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LONDON (Reuters) -The U.S. government shutdown extends into another week, earnings season is in full swing, U.S./China trade tensions are tense and there's plenty of data to mull over. Japan's parliament meanwhile may vote on a new prime minister and Bolivia holds a key election. Here's all you need to know about the week ahead in world markets by Lewis Krauskopf in New York, Rocky Swift in Tokyo and Amanda Cooper, Naomi Rovnick and Marc Jones in London.      1/ US EARNINGS, INFLATION UPDATE ON WAY  U.S. corporate earnings rev up, with Tesla and Netflix, while next week ends with a delayed U.S. inflation release. After major banks kicked off Q3 earnings, the coming week will see reports from an array of industries, including consumer companies Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola, aerospace and defense giant RTX and tech stalwart IBM. Investors have also been confronting a government data blackout due to the federal shutdown that began on October 1. While key data including the monthly employment report have been delayed, the government plans to publish September CPI numbers next Friday, allowing the Social Security Administration to meet deadlines related to payment of benefits. The CPI release comes just ahead of the Federal Reserve's October 28-29 meeting, when the central bank is widely expected to cut rates by a quarter percentage point. 2/ BIG MOMENT FOR TAKAICHI  Japanese markets await an expected parliamentary vote next week that may spur another leg up in a record stocks run. The blue-chip Nikkei hit all-time highs after Sanae Takaichi, a devotee of the "Abenomics" stimulus policies of the late Shinzo Abe, won a ruling Liberal Democratic Party election on October 4. That's normally a shoo-in to become the prime minister, but the LDP is weakened. A diet vote to install her as premier has been delayed after Takaichi failed to heal a rift with a long-time coalition partner and rival parties tried to team up to form their own government. The Nikkei hit a speed bump, and a volatility measure of the index surged to the highest since April. Now the Japan Innovation Party has emerged as a possible saviour after its leader pledged support for Takaichi if the two sides can agree on policy. 3/ EARLY WARNING SIGNS It has been six months since U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his "Liberation Day" tariffs. There are trade deals in place and investors and companies have some certainty. Or at least, they did until recently. Tensions are flaring again between Washington and Beijing, prompting tit-for-tat fees on cargo ships and ports, a tightening on two-way supplies of key tech-sector materials and parts and a general heating up in rhetoric. Europe hasn't yet seen evidence of the big spending that national governments, led by Germany, promised earlier this year. China is slowing too.  The upcoming surveys of business activity for Germany, France, the UK, the U.S. and euro zone, among other regions, in October could start to reflect some of that renewed angst.  4/ STILL HIGH UK INFLATION?  UK inflation data next week could be pivotal for Britain's gilt markets, sterling and finance minister Rachel Reeves' ability to limit unpopular tax hikes and spending cuts in her November 26 budget. With Britain's fiscal hole widening because of surging debt payments, Wednesday's September consumer prices report could fuel rate cut bets and offer Reeves some relief if the annualised print comes below the Bank of England's 4% forecast.  But a higher-than-expected increase could keep the BoE cautious and Britain's finances looking precarious, in a threat to sterling's recent strong run against the dollar.  Gilt markets are exhibiting optimism so far, with UK borrowing costs falling to over two-month lows as traders priced a 90% probability of a quarter-point rate cut by February.  5/ VOTING AND VULTURES Bolivia's presidential election runoff vote on Sunday will be a historic moment, formally ending almost two decades of near-continuous socialist rule. The debt market vultures will be watching closely. The economy is in deep disarray, with inflation running at nearly 25%, fuel shortages rife and the country's foreign exchange reserves now barely covering two months of basic imports. With a meltdown potentially looming, the two candidates in Sunday's vote are battling over what to do.  Right-wing former President Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, who has had a narrow lead in recent polls, wants the kind of chainsaw-style reforms Javier Milei has adopted in neighbouring Argentina, including potentially a debt writeoff.  Centrist rival Rodrigo Paz, meanwhile, is advocating for a more gradualist approach, fully aware of the country's long history of violent unrest at times of economic pain.    (Compiled by Dhara Ranasinghe, Graphics by Kripa Jayaram; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)

