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 Korea's Kospi climbed 0.83%, and the small-cap Kosdaq jumped 0.65%. Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 added 0.41%. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 26,464, higher than its last close of 26,086.32. Equities in several parts of the world have been rallying as easing inflation pressures and expectations for U.S. rate cuts boost investor sentiment. "Momentum and the promise of...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that his country is stopping all federal funding to South Africa, but South Africa responded by saying it would not engage in "megaphone diplomacy". Trump had already signed an executive order to cut all U.S. financial assistance to South Africa last month, citing disapproval of its land policy and of its genocide case at the International Court of Justice against Washington's ally, Israel. "To go a step further, any Farmer (with family!) from South Africa, seeking to flee that country for reasons of safety, will be invited into the United States...
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said it remains to be seen if the Trump administration's tariff plans will prove to be inflationary, mapping out a checklist of things that could cause new import taxes to lead to more persistent price pressures. "In a simple case where we know it's a one-time thing, the textbook would say look through it," with no need for the Fed to respond with tighter monetary policy, Powell said at a question-and-answer session during an economic forum in New York City. "But you also want to be sure of a couple things," he continued. "If it turns into a series of...
In remarks from the Oval Office on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump discussed with disgust the massive tariffs Canada has on dairy and lumber and indicated that reciprocal tariffs from the U.S. could be "coming today" or next week. "They'll be met with the exact same tariff unless they drop it, and that's what reciprocal means," Trump said. "We may do it as early as today, or we'll wait till Monday or Tuesday, but that's what we're going to do. We're going to do, we're going to charge." The comments from Trump follow the 25% tariffs Trump placed on most goods from Canada this week....
US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) rose by 151,000 in February, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on Friday. Source: FXstreet
US President Donald Trump hit markets with yet another structural pivot on his tariff agenda, announcing some temporary exemptions for certain sectors, as well as getting his 25% tariffs against Mexico and Canada muddled up with his separate "reciprocal tariff" strategy that is currently slated to come into effect in April. While giving comments to reporters at the White House, President Trump meandered back and forth through several topics. Details on reciprocal tariffs remain almost entirely absent, other than the Trump administration's insistence that they are definitely happening next...
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...
Less than four months ago, President Donald Trump met with Qatar's leader, praised his magnificent palace, and signed a comprehensive defense agreement with the Gulf monarchy, a key ally that hosts...