The case for a U.S. interest rate cut remains unresolved as Federal Reserve officials head into their policy meeting later this month, with data showing fresh signs of higher inflation and President Donald Trump intensifying his demands for lower borrowing costs. Trump appeared near the point of trying to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell this week, but backed off with a nod to the market disruption that would likely follow, and the U.S. central bank's policy rate outlook remains virtually unchanged despite the drama. Fed officials haven't mentioned raising rates, but headlines about an...
US retail sales increased at a slower than anticipated month-on-month rate in December, in the latest data point that could paint a picture of the state of the American economy heading into the new year. Retail sales grew by 0.4% last month, down from an upwardly revised pace of 0.8% in November. Economists had called for a reading of 0.6%. Source: Investing.com
Inflation in the US, as measured by the change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), rose 2.9% on a yearly basis in December from 2.7% in November, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on Wednesday. This reading came in line with market expectations. On a monthly basis, the CPI rose 0.4%, following the 0.3% increase recorded in the previous month. The core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 3.2% on a yearly basis—below November's gain and analysts' estimates for a 3.3% increase. The monthly core CPI rose 0.2% in the last month of 2024. Souce: FXstreet
South Korea's jobless rate jumped to the highest in 3-1/2 years in December, as economic uncertainty heightened and sentiment dampened amid political turmoil, official data showed on Wednesday.The unemployment rate rose in December to 3.7% on a seasonally adjusted basis, the highest since June 2021 and sharply up from 2.7% in November, according to Statistics Korea.The number of employed people fell by 52,000 over the 12 months to December, after a gain of 123,000 in November. It was the first fall since February 2021.(Cay) Newsmaker23 Source: investing.com
Factory gate prices in the US increased 0.2% month-over-month in December 2024, below 0.4% in November which was the biggest gain in five months, and compared to forecasts of 0.3%. Prices of goods went up 0.6%, the third consecutive advance, led by a 9.7% rise in gasoline prices. Prices for residential electric power, meats, motor vehicles, gas fuels, and fresh fruits and melons also increased. Meanwhile, prices of services were unchanged, as a 2.2% advance in prices for final demand transportation and warehousing services offset declines in the indexes for final demand services less...
Chinese officials are considering a potential sale of TikTok's U.S. operations to Elon Musk, if the social media giant is unable to duck a controversial ban being proposed by U.S. authorities, Bloomberg reported on Monday. The report said that while Chinese officials preferred that TikTok remained under parent ByteDance Ltd, they were already discussing potential contingencies, including the sale to Musk. ByteDance contested the ban in the U.S. Supreme Court. But recent discussions showed that U.S. judges were also likely to uphold any potential ban on the short video...
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...