for a day over the New Year weekend, he blew his budget by 30 per cent on the back of higher-than-expected food and transport costs. Zhu, who was in transit on his way to Mount Bromo in Indonesia’s East Java, spent about 1,500 yuan (S$280) in that one day in Singapore. In Indonesia, he spent 500 to 600 yuan a day. “I found the souvenirs at the airport particularly expensive,” he told The Straits Times. Zhu bought three small Merlion soft toys – each the size of about half a palm – for around 100 yuan and a keychain for 50 yuan for family and friends back home. He lowered his…

China returns from its long holiday – estimates of strong domestic travel fanned optimism of a recovery in consumption. The US January CPI and PPI came in stronger than expected and this extended the recovery in US interest rates. In turn that helped underpin the dollar. We do not think the data itself changes the Fed’s stance. At least seven Fed officials speak in the coming days to test this hypothesis. There are still several key reports before the data dependent FOMC meets again in about four weeks. Owing to the different weights and methodology, the PCE deflator, which the Fed targets, is likely to be better behaved. Still, the two-year Treasury yield (US2Y) popped above 4.70% at the end…

SHANGHAI, Feb 19 — China’s new year holiday spending last week surged past pre-pandemic levels, official figures showed, a rare bright spot for an economy struggling with sluggish consumption and deflation. Domestic spending on entertainment, dining and travel soared during this year’s “Golden Week”, which officially ended on Saturday, according to a statement from Beijing’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism yesterday. Chinese travellers made 474 million trips across the country during the eight-day break, up 19 per cent from 2019, the ministry said — the world’s largest annual migration. And domestic spending on tourism came in at 632.7 billion yuan (US$87.9 billion), up 7.7 per cent from 2019, the ministry said. This year’s new year holiday was the country’s second…

BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) — China’s Spring Festival holiday has ignited a new round of consumption boom, further unleashing consumer spending potential amid fresh styles for people to celebrate the Lunar New Year. This year’s official Spring Festival holiday lasted from Feb. 10 to Feb. 17, one day more than the previous years, allowing people to arrange their holiday activities with more options. The eight-day Spring Festival holiday has seen more people on trips, more holiday goods purchases, and more quality family time spent in leisure activities. MORE THAN HOME-BOUND TRAVEL The travel willingness of residents increased during the holiday, and many indicators, such as the number of travelers and the total cost of traveling, hit a record high. According…

Ashford Hospitality Trust (NYSE:AHT) recently conducted its Fourth Quarter 2023 Results Conference Call, outlining a strategic plan focused on reducing corporate financing by 2024 with the aim of reinstating a common dividend in the future. The company plans to raise capital through asset sales, mortgage debt refinancing, and non-traded preferred capital raising. Ashford (NYSE:AINC) Hospitality Trust reported a net loss for the quarter and full year but achieved 1.6% RevPAR growth in the fourth quarter. The company has initiated several asset sales, including the Hilton Boston Back Bay and the Residence Inn in Salt Lake City, with proceeds designated for debt repayment. The company’s outlook for room revenue in 2024 and 2025 is positive, with expected increases of 8% and…

Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – Overnight interest rate in the interbank market has surged to more than 4%, the highest level in the past nine months, data from the State Bank of Vietnam showed. The rate on February 21 had increased by nearly 4 times against the end of last week, from 2.15% to 4.14%. It meant after just one trading session, the rate nearly doubled and reached its highest level since the end of May 2023. It was much higher than the peak level of 2.38% recorded during the peak payment period near the Lunar New Year. With the surge, the rate for overnight term is currently even higher than that of one-week to three-month terms. In the interbank market, overnight…

Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – There is still room for the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) to make another policy interest rate cut in 2024 to boost economic growth, analysts believed. In 2023, the SBV cut its policy interest rates four times. Under a report released recently, analysts from Saigon Securities Corporation (SSI) said the reason for the rate cut was that the domestic economic activity had not yet returned to its potential growth trend while 2024 had been planned to be a breakthrough year for the Government’s medium-term growth plan in the 2021-2025 period. Therefore, expansionary fiscal and loose monetary policies would be extended for another year when growth is considered a top priority, they noted. The analysts forecast lending interest…

HANOI: The overnight interest rate in the interbank market has surged to more than 4%, the highest level in the past nine months, data from the State Bank of Vietnam show. The rate last Wednesday had increased by nearly four times compared to the end of last week, from 2.15% to 4.14%. It meant after just one trading session, the rate nearly doubled and reached its highest level since the end of May 2023. It was much higher than the peak level of 2.38% recorded during the peak payment period near the Lunar New Year. With the surge, the rate for the overnight term is currently even higher than that of one-week to three-month terms. In the interbank market, the…

NEW DELHI — India’s president has made a whistle stop tour of an island earmarked for multi-billion dollar development that experts warn could wipe out the indigenous tribe which calls it home. Droupadi Murmu visited Great Nicobar on Tuesday — a remote island Indian officials hope will be transformed into a shipping hub and tourist destination. The government says the plans will unleash the region’s potential. But experts say it would be a “death sentence” for the Shompen people. In a letter sent to President Murmu earlier this month, 39 experts warned the scheme turning the southern part of Great Nicobar into the “Hong Kong of India” would result in the Shompen “fac[ing] genocide”. But while the letter made headlines…

Lesaka Technologies (ticker: LSAK) announced significant growth and resilience in its fiscal 2024 second quarter earnings call. Despite the challenging economic climate in South Africa, the company showcased a strong financial performance with a 13% year-on-year increase in revenue to ZAR2.7 billion and a 38% rise in group adjusted EBITDA to ZAR181 million. The company also reported a positive net income before tax of ZAR29 million, marking a substantial improvement from previous losses. The acquisition of Touchsides aims to expand Lesaka’s offerings and strengthen its position as a fintech leader in Africa. The company provided a positive outlook for the upcoming quarters, with expected revenue of ZAR2.7 billion to ZAR2.8 billion in Q3 and full-year guidance of ZAR10.7 billion to…

Lesaka Technologies, Inc. isn’t one of the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds at the end of the third quarter (see the details here). Operator: Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Lesaka Technologies Webcast and Conference Call for the Second Quarter of Fiscal 2024. As a reminder, the webcast is being recorded, and the presentation can be accessed through the webcast link as well as dialing into the Zoom conference call dial-in numbers provided. Management will address any questions you may have at the end of the presentation. [Operator Instructions] The Webcast link, Zoom conference call dial-in numbers as well as the press release and supplementary investor presentation are available on the Investor Relations website at ir.lesakatech.com. Additionally, Lesaka…

BROCKTON – Brockton was thrust into the national spotlight after four Brockton School Committee members set off a firestorm by requesting National Guard soldiers be deployed in the highs school. School Committee member Tony Rodrigues appeared on the FOX Business channel to discuss the situation. An East Bridgewater woman who lost everything in a house fire described the dramatic rescue by strangers. A GoFundMe has been setup to help Spano recover. U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch toured Brockton’s embattled Good Sam amid a “widening investigation” into the financial crisis engulfing the hospital’s owner. Steward Health Care plans to leave the Massachusetts market, according to Lynch and confirmed by the company. The gift of family was the only thing on Richard Pezzillo…