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Private debt fundraising and deals slowIndustry tested by new high rate environmentLending squeeze set to aggravate default risksLONDON, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Direct lending, a key but expensive source of credit for riskier European firms that banks often shy away from, is running out of steam, a fresh sign that aggressive interest rate rises may be starting to cause funding stress and exacerbate economic pain.Fundraising and deal-making have dropped sharply at European private debt funds, new data shows.The European private credit industry, which flourished after the 2008 financial crisis as...

NEW YORK, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Oil prices settled higher on Wednesday, reversing early declines as traders anticipated further draws on U.S. crude oil inventory following extended production cuts in Saudi Arabia and Russia.Brent crude futures settled up 56 cents to $90.60 a barrel while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) futures settled up 85 cents to $87.54. Both benchmarks rose by $1 and then pared gains."We have pretty low crude supplies in the U.S., with several weeks of big crude oil draws pushing prices up," said Bob Yawger, director...

LONDON/BUENOS AIRES/NEW YORK, Sept 5 (Reuters) - María Barro, a 65-year-old domestic worker in Buenos Aires, buys a few dollars each month with her peso salary, a hedge against Argentina's persistent inflation now running at over 100% and a steady devaluation of the little-loved local peso.The peso currency is now in the crosshairs of the country's dark horse presidential front-runner, libertarian radical Javier Milei, who has pledged to eventually scrap the central bank and dollarize the economy, Latin America's third largest.Milei - facing a tight three-way battle with traditional political...

PHILADELPHIA, Sept 4 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday took shots at his likely 2024 rival, Donald Trump, in a Labor Day speech aimed at shoring up support in Pennsylvania, a state he needs to win next year to retain the White House.A self-described champion of labor unions, Biden addressed union workers in Philadelphia as he sought to explain his economic policies to a public worried about the economy, despite easing inflation and low unemployment levels."It wasn't that long ago we were losing jobs in this country," Biden...