Analysis: White House delay on Fed regulation chief bodes badly for bank M&A

The White House’s delay in nominating the Federal Reserve’s new regulatory chief is likely to compound a logjam in approving bank tie-ups that have been on ice since September due to uncertainty over personnel changes at the U.S. central bank.
Analysis: Japan keen to speed up digital yen launch as China adds geopolitical twist

Japan’s new political leadership is calling on the country’s financial bureaucrats to ramp up efforts toward issuing a digital currency, pointing to China’s far quicker progress as a potential challenge to the global economic order.
Amazon exec says Omicron’s impact on holiday spending uncertain

A senior Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) executive said it remains too early to predict how the Omicron coronavirus variant will impact consumer spending during the holiday season but suggested that shoppers will press ahead for now.
U.S. Thanksgiving air travel set to be busiest since pandemic began

Airports and commercial airlines across the United States registered one of their busiest days since before the pandemic on Wednesday as millions of Americans traveled to visit loved ones for the Thanksgiving holiday.
U.S. marshals other nations, challenges OPEC+ with release of oil reserves

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday it will release millions of barrels of oil from strategic reserves in coordination with China, India, South Korea, Japan and Britain, to try to cool prices after OPEC+ producers repeatedly ignored calls for more crude.
Asia sits out equities rally as Alibaba slides

Asian shares sat out a global rally on Friday as disappointing earnings from Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba reinforced worry about slowing growth in the world’s second-largest economy, even as European and U.S. share futures indicated gains.
Analysis: The 1970s all over again? Stagflation debate splits Wall St

Phil Orlando has not heard this many people mentioning stagflation since he was a financial journalist in the late 1970s, when oil prices were soaring and inflation stood at more than double its current level.