European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she will travel to Scotland this weekend to meet with US President Donald Trump, as both sides aim to reach a trade deal before the August 1 deadline when 30% tariffs on the bloc's exports are due to take effect. After months of negotiations and back-and-forth diplomacy between Brussels and Washington, D.C., the two sides have zeroed in on a deal last week that will see the EU face 15% tariffs on most of its trade. Limited exceptions are expected to apply to aviation, some medical devices and generic drugs, some alcoholic beverages,...
Oil prices fell slightly on Thursday as the possibility of renewed U.S. tariffs raised questions about demand ahead of expected supply increases by major producers. Brent crude futures fell 63 cents, or 0.91%, to settle at $68.48 a barrel by 11:12 a.m. EDT (1512 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 77 cents, or 1.14%, to settle at $66.68. Both contracts hit one-week highs on Wednesday as Iran, a major oil producer, suspended cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, raising concerns that a lingering dispute over its nuclear program could escalate into armed conflict. A...
The campaign period for the July 20 election for the upper chamber of Japan's parliament kicked off earlier Thursday, and Bank of America Securities stated that the Japanese currency has not yet priced in election risk. At 08:00 ET (12:00 GMT), USD/JPY traded 0.1% higher to ¥143.84, but the pair is approximately 8.5% lower so far this year. "We have argued that the risk from Japan's Upper House election to be held on July 20 is skewed to a weaker yen with a rise in volatility in the case of a loss by the ruling coalition party," said analysts at Bank of America Securities, in a note dated...
The Pound Sterling remained steady against the Greenback on Thursday after a solid Nonfarm Payrolls report in the United States (US) cemented the case that the Federal Reserve would hold rates at the July meeting, as the Unemployment Rate ticked lower. At the time of writing, the GBP/USD trades at 1.3634, virtually unchanged. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the US economy added 149,000 people to the workforce, exceeding estimates of 110,000 and May's 144,000 print. The Unemployment Rate came at 4.1% down from 4.2%. The data fortifies the Fed Chair Jerome Powell's...
The dollar index climbed above 97.3 after a stronger-than-expected June jobs report helped ease concerns over the health of the US labor market, despite lingering uncertainty surrounding trade policy. The US economy added 147,000 jobs in June, up from 144,000 in May and well above market forecasts of 110,000. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate unexpectedly dipped to 4.1%, defying expectations of a rise to 4.3%. Average hourly earnings increased by 0.2%, slightly below the projected 0.3%. Source: Trading Economi
The EUR/USD pair is practically flat on Thursday, trading right below 1.1800 at the time of writing, not far from the multi-year highs reached earlier this week. Investors' appetite for risk is fading as optimism about the US deal with Vietnam gives way to caution heading into the US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) data release. In the Eurozone, June's services activity was revised higher to 50.5 from the previously estimated 50.0 reading. These figures reveal that the sector grew again in the last month, following a slight contraction in May. The impact of the data in the Euro, however, has been...
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...
President Donald Trump locked horns with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell during a rare presidential visit to the U.S. central bank on Thursday, criticizing the cost of renovating two historical...