US judge blocks some North Carolina restrictions on abortion pill

By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) -A federal judge has struck down parts of a North Carolina law restricting patients’ access to the abortion pill mifepristone, which has become the subject of legal battles nationwide. Chief U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles on Tuesday struck down the state’s requirements that mifepristone be prescribed only by doctors and only…

Read More

AmEx lifts 2024 profit forecast on robust spending by affluent customers

(Reuters) -Credit card giant American Express raised its full-year profit forecast on Friday, as its wealthy customers persisted in splurging on travel, dining and entertainment. The company also reported better-than-expected second-quarter profit, underscoring the benefit it has enjoyed by focusing on a premium customer base. AmEx’s affluent cardholders have somewhat insulated it from weakness in…

Read More

China lithium rebounds on Chile earthquake, but demand concerns persist

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s lithium prices rebounded on Friday after a powerful earthquake hit Chile’s major lithium producing region, although growing demand concerns weighed on the metal used in electric vehicle batteries. The most-traded November lithium carbonate futures on the Guangzhou Futures Exchange rose 2.9% to 89,800 yuan ($12,356.89) per metric ton on Friday, having…

Read More

U.S. finds no currency manipulation in 2023, Japan added to monitoring list

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Treasury on Thursday said no major trading partner appeared to manipulate its currency last year, but it added Japan to a foreign exchange “monitoring list,” alongside China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and Germany, which were on the previous list. The Treasury’s semi-annual currency report also found that no major trading…

Read More