US Government shuts down for second time in 2018 as Congress misses deadline.

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Brent crude break $70 and above.

Brent crude break $70 and above.

Brent crude break $70 and above.

US shutdown begins as Senate fails to pass new budget
20 January 2018 US & Canada
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US shutdown begins as Senate fails to pass new budget
20 January 2018 US & Canada
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BUDGET Published January 20, 2018
Government braces for shutdown as Senate fails to meet deadline for spending deal
Adam Shaw By Adam Shaw, Alex Pappas, Matt Richardson | Fox News

BUDGET Published January 20, 2018
Government braces for shutdown as Senate fails to meet deadline for spending deal
Adam Shaw By Adam Shaw, Alex Pappas, Matt Richardson | Fox News

U.S. Shutdown Starts as Senate Democrats Block GOP Funding Plan
By Laura Litvan , Erik Wasson , and Anna Edgerton
January 20, 2018, 1:18 PM GMT+8
Updated on January 20, 2018, 1:42 PM GMT+8
Government funding set to end at midnight Friday without deal
Both parties unable to break deadlock over immigration
The U.S. government officially entered a partial shutdown early Saturday as Senate Democrats and a handful of Republicans blocked a House-passed bill to fund the government after the two parties failed to break their deadlock over immigration.

U.S. Shutdown Starts as Senate Democrats Block GOP Funding Plan
By Laura Litvan , Erik Wasson , and Anna Edgerton
January 20, 2018, 1:18 PM GMT+8
Updated on January 20, 2018, 1:42 PM GMT+8
Government funding set to end at midnight Friday without deal
Both parties unable to break deadlock over immigration
The U.S. government officially entered a partial shutdown early Saturday as Senate Democrats and a handful of Republicans blocked a House-passed bill to fund the government after the two parties failed to break their deadlock over immigration.

Brent price reached near $78/barrel.

Brent price now at $77.92/barrel

Oil could hit $80 per barrel by the end of 2018, says portfolio manager
Published 8 Mins Ago
CNBC.com
It's not preposterous to expect oil prices to hit $80 per barrel by the end of 2018, said Yoon Chou Chong, head of Asian equities at Natixis Asset Management
Production cuts and the need to maintain stability ahead of the widely-anticipated Saudi Aramco IPO will support oil prices, Chong said
Asian stocks, in particular Chinese shares, also have room to gain further, he added

This year could mark a comeback for commodities, with oil potentially hitting $80 per barrel, a portfolio manager said on Wednesday.

Oil could hit $80 per barrel by the end of 2018, says portfolio manager
Published 8 Mins Ago
CNBC.com
It's not preposterous to expect oil prices to hit $80 per barrel by the end of 2018, said Yoon Chou Chong, head of Asian equities at Natixis Asset Management
Production cuts and the need to maintain stability ahead of the widely-anticipated Saudi Aramco IPO will support oil prices, Chong said
Asian stocks, in particular Chinese shares, also have room to gain further, he added

This year could mark a comeback for commodities, with oil potentially hitting $80 per barrel, a portfolio manager said on Wednesday.

Iranian Crisis Could Send Oil To $100
By Nick Cunningham - Jan 02, 2018, 6:00 PM CST
Oil
Oil prices started the year on a high note as some geopolitical tension pushed aside bearish concerns. Both WTI and Brent opened above $60 per barrel for the first time in years.

The protests in Iran were the main driver of the bullish sentiment in the oil market. Anti-government demonstrations swept across the country in recent days, and unlike the widespread protests in 2009, the current rallies are related to economic woes and are also taking place in more cities than just Tehran. “Growing unrest in Iran set the table for a bullish start to 2018,” the Schork Report said in a note to clients on January 2.

At least 14 people have been killed in the protests and an estimated 450 have been arrested. It is the most serious challenge to the Iranian government in years, and Iran’s Supreme Leader put the blame on foreign agents, presumably the United States. “In recent days, enemies of Iran used different tools including cash, weapons, politics and intelligence apparatus to create troubles for the Islamic Republic,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said.

