Former U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on members of the BRICS group of nations on Friday, warning the alliance would quickly collapse if it ever becomes a significant economic force. "When I heard about this group from BRICS, six countries, basically, I hit them very, very hard. And if they ever really form in a meaningful way, it will end very quickly," Trump said without specifying which nations he was referring to. The BRICS group currently includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and has recently expanded to include other nations. In addition to...
Federal Reserve officials met on Tuesday armed with new economic data that could give more weight to their concerns that Trump administration policies, or at least the intense uncertainty around them, will slow growth in the coming months. Shortly before the start of the two-day policy meeting, the U.S. Commerce Department reported that U.S. retail sales fell 0.9% in May, exceeding the expected 0.7% decline in a Reuters poll of economists and marking the biggest drop in four months. The U.S. central bank itself then released a report showing a surprise contraction in industrial production...
Two oil tankers collided and caught fire on Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz, where electronic interference has surged during conflict between Iran and Israel, but there were no injuries to crew or spillage reported. With Iran and Israel firing missiles at each other since Friday, interference has disrupted navigation systems near the vital sea route between Iran and Oman which handles about a fifth of the world's oil. The United Arab Emirates coast guard said it had evacuated 24 people from one of the ships, Adalynn, to Khor Fakkan port after the crash 24 nautical miles off its eastern...
Retail Sales in the United States (US) declined by 0.9% in May to $715.4 billion, the US Census Bureau announced on Tuesday. This reading followed the 1.5% decrease (revised from +0.1%) recorded in April and came in worse than the market expectation for a contraction of 0.7%. On a yearly basis, Retail Sales were up 3.3%, compared to 5% in April. "Total sales for the March 2025 through May 2025 period were up 4.5% from the same period a year ago," the press release read. "Retail trade sales were down 0.9% from April 2025, and up 3.0% from last year." Other data from the US showed that...
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) announced on Tuesday (6/17) that it would keep its short-term interest rate target unchanged at 0.4%-0.5% after concluding a two-day monetary policy review meeting. The decision had been widely expected. The Japanese central bank extended the pause in its interest rate hike cycle to a third straight meeting, after raising rates by 25 basis points (bps) in January.(alg) Source: FXstreet
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) is widely expected to leave short-term interest rates unchanged at 0.5% after its two-day June monetary policy review ends on Tuesday (6/17). With no quarterly economic projections due, all eyes will be on the BoJ's plan to taper its purchases of Japanese government bonds (JGBs) and hints on the timing of its next rate hike. The BoJ's policy announcement is likely to fuel volatility around the Japanese yen (JPY). What to expect from the BoJ's rate decision? The BoJ is set to extend the pause in its rate-hike cycle to a third straight month in June, keeping its...
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...
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he plans to send a single letter to over 150 countries outlining the tariff rate they will face, saying, "It's all going to be the same for everyone, for that...