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
Donald Trump's $3.3 trillion tax-cutting and spending bill passed the Senate on Tuesday after Republican leaders worked hard to persuade opponents to support the legislation and hand the president a political victory. Senators voted 51-50 to pass the bill. Vice President J.D. Vance cast the tie-breaking vote. The package, which now goes to the House, combines $4.5 trillion in tax cuts with $1.2 trillion in spending cuts. The package — informally known as the "One Big Beautiful Bill" — encompasses the president's entire legislative agenda in one package. Trump has personally lobbied...
The ISM Manufacturing PMI edged up to 49 in June 2025 from 48.5 in May, compared to forecasts of 48.8, signalling economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted for the fourth consecutive month. However, the rate of contraction slowed, amid a rebound in production (50.3 vs 45.4) and improvements in inventories (49.2 vs 46.7). On the other hand, new orders (46.4 vs 47.6), employment (45 vs 46.8) and backlog of orders (44.3 vs 47.1) contracted at a faster pace. Also, inflationary pressures increased slightly (69.7 vs 69.4) and tariffs-induced prices growth accelerated. Meanwhile, the...
Data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the number of job openings in May rose sharply to 7.77 million, well above the market estimate of 7.3 million. This indicates that the US labor market is still quite strong. The job opening rate rose to 4.6% from 4.4% previously. Meanwhile, the number of people who resigned from their jobs also increased to 3.29 million, indicating workers' confidence in new opportunities. On the other hand, the number of layoffs actually decreased to 1.6 million, indicating that the layoff rate is getting lower. This data could reduce pressure on the...
Goldman Sachs says it now expects the Federal Reserve to slash interest rates earlier than initially anticipated, citing relatively mild effects from U.S. President Donald Trump's aggressive tariff agenda. Writing in a note to clients, the analysts led by Jan Hatzius said they now predict that the central bank will cut borrowing costs by 25 basis points in September, prior to an earlier forecast that the next reduction would come in December. "While it is far from clear, we think the odds of a cut in September are somewhat above 50% because we see several routes to get there --...
Euro zone inflation rose slightly to 2% in June, according to flash data from statistics agency Eurostat on Tuesday, meaning consumer prices in the single currency area are now in line with the European Central Bank's target of 2%. Economists polled by Reuters had expected the reading to come in at 2% in the twelve months to June. Euro zone inflation had fallen by more than expected to 1.9% in May. Core inflation, which excludes energy, food, tobacco and alcohol prices, was unchanged at 2.3% in June. The closely watched services inflation print picked up to 3.3% in June, after cooling...
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...