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By Tom Polansek, Trevor Hunnicutt and Costas Pitas WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that his administration was working to lower the price of beef in the country. "We are working on beef, and I think we have a deal on beef," Trump told reporters at the White House. The price of beef is "higher than we want it, and that's going to be coming down pretty soon too. We did something," Trump added, without elaborating. Beef prices have climbed to record highs after cattle ranchers slashed their herds due to a yearslong drought in the western United States that dried up lands used for grazing and raised feeding costs. By the beginning of the year, the herd had dwindled to 86.7 million cattle, the smallest number for the time period since 1951, according to U.S. government data. The Meat Institute, which represents meatpacking companies, said it needed to learn more about Trump's plans to lower prices. The administration of former President Joe Biden blamed meatpacking companies for rising food costs. Last week, processors Tyson Foods and Cargill agreed to pay a combined $87.5 million to settle a federal lawsuit brought by consumers who accused the companies of conspiring to inflate beef prices by restricting supply. The companies have denied wrongdoing. Meatpackers such as Tyson have lost money in their beef businesses as tight cattle supplies force them to pay more to buy animals to slaughter. Supplies tightened further this year after the U.S. Department of Agriculture halted imports of Mexican livestock to keep out a damaging pest spreading in Mexico. Mexican cattle were formerly imported to be fattened in U.S. feedlots and slaughtered in U.S. processing plants. Tariffs that Trump imposed on Brazilian goods have also slowed U.S. imports of Brazilian beef that was mixed with U.S. supplies to make hamburger meat. Recently, some U.S. ranchers have begun taking initial steps to start rebuilding the herd. However, it takes about two years before beef output rises after they make the first moves to expand because that is how long it takes to raise full-grown cattle, ranchers said. Last month, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the USDA in mid-October would provide details on a plan to revitalize the decimated herd that would not include payments to producers. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Costas Pitas and Tom Polansek; Writing by Ismail Shakil, Editing by Franklin Paul and Diane Craft)

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By Casey Hall and David Kirton SHANGHAI/GUANGZHOU (Reuters) -Amid the chaos of erratic U.S. tariff announcements, Chinese exporters making everything from kitchen appliances to Halloween decorations have responded by selling more goods to buyers in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. Jacky Ren, whose Gstar Electronics Appliance factory used to generate more than 60% of its revenue from U.S. orders, says he has "given up" on the American market. Months of tit-for-tat tariff escalations, de-escalations, a brief truce, and the latest threat of a triple-digit tariff increase on Chinese goods from U.S. President Donald Trump in retaliation for Chinese curbs on rare earths exports, have left Ren feeling "extremely exhausted", and he is seeking out new markets to offset lost orders from U.S. customers. Ren is not alone. Chinese customs data released this week showed exports from the world's second-largest economy have grown 7.1% to 19.95 trillion yuan ($2.80 trillion) in the first nine months of this year, despite a significant drop in goods heading to the United States.  This growth is expected to help China demonstrate the resilience of its economy in the face of geopolitical and trade upheaval when it announces third-quarter GDP data on Monday.  Still, Chinese exporters aren't exactly happy with the situation, even though they have found new markets. "In this environment, where global consumption [of our products] is not enough to replace U.S. demand, our order volume and revenue have plummeted by half," said Lou Xiaobo, who makes Halloween decorations in eastern China and is in Brazil on a market research trip as he looks to sell more to Latin America. As China's entire export-oriented manufacturing sector has pivoted almost simultaneously, competition has eroded prices, making it more difficult for manufacturers to make ends meet. "Losing access to the United States, which is the largest consumer market, is akin to the rail industry losing the locomotive," Ren said, adding that it's becoming increasingly common for exporters to sell at a loss.  "Every market is highly competitive … all we can do is hold on and wait for an opportunity." 'US BUYERS GAVE UP' On Wednesday, the bustling opening day of the autumn edition of southern China's Canton Fair in Guangzhou – the world's largest trade show – all 15 companies Reuters spoke with said they had seen no U.S. buyers. Most noted an uptick in attendees from Brazil, Southeast Asia and Europe. All said they were prioritising market diversification.  "The situation's too unstable. (Trump's) like a child – crying one minute, laughing the next. You can't play along with that," said Cherry Yuan, overseas sales manager at Foshan Greenyellow Electric Technology, a maker of mosquito trapping equipment. Cai Jing, who runs a travel mug company started by her mother and uncle in 1998 that recently started making personal blenders, said export manufacturers have little choice. It hasn't been the decision of Chinese exporters to abandon the U.S. market, Cai said. "Sales to the U.S. have dropped a lot, by around half. It's not that we’re giving up on the U.S. market. It's that U.S. buyers gave up on us." ($1 = 7.1232 yuan) (Reporting by Casey Hall in Shanghai and David Kirton in Guangzhou; Editing by Tom Hogue)

