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...
Goldman Sachs says it now expects the Federal Reserve to slash interest rates earlier than initially anticipated, citing relatively mild effects from U.S. President Donald Trump's aggressive tariff agenda. Writing in a note to clients, the analysts led by Jan Hatzius said they now predict that the central bank will cut borrowing costs by 25 basis points in September, prior to an earlier forecast that the next reduction would come in December. "While it is far from clear, we think the odds of a cut in September are somewhat above 50% because we see several routes to get there --...
Euro zone inflation rose slightly to 2% in June, according to flash data from statistics agency Eurostat on Tuesday, meaning consumer prices in the single currency area are now in line with the European Central Bank's target of 2%. Economists polled by Reuters had expected the reading to come in at 2% in the twelve months to June. Euro zone inflation had fallen by more than expected to 1.9% in May. Core inflation, which excludes energy, food, tobacco and alcohol prices, was unchanged at 2.3% in June. The closely watched services inflation print picked up to 3.3% in June, after cooling...
Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve System (Fed), and Christine Lagarde, European Central Bank (ECB) President, will speak at the 2025 ECB Forum on Central Banking at 13:30 GMT on Tuesday, July 1.Alongside Fed Chairman Powell and ECB President Lagarde, Bank of England (BoE) Governor Andrew Bailey and Bank of Japan (BoJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda will also be taking part in the same panel. The Fed left its policy rate unchanged in the range of 4.25%-4.5% following the June policy meeting, and the revised Summary of Economic Projections (the so-called dot-plot) showed that policymakers...
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. It was the softest contraction in the sequence, with output rising the most in three months (51.0 vs 50.7 in May), supported by a trade deal with the US and Beijing's ongoing efforts to stimulate domestic demand and bolster the sluggish economy. Additionally, new orders grew for the first time in three months (50.2 vs 49.8), while foreign sales fell the least in three months (47.7 vs 47.5). A...
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araqchi indicated on Friday that Tehran may reject any request by the head of UN nuclear watchdog the IAEA for visits to Iranian nuclear sites. "(IAEA head Rafael Grossi's) insistence on visiting the bombed sites under the pretext of safeguards is meaningless and possibly even malign in intent," Araqchi wrote in a post on X. "Iran reserves the right to take any steps in defense of its interests, its people, and its sovereignty." The IAEA earlier said in a statement: "(Grossi) emphasised the need for IAEA inspectors to continue their verification activities in...
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...