Latest news with #Southeast
AllAfrica
7 hours ago
- Business
- AllAfrica
Australia, Japan reluctant to commit to US-led Asian NATO
The Financial Times reported that US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby recently asked Australian and Japanese defense officials how their countries would respond to a war over Taiwan. He also asked them to boost defense spending after NATO just agreed to do so during its latest summit. Colby lent credence to this report by tweeting that he's 'focused on implementing the President's America First, common sense agenda of restoring deterrence and achieving peace through strength.' This sequence shows that Trump 2.0 is serious about 'Pivoting (back) to (East) Asia' in order to more robustly contain China. This requires freezing the Ukraine war and assembling a de facto Asian NATO – both of which, however, are uncertain. Regarding the first, Trump is being drawn into 'mission creep,' while the latter is challenged by Australia and Japan's reluctance to step up. To elaborate, they seemingly expected the US to do all the 'heavy lifting', just like NATO expected till recently as well. That would explain why they didn't have a clear answer to Colby's inquiry about how their countries would respond to a war over Taiwan. Simply put, they likely never planned to do anything at all, thus exposing the shallowness of the de facto Asian NATO that the US has sought to assemble in recent years via the AUKUS+ format. This refers to the AUKUS trilateral of Australia, the UK and the US alongside what can be described as the honorary members of Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan. Australia and Japan are correspondingly envisaged as this informal bloc's Southeast and Northeast Asian anchors, yet they're evidently unwilling to fulfill the military roles that their US senior partner expects. What the US apparently had in mind was them, at the very least, playing supportive logistical roles in the scenario of a Sino-US war, but their representatives reportedly didn't suggest as much to Colby. This, in turn, reveals that they fear retaliation from China even if they don't participate in combat. Japan's population and resultant economic density make it extremely vulnerable to Chinese missile strikes while unconventional warfare could be waged against Australia through sabotage and the like. Moreover, China is both of their top trade partners, which opens up additional avenues for retaliation and coercion. At the same time, however, neither of them wants China to seize control of Taiwan's chip-making powerhouse TSMC (if it even survives a speculative conflict) and thus seize a monopoly over the global semiconductor industry. The US doesn't want that either, but the problem is that the two envisaged anchors of its de facto Asian NATO aren't willing to boost defense spending nor seemingly assist America in a war over Taiwan. That's unacceptable from Trump 2.0's perspective so tariff and other forms of pressure could be applied to coerce Australia and Japan into at least spending more on their armed forces. The endgame, however, is for them to agree to play some sort of role (whether logistical or ideally combative) in that scenario. Given that the US won't relent on its 'pivot (back) to (East) Asia', it will likely coerce concessions from Australia and Japan one way or another. The same applies to the other members of AUKUS+, namely South Korea, the Philippines and Taiwan, albeit with perhaps a slightly lower defense spending from the latter two. All in all, the US is rounding up allies ahead of a possible war with China but it's anyone's guess whether it actually plans to spark a major conflict. This article was first published on Andrew Korybko's Substack and is republished with kind permission. Become an Andrew Korybko Newsletter subscriber here.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Americans Are Moving to This Small Southern Suburb in 2025 for Its Affordability and Wide-open Spaces
Americans are on the move, and they are searching for affordability, space, and a better work-life balance. Relocation company MoveBuddha has released its latest 2025 Moving Trends Report, which analyzed over 55,000 searches on its website to determine where people are planning to move this year so far. The most popular domestic destination for relocation in the first six months of 2025 is Conway, South Carolina, with four times as many people seeking to move in compared to those wanting to move out. The city surpasses its neighbor, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, which topped the list in the first quarter of the year. Conway, home to 28,000 full-time residents, offers the appeal of a vibrant community without the high housing costs and congestion associated with larger cities. South Carolina is the most popular state to move to so far, accounting for the highest volume of inbound searches—or over 22 percent. The Southeast has a strong showing in the top ten, with North Carolina and Tennessee seeing spikes in inbound demand. 'There's been some broadening in migration interest, with lesser-known and previously overlooked destinations gaining ground as formerly popular locations reach saturation and cost limits,' the report stated. 'This year, smaller locations are becoming more popular, with huge demand and few residents calling it quits. That means movers are very interested in just a handful of popular locales, and cities that haven't grown in popularity this year, even if they're maintaining strong migration interest, are falling behind.' At the other end of the spectrum, New Jersey, California, and New York have seen many more inquiries for outbound moves, meaning those states stand to lose residents rather than gain. 'These states, in addition to being densely populated, face affordability challenges in an America struggling with persistent inflation and pay that hasn't kept up,' MoveBuddha noted. The communities of West Des Moines, Iowa, as well as El Cajon and Palmdale, both in California, are the top "exit cities," as the company called them. See the full report at Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
Associated Press
14 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Fifth Third Again Named Best Treasury and Cash Management Bank by Global Finance
