Former U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on members of the BRICS group of nations on Friday, warning the alliance would quickly collapse if it ever becomes a significant economic force. "When I heard about this group from BRICS, six countries, basically, I hit them very, very hard. And if they ever really form in a meaningful way, it will end very quickly," Trump said without specifying which nations he was referring to. The BRICS group currently includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and has recently expanded to include other nations. In addition to...
Oil prices eased on Thursday as the latest tariff announcements by U.S. President Donald Trump were perceived by market participants as a threat to global economic growth, however signs of strong U.S. gasoline demand limited losses. Brent crude futures were down 3 cents at $70.16 a barrel by 0401 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude lost 6 cents to $68.32 a barrel. On the demand side, macro uncertainty has led to a more cautious buying environment, particularly in Asia, said analytics firm Kpler in a note, while noting that geopolitical risk premiums have faded with the Israel-Iran...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) is building on the previous day's goodish recovery from over a two-week low and scaling higher for the second consecutive day against a broadly retreating US Dollar (USD). Investors remain on edge amid persistent uncertainties surrounding US President Donald Trump's trade policies, which, in turn, benefit the safe-haven JPY. The USD, on the other hand, is undermined by prospects for more interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve (Fed) this year, bolstered by FOMC Minutes on Wednesday. This, in turn, contributes to the USD/JPY pair's intraday slide back below the...
The Australian Dollar (AUD) continues its winning streak for the third successive session on Thursday. The AUD/USD pair gained ground after the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) surprisingly decided to maintain the Official Cash Rate (OCR) at 3.85% earlier this week. RBA Governor Michele Bullock stated that inflation risks persist, driven by the elevated unit labor costs and weak productivity, which could push inflation above forecasts. Moreover, RBA Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser mentioned that the global economy is facing uncertainty. Hauser also stated that tariff effects on the global...
Gold rose to around $3,320 per ounce on Thursday, extending gains from the previous session, supported by a weaker dollar as investors continued to monitor trade developments and digested the latest FOMC minutes. Markets remain focused on a wave of tariff demand letters from President Trump, with Brazil the latest to face steep duties following earlier threats on copper imports and other countries—fueling concerns over broader trade disruptions. Meanwhile, minutes from the Fed's June meeting showed officials were divided on the timing and extent of potential interest rate cuts. While most...
The US dollar index fell to around 97.3 on Thursday, marking its second consecutive day of losses as investors pivoted toward riskier assets amid a broad rally in stocks and commodities. The greenback also came under pressure from a sharp drop in Treasury yields, driven by strong demand in Wednesday's 10-year note auction. On the policy front, minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest meeting revealed that most officials were open to cutting interest rates later this year. Despite the overall decline, the dollar surged more than 2% against the Brazilian real after President Donald Trump...
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...
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...