Meanwhile, tension over North Korea – although not a new development – could be spreading to include a spat between the U.S. and Russia as well as the U.S. and China. Reuters reported late last week that Russian oil tankers have sent fuel to North Korea on multiple occasions in the last few months by transferring cargoes at sea. If true, the actions would amount to a violation of UN sanctions. Sources told Reuters that there is no evidence that the Russian state was involved, but the news has raised the specter of U.S.-Russian tension as Washington seeks a hard line on Pyongyang.

Iranian Crisis Could Send Oil To $100
By Nick Cunningham - Jan 02, 2018, 6:00 PM CST
Oil
Oil prices started the year on a high note as some geopolitical tension pushed aside bearish concerns. Both WTI and Brent opened above $60 per barrel for the first time in years.

The protests in Iran were the main driver of the bullish sentiment in the oil market. Anti-government demonstrations swept across the country in recent days, and unlike the widespread protests in 2009, the current rallies are related to economic woes and are also taking place in more cities than just Tehran. “Growing unrest in Iran set the table for a bullish start to 2018,” the Schork Report said in a note to clients on January 2.

At least 14 people have been killed in the protests and an estimated 450 have been arrested. It is the most serious challenge to the Iranian government in years, and Iran’s Supreme Leader put the blame on foreign agents, presumably the United States. “In recent days, enemies of Iran used different tools including cash, weapons, politics and intelligence apparatus to create troubles for the Islamic Republic,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said.

Meanwhile, tension over North Korea – although not a new development – could be spreading to include a spat between the U.S. and Russia as well as the U.S. and China. Reuters reported late last week that Russian oil tankers have sent fuel to North Korea on multiple occasions in the last few months by transferring cargoes at sea. If true, the actions would amount to a violation of UN sanctions. Sources told Reuters that there is no evidence that the Russian state was involved, but the news has raised the specter of U.S.-Russian tension as Washington seeks a hard line on Pyongyang.

Brent price uptrend to $67 per barrel and above.

Brent crude break $67/barrel

Brent crude break $67/barrel and above.

Us dollar under downward pressure

Us dollar is under downward pressure

The price of bitcoin (BTC) has been suffering from a bearish decline since it reached $19,600 USD across global markets and had touched a low of $15,299 on December 21. Over the past two days, most of the other alternative digital asset markets were stable or made some significant gains. However, now that BTC markets have continued to dive lower, the rest of the cryptocurrency economy is feeling the wrath of the storm.

The price of bitcoin (BTC) has been suffering from a bearish decline since it reached $19,600 USD across global markets and had touched a low of $15,299 on December 21. Over the past two days, most of the other alternative digital asset markets were stable or made some significant gains. However, now that BTC markets have continued to dive lower, the rest of the cryptocurrency economy is feeling the wrath of the storm.

Low

Accumulate it while.

Wednesday, 13 Dec 2017

PETALING JAYA: There were more interest in property purchases for the first 10 months of this year compared to 2016 based on the latest Bank Negara statistics, said a research house.

MIDF Research said in a report it is maintaining a positive stance on the property sector based on loan statistic from Bank Negara and a stable House Price Index outlook from the National Property Information Centre (Napic).

It also viewed certain property counters with Klang Valley projects positively.

The report said total applied loans for property purchases in October increased 17.6% year-on-year (y-o-y) to RM29.6bil. On a 10-month basis, it grew 13% y-o-y to RM275bil.


Total approved loans for property purchases also grew y-o-y. Over a 10-month period this year, cumulative total approved loans totalled RM111bil, an increase of 11%.

MIDF said: “The higher approved loans disbursed into the market is a good leading indicator that property sales... as a whole should improve compared to last year.”

The report said Selangor saw the highest expansion in house prices, notching a growth of 8.4% y-o-y. Negri Sembilan saw a y-o-y increase of 7.6%. Both Kuala Lumpur and Johor saw y-o-y growth of 6.7%.

This, said MIDF, showed that the outlook for property price growth in greater Kuala Lumpur, which comprises both Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, remained “positive”.

Quoting Napic, MIDF said preliminary reading of the House Price Index for the third quarter of 2017 is 187.6, representing a growth of 5.1% compared to second quarter reading of 186.3 (6.8% growth), and 6.7% in the first quarter of 2017.

