Hong Kong, Japan, and China look set to join Europe and the U.S. as contracts on the Hang Seng, the China Enterprises Index, and the Nikkei all rose above 0.4%. Meanwhile, the New Zealand Dollar’s dreams of hitting parity with the Aussie has been cut short after the RBNZ surprised the markets with a 25 basis point rate cut. On the other side of the world, Jamie Dimon might have a thing or two to teach Elizabeth Warren.
Asian futures point to a higher open. With German Chancellor Angela Merkel affirming that her goal is “to keep Greece in the euro area,” futures on the Asian markets look set to join the U.S. and the Eurozone’s recent rebound. Contracts on Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index as well as their China-tracking Hang Seng China Enterprises Index both rallied at least 0.7%, while contracts on the Nikkei jumped 0.5% in the Osaka pre-market. Bloomberg
World Bank joins IMF in telling Janet Yellen how to do her job. After advising nations to “fasten their seatbelts” for a bumpy future global growth environment, Kaushik Basu, the World Bank’s chief economist, added that in his own, personal view, the Fed should probably hold off on their prospective rate hike: “If I were advising the U.S. Fed, I would recommend that (higher rates) happen next year instead of late this year.” Reuters
Kiwi dives after surprise rate cut. Catching analysts by surprise, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand cut borrowing costs for the first time in four years, with RBNZ Governor Graeme Wheeler adding that “further easing may be appropriate.” The move sent the Kiwi to its lowest level in almost five years. Bloomberg
Jamie Dimon wants to mansplain banking to Elizabeth Warren. “I don’t know if she fully understands the global banking system,” Dimon said at an event Wednesday. Warren has been aggressively pushing for more oversight of Wall Street, but has met more than her fair share of critics for being outspoken on the subject. Bloomberg
Hong Kong honks against Uber. Hong Kong taxi drivers protested their unwanted competition from Uber-like services Wednesday. Taxi drivers say they lack support from the government, and are suffering huge losses to car-sharing services. South China Morning Post
The super-secret Bilderberg Group meetings are taking place. A hand-selected group of elites, including politicians, business leaders, and world movers, has come together at the Interalpen-Hotel Tyrol in the Austrian Alps. Security is the highest priority, and conversations are kept secret, but discussion topics include artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, economic issues, and global elections. The Independent
Pope Francis takes sex abuse seriously. Since coming to Rome, Pope Francis has been shaking things up all over the Catholic world. His latest move is to create a panel to judge and punish bishops who failed to protect abuse victims. The tribunal should put more responsibility on the higherups in the church that chose to ignore abuse. BBC
D’oh! Marge and Homer Simpson to split. Producers for “The Simpsons” have announced that famous cartoon couple will be legally separated in the coming 27th season. After Homer sees someone to take care of his previously undiagnosed narcolepsy, he falls in love with his pharmacist, voiced by Lena Dunham. Poor Marge. CNN
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