The European Union and the US are moving toward a deal that would impose 15% tariffs on most products, according to diplomats briefed on the negotiations. Member states are likely ready to accept 15% tariffs, and EU officials are pushing for them to cover sectors including autos, diplomats said. Steel and aluminum imports above a certain quota would be subject to a 50% duty, one diplomat added. Diplomats said that while the EU is optimistic that a deal can be reached, they are also cautious that any final agreement would require the approval of US President Donald Trump, and his final...
GBP/USD traded around 1.3300 during the Asian session on Wednesday (5/14), steadying after posting more than 1% gains in the previous session. However, the pair's gains may be limited as the British Pound (GBP) faces headwinds from declining employment and slowing wage growth in the UK, factors that could strengthen expectations for further interest rate cuts by the Bank of England (BoE). This week, market participants are bracing for increased volatility in the Pound Sterling, with the release of the UK's preliminary Q1 GDP and Industrial and Manufacturing Production data on Thursday. The...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) remained firmer against its US counterpart for the second straight day on Wednesday and reacted little to a mostly in-line Producer Price Index (PPI). Bank of Japan (BOJ) Deputy Governor Shinichi Uchida's aggressive comments on Tuesday opened the door for further policy normalization and continued to act as a tailwind for the JPY. The US Dollar (USD), on the other hand, continued to weaken on Tuesday's softer US consumer inflation figures, which raised bets that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will cut interest rates at least twice this year. This was seen as another factor...
The Australian dollar (AUD) continued its gains against the US dollar (USD) on Wednesday (5/14) after posting a gain of more than 1.50% in the previous session. The AUD/USD pair strengthened as the US dollar weakened following weaker-than-expected US inflation data. The seasonally adjusted Australian Wage Price Index rose 3.4% year-on-year in Q4 2025, up from a 3.2% increase in Q4 2024 and beating market expectations of a 3.2% increase. This marked a recovery from the previous quarter, which recorded the slowest wage growth since Q3 2022. On a quarterly basis, the index rose 0.9% in Q1,...
The US dollar index held around 100.9 on Wednesday, after falling nearly 1% in the previous session, pressured by weaker-than-expected inflation data that only hinted at a limited impact from President Donald Trump's tariffs. The data released Tuesday showed headline inflation eased to 2.3% in April, the lowest level since February 2021, and slightly below market expectations of 2.4%. On the trade front, markets continued to assess the implications of a temporary lifting of US-China tariffs, which would see tariffs reduced to 30% and 10%, respectively, over a 90-day period. The easing...
Gold edged up in early Asia, supported by mild US inflation signs that support the case for further Fed rate cuts that would boost the appeal of the non-interest-bearing precious metal. Economic data released Tuesday showed CPI rose a seasonally adjusted 0.2% in April, but year-on-year CPI cooled to 2.3% last month, the lowest level in four years. Moreover, a "thinning sell-off" in the precious metal appears likely, TD Securities' Daniel Ghali said in a research note. Despite the US-China trade deal, inflows into Chinese gold ETFs continued to strengthen, the senior commodity strategist...
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...
US President Donald Trump announced that a 19% tariff will be imposed on goods from the Philippines, following trade talks prompted by Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s recent visit to the...