“The growth, although decelerating, shows that house price increase in Malaysia remains in positive territory,” MIDF said.

The report also highlighted certain property counters – SP Setia Group Bhd, Mah Sing Group Bhd
image: https://cdn.thestar.com.my/Themes/img/chart.png

and UOA Development Bhd
image: https://cdn.thestar.com.my/Themes/img/chart.png

.

It liked SP Setia for its plan to achieve FBM KLCI status by 2018, its attractive price for the I&P deal and for its good dividend yield.

SP Setia will be reviewing its operations over the next few months following its purchase of sister company I&P Group Sdn Bhd from Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB). Launches are being planned in late 2018 and from 2019 onwards post-review process.

Both SP Setia and I&P form part of PNB’s property portfolio. PNB portfolio of companies are involved in different sectors of the economy.

The purchase enabled SP Setia to increase its total land bank by almost 80% to nearly 9,730 acres and fast-track its expansion plans. SP Setia bought the sister company for RM3.65bil.

The I&P group, a township developer, has land bank of about 4,276 acres located in the central part of Klang Valley and Johor Baru.

It also liked Mah Sing for its mass-market projects in the Klang Valley and UOA for its healthy balance sheet at net cash position, with sales prospect underpinned by urban-based affordable housing.


Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2017/12/13/midf-positive-on-property-sector-outlook-next-year/#PzHh5BriX6aJ7hgU.99

The U.S. dollar fell after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates, with central bankers signaling they don’t expect inflation to pick up steam as job gains slow.

The Wall Street Journal Dollar Index, which measures the U.S. currency against a basket of 16 others, snapped a seven-day streak of gains, declining 0.7% to 86.76.

The U.S. dollar fell after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates, with central bankers signaling they don’t expect inflation to pick up steam as job gains slow.

The Wall Street Journal Dollar Index, which measures the U.S. currency against a basket of 16 others, snapped a seven-day streak of gains, declining 0.7% to 86.76.

Brent break $65/Barrel

Brent break $65 per barrel

Brent above $65 per barrel.

Brent Spikes As This Major Pipeline Breaks Down

Brent Spikes As This Major Pipeline Breaks Down

Brent break $64 /barrel and above.

Select Language​▼
CORPORATE
FROM THE EDGETOP STORIES
Highlight
Ringgit seen at below 4.00 against US dollar in 2018
Supriya Surendran & Billy Toh
/
The Edge Financial Daily

December 11, 2017 08:44 am +08
This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on December 11, 2017.

-A+A
KUALA LUMPUR: Economists see the ringgit strengthening to below the psychological level of 4.00 against the US dollar in 2018 amid expectations of an interest rate hike and higher oil prices, and of the US favouring a weak greenback.

UOB Malaysia senior vice-president of global economics and markets research Julia Goh sees the local currency trading in the range of between 3.90 and 4.05 versus the dollar next year.

“We are constructive on the ringgit owing to positive factors including higher crude oil prices and a possible 25 bps (basis points) rate hike by Bank Negara Malaysia early next year backed by improving GDP (gross domestic product) growth, stable current account surplus and growing foreign exchange reserves,” Goh told The Edge Financial Daily.

IQI Global chief economist Shan Saeed opined that the US dollar would weaken by 3% to 4% against all currencies in 2018.

“In (US President) Donald Trump’s pre-election campaign speeches he said that the US does not need an interest hike and a stronger dollar, but instead a cheaper dollar in order to spur the US economy,” said Saeed.

“On the other hand Federal Reserve (Fed) chair Janet Yellen [favours] a stronger dollar. So policywise both Trump and Yellen were not [on] the same page.

Select Language​▼
CORPORATE
FROM THE EDGETOP STORIES
Highlight
Ringgit seen at below 4.00 against US dollar in 2018
Supriya Surendran & Billy Toh
/
The Edge Financial Daily

December 11, 2017 08:44 am +08
This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on December 11, 2017.

-A+A
KUALA LUMPUR: Economists see the ringgit strengthening to below the psychological level of 4.00 against the US dollar in 2018 amid expectations of an interest rate hike and higher oil prices, and of the US favouring a weak greenback.

