Author: Theph

David Warner said on Monday that former Australia teammate Usman Khawaja’s comments that the entire team had been aware of the plan to tamper with the ball during a 2018 tour ​of South Africa were “100 percent accurate”.

Warner and fellow batsmen Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft ‌were banned over the plan to rough up the ball with sandpaper during the third test at Newlands in Cape Town.

In an excerpt of his autobiography released on Saturday, Khawaja said “open, lighthearted discussions” about tampering were not confined to ​batters, bowlers or staff but extended throughout the team.

On Sunday, he added that he had chosen ​to speak about the ‘Sandpapergate’ scandal now after promising childhood friend Warner that he ⁠would share his side of the story.

In a video posted on Instagram, Warner thanked Khawaja and ​said Cricket Australia’s investigation into the incident was flawed.

“This whole interview process was rushed and botched,” added ​Warner, who retired from international cricket in 2024.

“Uzzie was sitting next to Cameron Bancroft. Uzzie was not interviewed. How is that a thorough investigation? It baffles me.”

Cricket Australia did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Warner said ​he and Khawaja were looking for accountability.

“We’re not here to point fingers and we’re not opening ​old wounds,” added the 40-year-old.

“It’s about accountability, transparency and ensuring the truth is properly examined and perhaps it’s time ‌people ⁠stop scrutinising the person asking for accountability and start asking those responsible of the investigation to provide it.

“Now, there was a lot of statements and inaccuracies over the last eight years that were out in the media by people and there were a lot of people who stayed silent.”

Last week, Cricket ​Australia (CA) defended its 2018 ​probe which concluded that ⁠prior knowledge of the plot was confined to Smith, Warner and Bancroft.

“All relevant information presented to CA to date has been properly considered and we ​remain comfortable with the findings of our integrity process,” it said in ​a statement ⁠on Saturday.

“There has been the ongoing opportunity to present any relevant information, and this remains the case.”

The four Australia bowlers who played in the 2018 test – Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon – ⁠issued a ​joint statement in 2021 denying any knowledge of the plot.

Cummins, ​now the Australian test captain, said last month he had spoken with Khawaja about the upcoming release of his autobiography and dismissed ​suggestions that the book could trigger further fallout.

Source: brecorder

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Tuesday it intercepted and destroyed two missiles ​launched by Yemen’s Houthis towards Riyadh, amid weeks of ‌escalating hostilities between the kingdom and the Iran-aligned group.

The coalition said its air defences destroyed a ballistic missile and a cruise ​missile fired at the Saudi capital.

Saudi Civil Defence ​had earlier issued an early-warning alert for Riyadh before ⁠the coalition announced the interceptions, later saying the threat ​in the capital had passed.

In a separate statement, the ​coalition said that it had also intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis towards Saudi Arabia’s southern region.

Saudi Civil ​Defence had previously issued warning alerts for the southwestern cities ​of Abha and Khamis Mushait, before later saying the danger had passed.

‌Southern ⁠Saudi Arabia, which borders Yemen, has repeatedly been hit by Houthi missile and drone attacks on military sites and energy infrastructure.

Fighting between the Houthis and the coalition backing Yemen’s ​internationally recognised ​government has intensified ⁠after the Houthis advanced in September towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic shipping chokepoint ​at the southern entrance to the Red ​Sea, across ⁠the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthis have stepped up strikes on Saudi airports, ports and oil ⁠facilities amid ​the wider US-Israeli war with Iran, while ​Saudi Arabia has carried out airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

Source: brecorder

SYDNEY: The dollar found support following a bumpy few days and held firm in Tuesday’s Asia session while ​traders waited for US inflation data, which could push it higher if it bolsters rate hike bets.

A tumble ‌in oil prices and gains overnight for stocks had knocked the dollar lower as investors rotated back into riskier assets.

The trade and sentiment-sensitive Australian dollar rose by nearly 1% through Monday to sit at $0.6921 early on Tuesday and the New Zealand dollar rose even further ​to trade at $0.5624, with both steady in morning Asia trade.

The euro jumped 0.7% overnight to $1.1220, reversing a Friday ​fall when strong US jobs data lifted the dollar and interest rate expectations, and putting ⁠the euro/dollar pair roughly into the middle of a range it has held for a month.

The market is long ​dollars and the dollar index has gained this year as early expectations for US interest rate cuts quickly turned to ​bets on hikes after the US-Israeli war on Iran drove up energy prices and fuelled inflation.

A blowout October jobs report on Friday, with hiring more than twice forecasts, has markets pricing an 85% chance of a Federal Reserve rate increase next month.

US CPI awaited

Headline inflation ​is seen picking up to 3.9% and core to 2.8%, year-on-year, in October, according to economists polled by Reuters, so ​anything hotter than that will add to rate hike expectations and probably lift the dollar, analysts said.

“You can only put a little ‌bit ⁠more (in the price) in December, but the price for meetings into the future could go higher,” said Imre Speizer, strategist at Westpac in Auckland.

Markets have priced two US hikes by the middle of next year, though the outlook has dimmed somewhat amid the recent turbulence in AI stocks on fears a Democratic sweep of Congress could lead to tighter regulation ​and slow the AI boom.

“This ​could be a factor ⁠that slows US growth in 2027 and helps put a top in for the dollar,” said Macquarie strategists Thierry Wizman and Gareth Berry in a note to clients.

Sterling , which has drawn ​support since the Bank of England hiked interest rates for the first time in ​three years last ⁠week, sat in the middle of a range it has traded in for almost a year and a half at $1.3441.