CINCINNATI, July 22, 2025 /3BL/ - Fifth Third (NASDAQ: FITB) was again named Best Treasury and Cash Management Bank (US, Regional) by Global Finance magazine for 2025. This makes Fifth Third a two-time honoree in the Midwest region, and this year, Fifth Third was also recognized in the Southeast region. The award was announced by Global Finance as part of its 25th annual Best Treasury and Cash Management Banks Award program. 'Receiving the award for Best Treasury and Cash Management Bank two years in a row is an honor, but it's not just about the recognition—it's about the confidence our clients have in us and the progress we're making together,' said Bridgit Chayt, head of commercial payments. 'This award reinforces our commitment to innovation and dedication to serving our customers with solutions that support their growth, simplify their operations and launch new possibilities.'' Global Finance uses a multi-tiered assessment process—which included entries from banks and providers and input from industry analysts, corporate executives, technology experts and independent research—to select the best providers of treasury and cash management services. A variety of subjective and objective criteria were considered, including profitability, market share and reach, customer service, competitive pricing, product innovation and the extent to which treasury and cash management providers have successfully differentiated themselves from their competitors around core service provision. Winners were chosen in more than 70 countries, territories and districts, as well as regionally across multiple categories in eight countries and in six US Regions. About Fifth Third Fifth Third is a bank that's as long on innovation as it is on history. Since 1858, we've been helping individuals, families, businesses and communities grow through smart financial services that improve lives. Our list of firsts is extensive, and it's one that continues to expand as we explore the intersection of tech-driven innovation, dedicated people and focused community impact. Fifth Third is one of the few U.S.-based banks to have been named among Ethisphere's World's Most Ethical Companies® for several years. With a commitment to taking care of our customers, employees, communities and shareholders, our goal is not only to be the nation's highest performing regional bank, but to be the bank people most value and trust. Fifth Third Bank, National Association is a federally chartered institution. Fifth Third Bancorp is the indirect parent company of Fifth Third Bank, and its common stock is traded on the NASDAQ® Global Select Market under the symbol 'FITB.' Investor information and press releases can be viewed at # # # CONTACT Adrienne Gutbier (Media Relations) [email protected] | 513-534-8038 Matt Curoe (Investor Relations) [email protected] | 513-534-2345 Visit 3BL Media to see more multimedia and stories from Fifth Third Bancorp
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Travel + Leisure
14 hours ago
- Business
- Travel + Leisure
Americans Are Moving to This Small Southern Suburb in 2025 for Its Affordability and Space
Conway, South Carolina, topped MoveBuddha's report on the most popular domestic relocation destination so far in 2025. The Palmetto State is also the most sought-after state to move to this year, accounting for over 22 percent of inbound searches. New Jersey, California, and New York have received the highest number of outbound inquiries, indicating that these states are more likely to lose residents in the future. Americans are on the move, and they are searching for affordability, space, and a better work-life balance. Relocation company MoveBuddha has released its latest 2025 Moving Trends Report, which analyzed over 55,000 searches on its website to determine where people are planning to move this year so far. The most popular domestic destination for relocation in the first six months of 2025 is Conway, South Carolina, with four times as many people seeking to move in compared to those wanting to move out. The city surpasses its neighbor, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, which topped the list in the first quarter of the year. Conway, home to 28,000 full-time residents, offers the appeal of a vibrant community without the high housing costs and congestion associated with larger cities. South Carolina is the most popular state to move to so far, accounting for the highest volume of inbound searches—or over 22 percent. The Southeast has a strong showing in the top ten, with North Carolina and Tennessee seeing spikes in inbound demand. 'There's been some broadening in migration interest, with lesser-known and previously overlooked destinations gaining ground as formerly popular locations reach saturation and cost limits,' the report stated. 'This year, smaller locations are becoming more popular, with huge demand and few residents calling it quits. That means movers are very interested in just a handful of popular locales, and cities that haven't grown in popularity this year, even if they're maintaining strong migration interest, are falling behind.' At the other end of the spectrum, New Jersey, California, and New York have seen many more inquiries for outbound moves, meaning those states stand to lose residents rather than gain. 'These states, in addition to being densely populated, face affordability challenges in an America struggling with persistent inflation and pay that hasn't kept up,' MoveBuddha noted. The communities of West Des Moines, Iowa, as well as El Cajon and Palmdale, both in California, are the top "exit cities," as the company called them. See the full report at
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Famous Last Words? Cotton Not Doing Much
Cotton grass by Christiane via Pixabay Cotton prices are trading on both sides of unchanged as we roll into midday on Tuesday, with thinly traded October down 14 points and other contracts 3 points either side of UNCH. Futures had closed out the Monday session with losses of 52 to 58 points. Crude oil futures are down a sharp 99 cents per barrel. The US dollar index is weaker, as the heavily weighted euro extends the rally it began on Friday. Weekly USDA Crop Progress data indicated 75% of the US cotton crop was squaring as of July 20, with 33% setting bolls, matching the average maturity pace. Condition ratings across the Belt improved 3% to 57% gd/ex, with the Brugler500 index up 8 points to 347. More News from Barchart The weather forecasts for the next week feature dryness for much of Texas, with some of the Southeast forecast to receive 1 to 2 inches, with amounts rising towards the Gulf. The Seam showed sales of 58 bales on Friday, with an average price of 68.35 cents/lb. The world focused Cotlook A Index was down 5 cents at $79.45 on July 21. ICE cotton stocks were steady on 7/18, with the certified stocks level at 22,337 bales. USDA's Adjusted World Price (AWP) was up a tick on Thursday at 54.72 cents/lb. It is in effect through this coming Thursday. Oct 25 Cotton is at 66.66, up 12 points, Dec 25 Cotton is at 68.4, up 30 points, Mar 26 Cotton is at 69.73, up 27 points On the date of publication, Austin Schroeder did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on
