Money Talks

Global stocks are surging to end the week following a major rally on Wall Street. Asian shares have risen, led by Japan's Nikkei index. Even cryptocurrency investors are celebrating, with bitcoin climbing 2%, and ethereum up 3%. That follows the release of inflation data that showed consumer prices in the US rose more than 8% annually in September.

For the details, we spoke to Jameel Ahmad, Alpari MENA Chief Investment Strategist.

#UnitedStates #Inflation #StockMarket

Oil prices have fallen for a fourth day, and they are now set for the longest losing run in more than a year. And a weaker global demand outlook has depressed the market. Both OPEC and the US Energy Department have cut their demand outlooks. The energy market is under pressure as well from the dollar, which has rallied broadly, including against low-yielding currencies like the yen.

For the details, we spoke to Craig Erlam, OANDA senior market analyst.

#OilPrices #OilDemand #Dollar

The International Monetary Fund is about to downgrade its global economic growth forecast for the fourth time this year only. As anticipated by the fund's managing director Kristalina Georgieva last week, the organization will downgrade its growth forecast for 2022 and 2023, blaming the combined effect of lingering COVID disruptions, Russia's attack on Ukraine, and climate disasters.

For more on global economy, we were joined by Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor.

#GlobalEconomy #IMF #GrowthForecast

Shares in the Asia-Pacific fell on Monday, with Hong Kong's Hang Seng leading losses as Chinese chip stocks listed in the city plunged following new export rules from the US. The country has introduced sweeping export controls that will severely complicate efforts by Chinese companies to develop cutting-edge technologies with military applications, in one of the toughest actions President Joe Biden has taken against China.

For the details, we spoke to Russ Mould from AJ Bell.

#China #Microchip #Semiconductor

A small business in the US is offering party planners a unique way to spice up their events. Known for their smiling faces, alpacas are now helping spread cheer among Americans, making for unforgettable parties. Tayyibe Aydin reports.

#Alpaca #Fluffy #Rent

According to the World Health Organization, about one in eight women in the US will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. But mammograms, the most widely used tool for detecting the disease still come with a high rate of human error. That reduces the chances patients will be treated in time, or and in some cases, be treated at all. UK-based AI start-up is trying to reduce the human error to nearly zero, giving women far more chances to survive. Ludovica Brignola has more.

#BreastCancer #Mammogram #Biotech

Every 7 minutes, an authorized account log-in is attempted by hackers. That’s according to the Threat Hunting Report published by cyber security firm, CrowdStrike. We spoke to its director of incident response services, Stuart Davis. He explains who these hackers are, and what they want.

#Intrusion #CyberSecurity #Hack

To Argentina now where soaring inflation and a precipitous decline in the currency is making it difficult for people to carry out even basic transactions, like buying food. The government says it is taking steps to alleviate the crisis, but experts warn economic reforms could further squeeze incomes. As Tulay Kalyon Haznedaroglu reports, that’s led to the return of barter bazaars.

Earlier, we spoke to Remi Piet in Miami. He's senior partner at Embellie Advisory. He says Argentina’s boosting output from mines and other natural resources could be the quickest fix for the country's currency crisis.

#Argentina #EconomicReforms #Inflation

The UN Conference on Trade and Development says the way conditions are looking now, the global economy is heading for its worst downturn in recent memory. And pointing the finger at central banks in rich nations, which, in their aggressive campaign to fight inflation, are squeezing the financial arteries that are vital to the health of the rest of the world.

So, what exactly is causing all of this turmoil? It starts in the US, where the Federal Reserve has raised its benchmark rates from zero to 3%, with the aim to taming inflation. Other major economies have followed suit to keep a lid on their own price pressures, and protect their currencies.

For more we spoke to economists Bruno Verstraete and Taha Meli Arvas.

#UnitedNations #InterestRates #Inflation

Oil prices continue to climb following the decision by the world's top producers of the commodity to significantly reduce their output. Led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, the OPEC+ cartel said they're slashing their production by 2M barrels a day in November. That's the biggest cut since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more on oil market, we spoke to Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at OANDA in London.

#OPEC #OilPrices #OilSupply