The economic activity in the United States' (US) manufacturing sector continued to contract in October, with the Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) dropping to 48.7 from 49.1 in September. This reading came in weaker than the market expectation of 49.5. Other details of the PMI report showed that the Employment Index edged higher to 46 from 45.3 in this period, while the New Orders Index improved to 49.4 from 48.9. Finally, the Prices Pair Index, the input inflation component of the survey, declined to 58 from 61.9. Source: FXstreet
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said Mexico won't be required to pay tariffs on any goods that fall under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade until April 2, but made no mention of a reprieve for Canada despite his Commerce secretary saying a comparable exemption was likely. "After speaking with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, I have agreed that Mexico will not be required to pay Tariffs on anything that falls under the USMCA Agreement," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "This Agreement is until April 2nd." Earlier on Thursday, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick...
During her press conference, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde outlined the ECB's decision to cut key interest rates by 25 basis points at the March policy meeting. She elaborated on the rationale behind the move, emphasizing its role in supporting economic stability. Lagarde also addressed questions from the media, providing insights into the ECB's outlook and future policy direction.ECB press conference key highlight. "Consumer confidence remains fragile"."Services are resilient"."Uncertainty is holding back investment"."Surveys suggest that employment growth is...
U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, returning to the stale level seen at the start of the year. Initial claims fell 21,000 to 221,000 in the week ended March 1. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists was for 233,000 applications.Continuing claims, a proxy for the number of people receiving benefits, rose to 1.9 million in the previous week, according to Labor Department data released Thursday. (Newsmaker) Source: Bloomberg
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey urged the United States on Wednesday to settle its concerns about the global economy through dialogue rather than the kind of import tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed this week. Bailey, speaking to British lawmakers, said he had addressed the importance of open trade at a meeting of Group of 20 central bankers and finance ministers last week in South Africa that was not attended by new U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. "If you think the world economy is somehow out of balance, the place to address those balances is in a...
President Donald Trump will announce tariff changes for Canada and Mexico this afternoon as he considers lowering tariffs on sectors such as autos, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Bloomberg Television Wednesday morning. Trump is expected to make a decision on the issue this afternoon, Lutnick said, reiterating that the administration's tariff policy will be reevaluated on April 2 to cover larger imports and reciprocal levies. "There will be tariffs — let's be clear — but what he's thinking about is what parts of the market he might consider giving relief to by the time we get to, of...
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...
As the U.S. government shutdown disrupts federal employee paychecks across the country, it also exacerbates the financial hardship of attorneys who represent the poorest members of society when they...