President Donald Trump announced a new peace pact between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which he linked to US access to critical minerals. At a meeting in Washington, Trump claimed his administration had "succeeded where many others have failed," calling this the eighth war he has ended in less than a year. However, the reality on the ground is far more complicated, as fighting in eastern Congo continues despite the signing of the previous peace agreement. The agreement is not just about a ceasefire; it also concerns the mineral trade. The agreement grants US companies access...
US bonds fell after jobless claims fell to their lowest level since 2022, one of the last readings on the health of the US labor market before the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision next week. Yields rose two to four basis points across all tenors, led by the five-year Treasury. The 10-year Treasury yield was just below its session high of around 4.10%. Labor Department data released Thursday showed that applications for unemployment benefits fell last week to their lowest level in more than three years, signaling that most companies are retaining workers. The day before, ADP...
According to a report from the US Department of Labour (DOL) released on Thursday, the number of US citizens submitting new applications for unemployment insurance went down to 191K for the week ending November 29. The latest print came in short of initial estimates (220K) and was lower than the previous week's 218K (revised from 216K). Additionally, the 4-week moving average decreased by 9.5K, bringing it to 214.75K from the revised average of the previous week. The report indicated a seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate of 1.3%, with Continuing Jobless Claims shrinking by 4K to...
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday predicted that the administration still will be able to implement its tariff agenda regardless of whether it prevails in a pending case before the Supreme Court. Repeating assertions he had made prior to the high court hearing a month ago, Bessent cited several sections of 1962 Trade Act that give the president sweeping powers over import duties. "We can recreate the exact tariff structure with sections 301, with 232, with 122," he said during an onstage interview at The New York Times DealBook Summit. Asked by host Andrew Ross Sorkin the...
Private businesses in the US cut 32K jobs in November 2025, following an upwardly revised 47K gain in October, and compared to forecasts of a 10K rise. Hiring was particularly weak in manufacturing (-18K), professional and business services (-26K), information (-20K), construction (-9K) and financial activities (-9K). On the other hand, job gains occurred in education and health services (33K), leisure and hospitality (13K), natural resources and mining (8K) and trade, transportation and utilities (1K). Hiring has been choppy of late as employers weather cautious consumers and an uncertain...
Asian stock markets fell in unison on Thursday, following Wall Street's decline. A brief rally in tech stocks led by Nvidia quickly faded, prompting investors to turn away from riskier assets like...
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 announced a new peace pact between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which he linked to US access to critical minerals. At a meeting in Washington, Trump claimed...