Brazil’s Lula renews criticism of central bank for ‘unreal’ interest rates

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday renewed his criticism of the country’s central bank, dubbing current borrowing costs “unreal,” and saying the recent weakness of the local currency was related to “speculation.” WHY IT’S IMPORTANT Lula, a leftist, has constantly bashed central bank chief Roberto Campos Neto, a…

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    US banks suffer steeper losses, but retain large cushions in annual Fed health check

    By Pete Schroeder and Nupur Anand WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The biggest U.S. banks would have enough capital to withstand severe economic and market turmoil, the Federal Reserve’s annual “stress test” exercise showed on Wednesday, but firms faced steeper hypothetical losses this year due to riskier portfolios. The exercise found 31 big banks would weather a…

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    Levi Strauss posts quarterly revenue miss, maintains annual forecasts

    (Reuters) -Levi Strauss fell short of market expectations for second-quarter revenue on Wednesday and maintained its annual earnings forecast, taking its shares down 11% in extended trading. Apparel makers such as Levi and peer Ralph Lauren have worked to prioritize higher margin products and increase penetration through their direct-to-consumer channels. An inventory glut last year…

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