UOB Malaysia senior vice-president of global economics and markets research Julia Goh sees the local currency trading in the range of between 3.90 and 4.05 versus the dollar next year.

“We are constructive on the ringgit owing to positive factors including higher crude oil prices and a possible 25 bps (basis points) rate hike by Bank Negara Malaysia early next year backed by improving GDP (gross domestic product) growth, stable current account surplus and growing foreign exchange reserves,” Goh told The Edge Financial Daily.

IQI Global chief economist Shan Saeed opined that the US dollar would weaken by 3% to 4% against all currencies in 2018.

“In (US President) Donald Trump’s pre-election campaign speeches he said that the US does not need an interest hike and a stronger dollar, but instead a cheaper dollar in order to spur the US economy,” said Saeed.

“On the other hand Federal Reserve (Fed) chair Janet Yellen [favours] a stronger dollar. So policywise both Trump and Yellen were not [on] the same page.

The Pound Sterling Live - Today's Rolling Coverage of the British Pound Sterling

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US Dollar in Focus as Debt Ceiling Deadline Looms
Modified: Thursday, 07 December 2017 14:23 Written by James Skinner Subscribe to our Newsletter Follow us on Twiiter This copy is for personal, non-commercial use only. Reproduction of any content for commercial purposes is subject to our usage terms and conditions, please email the editor at his address directly for clarification.

A government shutdown in the US looms if lawmakers cannot find agreement - here's a look at what it might mean for the Dollar.
The Dollar faces a testing period ahead as lawmakers in Washington turn their attention to the annual debt ceiling debacle which, if unresolved, could see the US government forced to shut down as early as next week.
A government shutdown is the process the Executive Branch must enter into when Congress and the President fail to pass emergency legislation to fund government operations and agencies.
A temporary extension to the debt limit, agreed in September, is set to expire Friday, 8 December. Extraordinary measures, such as a government shutdown, could enable the Treasury to meet its obligations for several months.
Congressional Budget Office staff estimated in November that these measures could see the Treasury through until early April, meaning fears of a technical default by the United States should remain benign until then.
A government shutdown is politically contentious as it almost always means the furlough of federal workers. In the December month, right ahead of Christmas, this can be costly for lawmakers who will face mid-term elections in 2018.

The Pound Sterling Live - Today's Rolling Coverage of the British Pound Sterling

Search ...
>> GBP/USD Data: 1975-Present
>> Best Exchange Rate Finder
>> USD X-Rate Converter

US Dollar in Focus as Debt Ceiling Deadline Looms
Modified: Thursday, 07 December 2017 14:23 Written by James Skinner Subscribe to our Newsletter Follow us on Twiiter This copy is for personal, non-commercial use only. Reproduction of any content for commercial purposes is subject to our usage terms and conditions, please email the editor at his address directly for clarification.

A government shutdown in the US looms if lawmakers cannot find agreement - here's a look at what it might mean for the Dollar.
The Dollar faces a testing period ahead as lawmakers in Washington turn their attention to the annual debt ceiling debacle which, if unresolved, could see the US government forced to shut down as early as next week.
A government shutdown is the process the Executive Branch must enter into when Congress and the President fail to pass emergency legislation to fund government operations and agencies.
A temporary extension to the debt limit, agreed in September, is set to expire Friday, 8 December. Extraordinary measures, such as a government shutdown, could enable the Treasury to meet its obligations for several months.
Congressional Budget Office staff estimated in November that these measures could see the Treasury through until early April, meaning fears of a technical default by the United States should remain benign until then.
A government shutdown is politically contentious as it almost always means the furlough of federal workers. In the December month, right ahead of Christmas, this can be costly for lawmakers who will face mid-term elections in 2018.

US Dollar in Focus as Debt Ceiling Deadline Looms

US Dollar in Focus as Debt Ceiling Deadline Looms

Psiptek and lonbisc only 0.13 and 0.68 respectively. Previously 0.20 and 0.80.

Psiptek and London biscuit cheap to buy

Psiptek and London biscuit cheap.

Psiptek and lonbisc cheap to accumulate.