US President Donald Trump said he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the next four weeks, with soybeans a key topic of discussion. Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, highlighting the recent decline in Chinese purchases being hit hard by US farmers. The meeting comes amidst still-strained trade relations. The Trump administration has called the 55% tariffs on Chinese imports a "good status quo" ahead of the November 10 deadline; without a new deal, tariffs could potentially rise significantly higher. Trump also previously hinted at plans to meet...
The US Supreme Court said Wednesday that it will hear arguments in January on Donald Trump's attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, who will remain in office for the time being, setting up a major legal battle over the first attempt by a president to fire a Federal Reserve official because she challenges the central bank's independence. The justices declined to immediately rule on a Justice Department request to stay a judge's order temporarily blocking the Republican president from firing Cook, an appointee of Democratic former President Joe Biden. The court postponed...
The bottom line: The release of official US data is delayed because the federal government is currently in shutdown. While the budget hasn't been passed, the Antideficiency Act prohibits federal agencies from spending funds—including on statistical activities—so the publication of non-essential data must be temporarily halted. That's why reports like the non-farm payrolls (NFP), weekly jobless claims, CPI, retail sales, PCE, and even GDP releases could be delayed. The shutdown began Wednesday, October 1, 2025, after a funding impasse in Washington. The impact is immediate: the monthly...