The ISM Manufacturing PMI fell to 48 in July 2025 from 49 in June, missing expectations of a rise to 49.5. This figure marked the fifth consecutive month of contraction in the manufacturing sector and was the weakest since October of last year. The largest negative contributions came from declines in supplier deliveries (45.7 vs. 46.7) and employment (43.4 vs. 45.0). On the positive side, production increased (51.4 vs. 50.3), while declines in new orders (47.1 vs. 46.4) and backlogs (46.8 vs. 44.3) eased. Price pressures also eased, with the price index falling to 64.8 from 69.7. Source:...
U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell resumed two days of congressional testimony on Wednesday, appearing before the Senate Banking Committee after scrutiny before a House panel the day before that focused on the Fed's concerns that the Trump administration's tariff plans will raise inflation. Powell's prepared testimony submitted to the Senate was the same as that delivered to the House Financial Services Committee, the Fed said as the Senate hearing began. Even with recent inflation more moderate than expected, the central bank expects rising import taxes will lead to higher inflation...
The Bank of England kept its key interest rate on hold at 4.25% during its Thursday meeting, with economists expecting the central bank to wait until August before it cuts again. Six out of nine of the BOE's monetary policy committee opted to hold rates with three opting for a 25-basis-points cut. "Underlying UK GDP [gross domestic product] growth appears to have remained weak, and the labour market has continued to loosen, leading to clearer signs that a margin of slack has opened up over time," the central bank said in a statement. "Measures of pay growth have continued to moderate and,...
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) cut its policy rate by 25 bps to 0% in June 2025, as expected, setting borrowing costs at zero for the first time since negative rates in late 2022. The move came amid easing inflationary pressures and a weakening global economic outlook. Consumer prices in Switzerland fell by 0.1% in May, marking the first decline in four years, mainly driven by lower prices in tourism and oil products. The SNB now projects average inflation at 0.2% for 2025, 0.5% for 2026, and 0.7% for 2027. Swiss GDP also posted strong growth in the first quarter of 2025, partly supported...
The United States (US) Federal Reserve (Fed) announced on Wednesday that it left the policy rate, federal funds rate, unchanged at the range of 4.25%-4.5% following the June policy meeting. This decision came in line with the market expectation. Source: Fxstreet
Markets expect the Fed to keep rates on hold today. Recent data has surprised in a dovish direction, but projections and the dot plot will shift more hawkish. The ‘hard' data from the projections likely gives a better signal of the Fed's rate trajectory than the ‘soft' data from Powell's press conference, ABN AMRO's economist Rogier Quaedvlieg reports. Fed to hold rates, but dot plot set for hawkish shift "Tonight the Fed will keep rates on hold. In the press conference, Powell will likely repeat the messaging of last time: they will consider the totality of the Trump administration's...
China's official NBS Manufacturing PMI increased to 49.7 in June 2025 from May's 49.5, matching market expectations while marking the third consecutive month of contraction in factory activity.
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Both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 hovered around the flatline on Friday, as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of further developments in trade talks between US President Trump and Chinese...
The U.S. will levy a 30% tariff on South African exports next week, after Pretoria failed to reach a trade deal before President Donald Trump's deadline. The new rate is part of a broader executive...