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
Federal Reserve Vice Chairman for Supervision Michael Barr delivered remarks before the Council on Foreign Relations today, discussing the state of the economy, inflation, and policy uncertainty. Barr sounded a positive note about the economy, citing strong growth over the past year and low and stable unemployment. He also noted the substantial progress that has been made on inflation, while acknowledging that there is still much work to be done. He described the path to 2% inflation as "bumpy but steady." Barr also discussed the spike in inflation that occurred in January, attributing it...
The UK Unemployment Rate held steady at 4.4% in three months to December.The Claimant Count Change for Britain came in at 22K in January.GBP/USD trims losses to regain 1.2600 after mixed UK employment dataThe United Kingdom's (UK) ILO Unemployment Rate remained at 4.4% in the three months to December, the data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed on Tuesday. The market forecast was for a 4.5% print in the reported period.Additional details of the report showed that the number of people claiming jobless benefits climbed by 22K in January, compared with a revised drop...
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said on Tuesday that he expects trade tariffs under President Donald Trump as having only a limited impact on inflation, and that the central bank should not stall in adjusting policy. Speaking at an event in Australia, Waller said his "baseline" view was that "any imposition of tariffs will only modestly increase prices and in a non-persistent manner." He recommended that the Fed look through the effects of Trump's trade policies when adjusting interest rates. "I concede that the effects of tariffs could be larger than I anticipate, depending...
Chinese President Xi Jinping convened a high-profile meeting with leading entrepreneurs in Beijing on Monday, signalling a renewed emphasis on supporting the private sector following years of regulatory pressure. The meeting, attended by prominent figures such as Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu, and Xiaomi founder Lei Jun, highlighted the government's pivot towards fostering private enterprise. Other attendees included Yu Renrong, chairman of Will Semiconductor Co., and Wang Xingxing, founder of Unitree Robotics. According to state media...
New bank loans in China surged more than expected to a record high in January as the central bank moved to shore up a patchy economic recovery, reinforcing expectations for more stimulus in coming months as U.S. tariffs threaten to pile more pressure on the economy. Chinese banks extended 5.13 trillion yuan ($706.40 billion) in new yuan loans in January, more than quadrupling the December figure, data from the People's Bank of China showed on Friday, beating analysts' forecasts Analysts polled by Reuters had predicted new yuan loans would rise to 4.5 trillion yuan last month, up sharply...
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...