Japan’s yen hovered at 157.97 per dollar , having been the best-performing G10 currency against the greenback over the past six months on the ⁠back of ​heavy official intervention.

Figures on Monday showed Japan sold $97 billion in reserves defending ​the yen through late July and August as it traversed four-decade lows on the dollar. The threat of further dollar sales is keeping the currency ​steady, even as expectations for a December rate hike in Japan have lately faded.

Source: brecorder

SINGAPORE: Asian stocks rose on Tuesday as a drop in oil prices after US President Donald Trump said he plans to hold off on new military strikes ​against Iran lifted sentiment ahead of US inflation data that could sway the near-term interest rate outlook.

Brent crude futures were hovering at their lowest ‌levels since early September, well below $100 per barrel, as investors pinned their hopes on possible talks between US and Iran.

They were last down 1% at $91.56 a barrel.

The US-Israeli war with Iran, which erupted at the end of February, has stoked inflationary concerns across the globe, spurring major central banks to raise rates in recent months.

Nick Twidale, chief market strategist at ATFX Global, said the latest ​developments offered hope that an end to the conflict could be approaching, but there was still a considerable gap between diplomacy and a lasting ​peace agreement.

“The risk now is that markets have moved too far, too quickly … any indication that negotiations are faltering could see a ⁠substantial rebound in prices as traders rapidly rebuild the geopolitical risk premium,” he said.

The slump in oil prices eased inflation worries and helped lift stocks after last ​week’s rout as a sweeping victory by Democrats in the US midterm elections fed concerns that new regulations could dent the durability of the AI trade.

South Korea’s ​KOSPI rose over 5%, while Japan’s Nikkei gained about 3% in early trading. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares pushed 1.5% higher, moving away from the seven-month low it hit last week.

On Monday, the S&P 500 clocked its biggest one-day jump since April, closing up 2.35% while the Nasdaq closed 2.7% higher, its best day in over four months.

“We believe resets in expectations ​are healthy, and the AI trade appears to be working through a reset of its own at the moment,” said Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise.

Earnings ​reports due this week from tech companies including CoreWeave, a barometer of investor anxiety over AI, will be another test for markets as investors fret about the cost of the ‌AI buildout.

Saglimbene ⁠said Anthropic’s prospective IPO could be an important test of investor confidence.

Nvidia remains at the centre of storm

Market focus remains on Nvidia after the second-most valuable company in the world said its board was probing whether CEO Jensen Huang had been the target of a foreign intelligence operation.

A media report alleged he had a close relationship with a Chinese businesswoman who passed information to Beijing. Huang has said he was unfaithful to his wife without disclosing details. Shares of Nvidia, which is due ​to report earnings next week, fell 4.2%.

Daniel ​Morgan, portfolio manager at Synovus Trust, ⁠said certain personalities in the technology space were so intertwined with the success of the company it was hard to separate the two. Morgan holds Nvidia shares.

“But, the companies can still be successful long after the original founders have taken on ​a lesser role,” he said, adding he remained confident that Nvidia would continue to maintain its lead in the GPU ​AI chip market even ⁠if Huang was forced to step down to a lesser role.

Inflation data sets up rates outlook

All eyes will be on US inflation data later in the day, with prices likely to have increased at a moderate pace in October, economists said, and remaining stubbornly high enough for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates next month.

Economists polled by Reuters ⁠expect headline ​consumer prices to have risen 0.3% last month, with core prices posting a 0.2% increase.

Traders are ​pricing in an 84% chance of a rate hike next month versus 74% a week earlier, a CME FedWatch tool showed after a blowout October jobs report on Friday.

The 2-year note yield, which typically moves in ​step with Fed interest rate expectations, was 1.4 basis points higher to 4.56%. The US dollar was steady in Asian hours.

Source: brecorder

Oil prices edged lower on Tuesday, extending losses from the previous day, after US President Donald Trump said US military action against Iran ​is not necessary “at this point”, easing concerns about prolonged disruptions to ‌Middle East supply.

Brent crude futures fell 24 cents, or 0.23%, to $92.33 a barrel by 0102 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures fell 35 cents, or 0.40%, to $86.50 a barrel.

Brent ​settled down 5.85% in the previous session after sliding to its lowest ​since August 31.

Trump said on Monday he plans to hold ⁠off on new military strikes against Iran for the time being after appeals from ​countries in the region, including from Qatar’s prime minister in White House talks.

Trump, ​in a Reuters interview and a later appearance in the White House press briefing room, said he plans to keep up a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz for now.

“The ​market continues to prioritise President Trump’s more conciliatory tone toward Iran since ​the midterms,” said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade.

“While attacks on shipping around the ‌Strait ⁠of Hormuz are still occurring, they have not escalated in a way that has forced a fresh risk premium into the market,” he said.

Senior US and Gulf officials have cast doubt on the chances of any imminent peace deal between Washington ​and Tehran.

Iranian security council ​chief Mohsen Rezaei ⁠said the US should “stop manufacturing fake news about imaginary talks” and that it was “time to surrender to the seven conditions ​Iran has repeatedly set out.”

On the supply side, OPEC oil output ​rose in ⁠October, a Reuters survey found, led by gains in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq despite continued constraints on exports.

Elsewhere, Russian and Ukrainian officials planned to meet on ⁠Tuesday for two ​days of US-brokered talks — their first since February — ​after Trump suggested last week that a broad peace deal was possible in their 4-1/2-year-old war ​and could incorporate Europe’s security.

Source: brecorder