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Stock market today: Asian shares track Wall Street rally, Bank of Japan stands pat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:51 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares logged moderate gains on Friday after Wall Street benchmarks swept higher, extending their longest rally in a year and a half. The Bank of Japan wrapped up a policy meeting by keeping its ultra-lax monetary stance unchanged, as expected. It is a standout among central banks, most of which have sought to rein in inflation by raising interest rates. The key Japanese rate has stayed at minus 0.1% for a decade and policymakers have indicated they are not convinced that current inflation, which finally has surpassed the BOJ’s target of about 2%, will be sustained. “With extremely high uncertainties surrounding economies and financial markets at home and abroad, the Bank will patiently continue with monetary easing while nimbly responding to developments in economic activity and prices as well as financial conditions,” the BOJ said in a statement.Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index edged 0.1% higher to 33,518.93. Share prices have been trading around their hig...

Ohtani gets the win, ties for the MLB HR lead as the Angels beat the Rangers 5-3

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:51 GMT

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Maybe Shohei Ohtani was just a bit tired, as manager Phil Nevin joked, when the two-way star took his last big swing for the Los Angeles Angels and matched the MLB lead with his 22nd homer — and fourth in their series-clinching victory over AL West-leading Texas. After Ohtani threw six innings to get his first victory in his last five starts, he hit another second-deck homer the opposite way, though this two-run blast in the eighth went “only” 443 feet as the Angels won 5-3 on Thursday night to take three of four games. “Gutsy six innings, two runs against a really, really good lineup. Thought he threw the ball great,” Nevin said. “Let’s talk about the hitting, too. Yeah, that was nice. … Just an unreal series. “What this game’s meant for a lot of us here, nice to see him on a big stage do stuff like that.”Ohtani’s 10th homer in his past 16 games, and the second pitching start in a row when he also went deep, matched Pete Alonso for th...

Ruiz gets 2 big hits late as the Nationals beat the Astros 4-1 in 10 innings to avoid a sweep

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:51 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Lane Thomas and Keibert Ruiz each hit an RBI single in a three-run 10th inning that carried the Washington Nationals past the Houston Astros 4-1 on Thursday night to prevent a three-game sweep.Ruiz homered off Houston closer Ryan Pressly leading off the ninth to break a scoreless tie, but pinch-hitter Yainer Diaz tied it in the bottom half with a two-out RBI single against winner Hunter Harvey (3-3).Thomas gave Washington a 2-1 lead with a one-out single off Phil Maton (0-2) in the 10th. Luis García singled and Jeimer Candelario was hit by a pitch before Corey Dickerson drew a bases-loaded walk.“We fought,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “We still left a lot of guys on base, but we got big hits and big walks when we needed them.”Ruiz hit a blooper to left field for his RBI single, but Matt Gage struck out Dominic Smith and Stone Garrett to leave the bases loaded.“I think we were starting to get balls up in the zone and balls we could hit,” Martinez said of the ...

Fry hits 1st MLB homer, Ramírez helps the Guardians beat the Padres 8-6 to prevent a 3-game sweep

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:51 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — David Fry hit a three-run shot for his first major league homer, José Ramírez had three hits and two RBIs, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the San Diego Padres 8-6 on Thursday.Josh Naylor had a two-run single and Fry also doubled as the Guardians rapped out 14 hits. Ramírez reached base four times with a double, two singles and a walk. Amed Rosario had three hits as well.Manny Machado launched a three-run homer in the first inning, but the Padres were unable to overcome an early 5-0 deficit. San Diego, which had won five of six, was looking for its first three-game sweep this season.Both teams turned to the bullpen after the starters were chased early. Trevor Stephan (3-2) got the win with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Emmanuel Clase got four outs for his 21st save, most in the majors. Cleveland scored five times in the first off beleaguered starter Ryan Weathers (1-5), who gave up six runs and seven hits in 1 2/3 innings. The big blows against him were Naylor...

Pulisic scores twice as US beats Mexico 3-0 in CONCACAF Nations League

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:51 GMT

Christian Pulisic of the United States celebrates after scoring against Mexico during the first half of a CONCACAF Nations League semifinal soccer match Thursday, June 15, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)(AP/John Locher) Christian Pulisic of the United States celebrates after scoring against Mexico during the first half of a CONCACAF Nations League semifinal soccer match Thursday, June 15, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)(AP/John Locher) LAS VEGAS (AP) — Christian Pulisic scored late in the first half and early in the second, Ricardo Pepi added a late goal and the United States beat Mexico 3-0 on Thursday night to reach the CONCACAF Nations League final against Canada.Pulisic made his first sta...

