Thursday's News Links

[Reuters] Shares limp toward biggest monthly drop since February

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] US Stocks Waver; UBS Boosts Europe Equities: Markets Wrap

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Asian Credit Spreads Widen Most in Five Months on China Fears

[AP] Fed’s preferred inflation gauge shows a modest rise in latest sign of slowing price increases

[AP] US applications for jobless claims inch back down as companies hold on to their employees

[Reuters] US consumer spending in July surges; weekly jobless claims fall

[CNBC] 61% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck — inflation is still squeezing budgets

[Reuters] Fed's Bostic says U.S. interest rates are high enough

[Reuters] China's factory activity shrinks for 5th month, maintains pressure for policy support

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] China’s Factory Activity Sparks Hope Slump Is Bottoming Out

[Reuters] Country Garden faces key test as onshore bondholders set to vote on extension

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Country Garden Posts Record Loss, Warns of Possible Default

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Some Country Garden Bondholders Seek Default on Yuan Note

[Reuters] How Evergrande’s downfall signaled China’s property crisis

[Reuters] Exclusive: Chinese exporters using currency swaps to retain dollars as yuan sags

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Euro-Zone Inflation Gauges Hold Above 5% Before Key ECB Meeting

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] BOE Chief Economist Says Rates Must Stay ‘Sufficiently High’ for Some Time

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Driest August in a Century Stokes More India Crop Curb Fears

[Reuters] North Korea stages nuclear strike drill to protest allied exercises

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Iran Uranium Near Bomb-Grade Is Focus of Atomic Watchdog Report

[Reuters] Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia reject China's latest South China Sea map

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Japan Military Seeks Record Budget as Threats in Region Mount

[Bloomberg] ECB’s Schnabel Sees Worsened Growth Outlook But Prices Stubborn

[NYT] Inflation Has Been Easing Fast, but Wild Cards Lie Ahead

[WSJ] China’s Economy Shows Fresh Signs of Weakness in Factories, Consumer Spending

[FT] Gary Gensler unleashes biggest SEC regulatory blitz since financial crisis

[FT] The dangers of leveraged ETFs

[FT] Foreign investors sell China shares at record pace in August

[FT] Japan raises military spending to counter China with more missiles and ships

[FT] Wildfires expected to spread beyond traditional danger zones, scientists warn

Wednesday Afternoon Links

[Reuters] Wall St rises as weak economic data fuels rate-pause hopes

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Idalia Knocks Out Power Across the Southeast and Snarls Flights

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] US Economy Makes Limited Progress While Companies Temper Hiring

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Fed Ramps Up Demands for Corrective Actions by Regional Banks

[Reuters] US Fed ramps up demands for corrective actions by regional banks - Bloomberg News

[Reuters] Factbox: From UPS to Detroit Three automakers, US labor unions flex muscle

[Reuters] Country Garden warns of default risks, 'deeply remorseful' for record loss

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Yen’s Recent Rebound Has Limits With Month-End Reversal Expected

[FT] Country Garden posts $7bn loss as China’s property crisis deepens

[FT] Inflation threat persists as German prices rise 6.4%

[FT] US warns of ‘advancing’ arms talks between Russia and North Korea