The ISM Services PMI rose to 52.4 in October 2025 from 50 in September, beating forecasts of 50.8, pointing to the strongest expansion in the services sector since February. Both business activity (54.3 vs 49.9) and new orders (56.2 vs 50.4) rebounded while the continued contraction in employmet (48.2 vs 47.2) shows a lack of confidence in the continued strength of the economy. "There was no indication of widespread layoffs or reductions in force, but the federal government shutdown was mentioned several times as impacting business activity and generating concerns for future layoffs",...
President Donald Trump reiterated his displeasure with Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine and confirmed he's sending more defensive weapons to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's government, sweeping aside an earlier pause by the Pentagon. "He's killing too many people so we're sending some defensive weapons to Ukraine and I've approved it," Trump told reporters at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Earlier in the meeting, he said he was "not happy with Putin" because the Russian leader is "killing a lot of people." It was the second time in less than 24 hours that...
President Donald Trump said Jerome Powell should "resign immediately" if allegations from critics that the Federal Reserve chairman misled lawmakers about renovations at the central bank's headquarters are proven true. Trump repeated his criticism of the Fed chairman at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, calling Powell "terrible," and telling reporters that deceiving Congress would be grounds for a quick exit. "Then he should resign immediately," Trump said. "We have to put somebody in there who will lower interest rates." Trump has attacked Powell over the bank's position on keeping interest...
President Donald Trump says he will not offer any extension to the new Aug. 1 deadline for imposing higher tariffs on many goods imported into the U.S. "Tariffs Will Begin Be Paid On August 1, 2025. There has been no change to this date, and there will be no change," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday. "In other words, all money will be due and payable starting AUGUST 1, 2025 - No extensions will be granted." Trump began notifying trading partners of the new tariffs on Monday ahead of a deadline originally this week for countries to conclude trade negotiations with his...
China warned the Trump administration on Tuesday against reigniting trade tension by restoring tariffs on its goods next month, and threatened to retaliate against nations that strike deals with the United States to cut China out of supply chains. Washington and Beijing agreed to a trade framework in June that restored a fragile truce, but with many details still unclear, traders and investors on both sides of the Pacific are watching to see if it will unravel or lead to a lasting detente. On Monday, President Donald Trump began notifying trade partners of sharply higher U.S. tariffs from...
The 17th annual BRICS meeting in Rio de Janeiro lasted for two days and officially closed yesterday. Attended by representatives from 11 full member countries, this meeting confirmed BRICS' position as a new geopolitical power that dares to challenge the dominance of Western global institutions and pressure from the United States, especially under the leadership of Donald Trump. This year's meeting is an important moment for BRICS with the presence of Indonesia as a full member, along with Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. BRICS...
Asia-Pacific markets traded higher, tracking Wall Street gains overnight.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.41% after hitting a fresh record high on Thursday, while the Topix added 0.61%. South...
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...
American consumers struggling to access food assistance payments due to the government shutdown are unable to fill their shopping carts, and that's "hurtful," according to the company behind Stop...