Australia's unemployment rate jumped to 4.5% in September, its highest level since 2021. This figure was worse than expected and indicates that the labor market is starting to weaken. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics also showed that only 14,900 new jobs were added last month, although the labor force participation rate rose slightly to 67%. This situation has reinforced speculation that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) may cut interest rates again as soon as next month. Following the release of this data, the Australian dollar fell 0.4%, while the yield on three-year...
US President Donald Trump said he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a day before meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy. "This conversation is ongoing, it's lengthy, and I will report on its contents, as will President Putin, eventually," Trump wrote on social media on Thursday. Trump has expressed frustration with Putin over the Russian leader's refusal to halt fighting in Ukraine or meet directly with Zelenskiy for peace talks. Zelenskiy is expected to ask Trump for more advanced weaponry when they meet on Friday at the White House. Trump has indicated in recent...
China on Thursday accused the U.S. of stoking panic over its rare earth controls and said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had made "grossly distorted" remarks about a top Chinese trade negotiator, rejecting a White House call to roll back the curbs. The official newspaper of the governing Communist Party also issued a seven-point rebuttal after top U.S. negotiators suggested Beijing could avert President Donald Trump's threat to impose 100% tariffs on Chinese goods by scrapping the measures set to take effect on November 8. While investors are relieved the world's top two economies have...