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By Nidhi Verma and Florence Tan NEW DELHI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Two Indian refiners have bought 4 million barrels of Guyanese crude oil from U.S. major Exxon Mobil to be delivered at the end of 2025 or in early 2026, in rare imports from the South American producer, trade sources said on Friday. Indian Oil Corp, the country's largest refiner by capacity, has bought 2 million barrels of Golden Arrowhead (GAH) crude, its first purchase of the grade, which will arrive in late December or in early January, they said on condition of anonymity. Another refiner, Hindustan Petroleum Corp, has bought Liza and Unity Gold crude for the first time, with 2 million barrels set for delivery during the same period, the sources said. India is diversifying its crude supplies by trying out new grades from South America where production is growing. Adding more crude sources would also help refiners to replace some imports of Russian oil. The U.S. is pressuring New Delhi to stop buying Russian crude to help end the war in Ukraine. Guyana is ramping up exports as its oil production from a consortium led by Exxon has risen to 770,000 barrels per day (bpd) following the start-up of the group's fourth floating output facility. The country's crude exports reached an all-time high of 938,000 bpd in October, data from analytics firm Kpler showed, since it started exports of the latest grade GAH in July. (Reporting by Nidhi Verma in New Delhi and Florence Tan in Singapore; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Jamie Freed)

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By Sarah Young and Nora Buli WEST CHILTINGTON, England/OSLO (Reuters) -English winemakers are betting that surging exports can sustain their once novelty product after domestic sales growth slowed, hoping for a boost from Britain's warmest summer on record this year as climate change optimised conditions. Days before pickers started to harvest this year's crop, sparkling wine from southern England beat French Champagne to win one of the industry's most prestigious awards, lifting its prospects in markets like Norway, Japan and China.  Foreign sales have become more important as a subdued economy at home weighs on demand for a premium product. International producers are snapping up the country's increasingly attractive land to produce wine to sell home and abroad. "Export is where the real growth is in the coming period," said Brad Greatrix, senior winemaker at Nyetimber, the English company which became the first non-French winner of the International Wine Challenge sparkling wine award in September.  FROM FAIRWAYS TO VINEYARDS  English wineries started to emerge in the 1990s as adventurous landowners took advantage of warmer summers. Now, on chalky slopes across southern England, vines are being planted on land once used for crops, apple orchards and golf courses. Since 2000, English wine production has risen by an average 7% per year, and is set to keep growing after land dedicated to vines jumped by 30% between 2020 and 2024. However, while British demand has driven growth so far, last year sparkling wine sales – which at 6.2 million bottles accounted for 70% of total wine sales – were flat, down from 11% growth the previous year. In September, Chapel Down, Britain's biggest wine producer, cancelled plans to build a new winery. Nicola Bates, CEO of industry body WineGB, said steady sales were an achievement when restaurants and bars were struggling, and when Champagne shipments to Britain fell 13% last year.  For many consumers English fizz is a luxury product, with the biggest brands Chapel Down and Nyetimber costing 30 pounds ($40) and 42 pounds respectively per bottle, similar to Champagnes. With more vines being planted, Bates said, "we need to be growing sales at a faster pace for mid- to long-term health". NORWEGIANS REQUESTING ENGLISH WINE Though some winemakers will not sell this year's prized vintage for several years, exports are a bright spot they hope to build on. Export volumes grew 35% to account for 9% of total sales of English wine in 2024, and Bates said she was targeting doubling that figure by 2030. Norway tops the list of buyers by volume. Its imports of English sparkling wine jumped to 111,639 litres last year from 451 litres in 2015, according to its wine monopoly, the single state body allowed to import wine and spirits. That growth is far ahead of rises from other countries, said Arnt Egil Nordlien, the monopoly's head of product. Aleksander Iversen, a sommelier at Brasserie Coucou in Oslo, says Norwegians are open-minded and curious about wine. Some customers specifically request English wines while others discover it on recommendation. "Most are surprised by the quality, they often remark that it rivals top Champagne, but with its own unique character," he said.  MORE UNPREDICTABLE WEATHER This year, English vineyards have experienced "almost perfect growing season conditions", said Alistair Nesbitt, chief executive at Vinescapes, a viticulture consultancy. The average temperature in southern England during the spring to autumn grape growing season has increased by 1 to 1.5 degrees Celsius over the last 40 to 50 years, he said, but it's not always straightforward. Climate change means more unpredictable weather events and that is also affecting England. Persistent wet weather in 2024, for example, hit the grape harvest, cutting production by half compared to the previous year. While climate change means more variability for wine producers globally, Nesbitt said cooler climates like England have the advantage over areas in southern Europe, which are being hit by more frequent droughts and heatwaves.  Wine producers from the U.S., France and Australia started buying English land around a decade ago, with French Champagne house Taittinger acquiring a site in 2015 and California's Jackson Family Wines establishing a presence in 2023. "If you're in a real climate-stressed area of the world, and you want to keep your wine production enterprise going, you look to cooler areas like the UK," he said. ($1 = 0.7493 pounds) (Reporting by Sarah Young and Gerhard Mey in London, Nora Buli and Gwladys Fouche in Oslo, Writing by Sarah Young; Editing by Aidan Lewis)

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