"I would hope that none of us, that none of us, would do or say anything that would jeopardize passing these bills. These bills are critical for us maintaining our majority, and that must reign supreme," Democratic Whip James Clyburn (D., S.C.) told members on a Tuesday telephone call, according to a person listening to it.

RBNZ Keeps Cash Rate Unchanged After Latest Lockdown

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand left its policy rate unchanged at a record low, as an outbreak of the Covid-19 Delta variant upends daily life and threatens to set back the economic recovery.

The central bank on Wednesday said the economy no longer needs the current level of monetary stimulus, but it decided to keep the cash rate at 0.25% for now because of uncertainty stemming from the virus outbreak.

Australia's Economy to Splutter to Life Rather Than Snap Back, CBA Says

SYDNEY-The widely expected snapback in Australia's economy later this year once Covid-19 vaccination rates hit key thresholds and lockdowns are eased is a fiction, according to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

Instead of roaring back to life upon reopening as the economy had following earlier lockdowns, growth will instead be patchy as the engines of industry splutter amid a new and uncertain backdrop of surging Covid cases, with much of the population still unvaccinated, said Gareth Aird, head of Australian economics at CBA.

BHP's New Look Is Only a Shade Greener

BHP Group, the world's largest miner by market value, is becoming more sustainable, but not exactly green.

Against a backdrop of soaring metal prices, Chief Executive Mike Henry on Tuesday said the company's very strong operational results "frees us up" to simplify the group and invest more in what he calls "future-facing commodities."

U.S. Halted Dollar Shipments to Afghanistan to Keep Cash Out of Taliban's Hands

WASHINGTON-The Biden administration last week canceled bulk shipments of dollars headed for Afghanistan as Taliban fighters were poised to take control of the capital city of Kabul, part of a continuing scramble to keep hundreds of millions of dollars out of the hands of the terrorist group, according to people familiar with the matter.

The U.S. is also blocking Taliban access to government accounts managed by the Federal Reserve and other U.S. banks and working to prevent the group's access to nearly half-billion dollars-worth of reserves at the International Monetary Fund, according to those people.

Alibaba's U.S. Shares Fall to Lowest Since 2019 as China Cracks Down

A new round of proposed regulations sent Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s U.S. listing to decline 4.9% on Tuesday to $173.73, its lowest close since October 2019.

The Chinese tech company's American depository receipts have fallen more than 25% so far this year.

Write to paul.larkins@dowjones.com

Expected Major Events for Wednesday

06:00/UK: Jul UK producer prices

06:00/UK: Jul UK monthly inflation figures

07:00/SVK: Jul Harmonized CPI

07:00/AUT: Jul CPI

08:00/POL: Jul Average gross wages

08:30/UK: Jun UK House Price Index

09:00/CYP: Jul Harmonised CPI

09:00/EU: Jul Harmonised CPI

09:00/MLT: Jul Harmonised CPI

09:00/EU: Jun Construction output

10:00/POR: Jul PPI

17:59/POR: Jun Balance of Payments

All times in GMT. Powered by Kantar Media and Dow Jones.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

08-18-21 0027ET