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 are accused of federal crimes. Some private attorneys who serve as court-appointed attorneys for indigent federal criminal defendants have stopped taking new cases, arguing that their clients are being denied the right to effective counsel, according to court records and defense attorneys. About 12,000 private attorneys across the U.S. serve on court-run panels that provide counsel to...
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that unless the China trade deficit is solved, there will be no deal, according to Reuters. Trump further stated that "sometimes you have to take medicine" when asked about recent market volatility, insisting he was not deliberately trying to trigger a selloff. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed on Sunday that the tariffs would not be postponed and the policy will remain in place for days and weeks. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent noted that more than 50 nations have approached the administration for negotiations but cautioned,...
The US economy added 228K jobs in March 2025, well above a downwardly revised 117K in February and beating forecasts of 135K. It is the strongest figure in three months, as job gains occurred in health care (54K), social assistance (24K), and in transportation and warehousing (23K). Employment also increased in retail trade (24K), partially reflecting the return of workers from a strike. Federal government employment declined by 4K, following a loss of 11K jobs in February. Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including mining, quarrying, and oil and...
China's reaction to new U.S. tariffs will likely focus on domestic stimulus and strengthening ties with trading partners, according to analysts based in Greater China. Hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced additional 34% tariffs on China, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce called on the U.S. to cancel the tariffs, and vowed unspecified countermeasures. The sweeping U.S. policy also slapped new duties on the European Union and major Asian countries. Chinese exports to the U.S. this year had already been hit by 20% in additional tariffs, raising the total rate on shipments from...
The ISM Services PMI fell sharply to 50.8 in March 2025 from 53.5 in February, well below forecasts of 53. The reading pointed to the softest expansion in the services sector since June last year. New orders (50.4 vs 52.2) and inventories (50.3 vs 50.6) slowed and employment contracted sharply (46.2 vs 53.9). Also, supplier deliveries eased (50.6 vs 53.4) and backlogs of orders indicated contraction for the seventh time in the last eight months (47.4 vs 51.7). Meanwhile, production rose faster (55.9 vs 54.4) and price pressures eased (60.9 vs 62.6). " There has been a significant increase...
Initial jobless claims in the United States decreased by 6,000 to 219,000 in the week ending March 29, below market expectations of 225,000, to remain at historically low levels. In the meantime, recurring claims rose by 56,000 to 1903,000 in the previous week, the highest since November 2021 and well above forecast. In the meantime, unemployment claims filed under programs for Federal government employees, which have been under close scrutiny due to firings by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), fell by 257 to 564. Despite the decrease, reports that many firings by DOGE were...
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...