U.S. Open Scores

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:51 GMT

ThursdayAt North CourseLos AngelesPurse: $20 millionYardage: 7,423; Par: 70First RoundRickie Fowler, United States30-32—62Xander Schauffele, United States30-32—62Wyndham Clark, United States31-33—64Dustin Johnson, United States31-33—64Brian Harman, United States30-35—65Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland30-35—65Paul Barjon, France33-34—67Sam Bennett, United States33-34—67Bryson DeChambeau, United States32-35—67Harris English, United States33-34—67Mackenzie Hughes, Canada34-33—67Si Woo Kim, South Korea33-34—67Scottie Scheffler, United States35-32—67Alejandro Del Rey, Spain33-35—68Tony Finau, United States34-34—68Ryan Fox, New Zealand33-35—68Max Homa, United States33-35—68Keith Mitchell, United States33-35—68Sebastian Munoz, Colombia35-33—68Joaquin Niemann, Chile34-34—68Alex Noren, Sweden33-35—68Andrew Putnam, United States34-34—68Jacob Solomon, United States33-35—68Dylan Wu, United States32-36—68Sam Burns, United States35-34—69Eric Cole, United States37-32—69Ryan Gerard, United States33-3...

POLITICO Pro Central Banker: ECB hikes — Digital pound — China weakens  

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:51 GMT

Our one-stop source for central banking & monetary policy news.View in your browser or listen to audioBy GEOFFREY SMITHwith JOHANNA TREECK, CARLO BOFFA, BEN MUNSTER and IZABELLA KAMINSKASNEAK PEEK— The ECB promised more rate hikes to come after revising its inflation forecasts higher.— BoE deputy governor Jon Cunliffe told POLITICO the Bank’s joint digital pound consultation with the Treasury has attracted 50,000 responses so far.— Strong U.S. retail sales data for May dispelled remaining doubts about another Fed rate hike in July.POLICY TICKERECB 3.50% ⇡ — BOE 4.5% ⇡ — FED 5.25% ⇡— SNB 1.5% ⇡— BOJ -0.10% ⇣— RBA 4.10% ⇡— PBOC 3.65%⇣— CBR 7.5% ⇣ — BOC 4.75 ⇡— SARB 8.25% ⇡Good morning, everyone, and a happy Friday to you all. European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde cut a strangely nervous figure at the start of her press conference on Thursday, as if (and we admit that this is just an impression) she wasn’t all that confident about the message she was abo...

'He loved everyone': Family mourns loss of toddler as suspect pleads not guilty

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:51 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The man authorities believe is responsible for abuse and murder of a toddler in the Bay Terraces neighborhood appeared in a downtown San Diego courtroom Thursday for the first time. "He was just the greatest," Edgar Soto, the young boy's biological father said Thursday. “We've both been grieving and it’s a painful process for both of us." The young boy died Monday afternoon. San Diego Police Department detectives said the mom's boyfriend, 20-year-old McArvin Carnigal-Sanchez, caused the injuries to the toddler, who suffered serious traumatic internal injuries that indicated physical child abuse. The boy was found unresponsive at a home in the Bay Terraces neighborhood.“I trusted Mac {McArvin Carnigal-Sanchez} to take care of my kid too, I trusted both of them," the boy's father said, referring to the mother too and not placing blame on anyone, including the man in custody. "I just think its unfair how everything playing out.”Carnigal-Sanchez pleaded not guilty to the tw...

Drought and rising heat bring unusual wildfire warnings in northern Europe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:51 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Summer is wildfire season in southern Europe, but this year the continent’s north is also at risk, with forest fire warnings in effect across the Nordic and Baltic countries.A lack of rain and rising temperatures have led to dangerously dry conditions in the region, leading to worries of a repeat of the summer of 2018 when major wildfires swept across Sweden in particular.Small wildfires are already burning in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland and experts worry it could get much worse unless there’s significant rainfall in coming weeks.Unlike the sun-soaked Mediterranean countries, which have to deal with wildfires every summer, the phenomenon is rare in the countries of northern Europe, where summers are normally cool and wet by comparison.“These countries are relatively new to drought problems,” said Niclas Hjerdt, head of hydrological forecasting at Sweden’s weather agency SMHI. “We usually have an excess of water up here in northern Europe and Scand...

Thousands of Sudanese fleeing fighting with no travel documents trapped on the border with Egypt

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:51 GMT

ASWAN, Egypt (AP) — When fighting in Sudan erupted in mid-April, Abdel-Rahman Sayyed and his family tried to hold out hiding in their home in the capital, Khartoum as the sounds of explosions, gunfights and the roar of warplanes echoed across the city of 6 million people.They lived right by one of the fiercest front lines, near the military’s headquarters in central Khartoum, where the army and a rival paramilitary, the Rapid Support Forces, battled for control. Three days into the conflict, a shell hit their two-story home, reducing much of it to rubble.Luckily, Sayyed, his wife and three children survived, and they immediately fled the war-torn city. The problem was, their passports were buried under the wreckage of their home.Now they are among tens of thousands of people without travel documents trapped at the border with Egypt, unable to cross into Sudan’s northern neighbor.“We narrowly escaped with our lives,” the 38-year-old Sayyed said in a recent phone interview from Wadi H...