The US has signaled it will not relax its August 1 deadline for higher tariffs against the European Union as the bloc struggles to reach a deal on time. Over the weekend, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said he was confident a trade deal with the EU could be reached, but cautioned that the deadline for the 30% base tariffs was fixed. "That's a tight deadline, so on August 1, the new tariffs will go into effect," Lutnick said Sunday on CBS News when asked about his EU tariff deadline. He did hint that negotiations could continue beyond that date, stating: "These are the two largest...
USD/CHF is trading with gains, extending its recovery to the upper 0.8900s after a busy Thursday (01/05) filled with US economic data and renewed Fed rate cut speculation. Although the ISM Manufacturing PMI and jobless claims reports pointed to labor market fragility and continued sector contraction, the greenback remains strong, supported by a steady US Dollar Index and risk-sensitive flows ahead of Friday's nonfarm payrolls report. US jobless claims for the week ended April 26 jumped to 241,000, up from 223,000 the previous week and well above consensus estimates. The increase marked the...
Oil held steady on Thursday after strong earnings from Meta (NASDAQ:META) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) supported U.S. equities and a delay in U.S.-Iran talks offset concerns about the U.S. economy and the prospect of higher OPEC+ oil output. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 15 cents, or 0.3%, to $58.04 a barrel by 12:30 p.m. ET (1630 GMT). Brent crude futures fell 18 cents, or 0.2%, to $60.90. Both contracts fell more than 1% earlier. "Crude remains the target for lower prices in the near term as OPEC+ signals production, which is likely to be approved at next week's OPEC...
Gold slumped to its lowest in two weeks on Thursday, pressured by signs of easing trade tensions and a holiday in key consumer China, while focus was also on Friday's U.S. payrolls report to gauge the economic outlook. Spot gold fell 2.3% to $3,211.53 an ounce by 1:44 p.m. ET (1744 GMT), after hitting its lowest since April 14 earlier in the session. It hit a record $3,500.05 an ounce last week. U.S. gold futures settled 2.9% lower at $3,222.20. "There are signs of an impending trade deal, and talk from China that the Trump administration has been in touch. The risk-on trade is taking...
Oil rose again on Thursday after strong earnings from Meta and Microsoft supported US equities and offset concerns about the US economy and the prospect of higher OPEC+ oil output. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 47 cents, or 0.8%, to $58.68 a barrel by 1442 GMT. Brent crude futures rose 71 cents, or 1.2%, to $61.77. Both contracts had fallen more than 1% earlier. "It (oil price gains) can be attributed to the surge in equities due to the attractive earnings from Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab and Meta (META.O), opens new tab and possibly the postponement of the next...
Gold futures slide, under pressure from a stronger U.S. dollar and profit taking. Futures are down 2.65% at $3,231.0 a troy ounce, though they remain up 20% in the year-to-date. Prices have now fallen nearly 7.9% since setting a fresh record high of $3,509.90/oz on April 22. Market risk appetite has grown and reduced demand for safe-haven assets amid rising hopes for President Trump's administration signing trade deals in the near-term. China, currently the largest consumer of gold given economic concerns, has also begun the May Day holiday. This has further reduced upward pressure on gold...
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...
Russia unleashed a renewed attack on Ukraine, targeting the country's central and western regions with drone and missiles as Kyiv's allies pledged increased air defense protection to help shield the...