Renewed tensions between the United States and Russia have resurfaced following an incident involving an oil tanker, sparking market concerns about potential disruptions to global energy supplies. Washington's move, associated with tightening oversight and enforcement of sanctions on Russian oil shipments, is viewed by Moscow as provocative and could worsen relations between the two countries. Russia views these actions as an attempt by the United States to suppress Russian energy exports and strengthen its dominance in the global oil market. Meanwhile, Washington argues that these measures...
Retail sales in the US increased 0.5% month-over-month in July 2025, in line with market expectations and following an upwardly revised 0.9% rise in June. The largest increases were seen in sales at motor vehicle & parts dealers (1.6%) and furniture & home furn. stores (1.4%). Other gains were seen in sales at sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, & book store (0.8%), nonstore retailers (0.8%), clothing & clothing accessories stores (0.7%) and gasoline stations (0.7%). Source: Trading Economics
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will measure success at their summit in Alaska very differently, even as both leaders are already looking toward a second meeting. The US president sees any kind of ceasefire in Ukraine as a key objective of the talks. For the Russian leader, getting face time with Trump on American soil without having made any concessions on the war is already a win. Those are the contrasting stakes as both leaders head to Anchorage for their first summit since 2018 in Helsinki. The imbalance points to the perils and opportunities for Trump, who has long cast...
The U.S. Census Bureau will release the country's Retail Sales report on Friday. Market analysts expect headline Retail Sales to grow 0.5% monthly in July, following a slightly higher increase in June, indicating that consumption remains strong. Consumers appear to have flocked to shopping malls, responding to summer sales and seeking to avoid further price increases resulting from higher trade tariffs. Consumer spending unexpectedly recovered in June after a 0.9% decline in May. Retail and food services grew 0.6%, totaling USD 720.1 billion in June, driven by the broad recovery. Excluding...
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin held talks in Alaska on Friday (August 15). The US president's hopes of reaching a ceasefire in Ukraine remain uncertain, but Putin's latest offer of a possible nuclear deal could help both sides save face. The meeting of the Russian and US leaders at a Cold War-era air force base in Alaska, their first face-to-face talks since Trump returned to the White House, comes amid concerns in Ukraine and Europe that Trump may betray Kyiv. Trump, who once said he would end Russia's war in Ukraine within 24 hours, said on Thursday that the three-and-a-half-year...
A jump in wholesale prices is likely to bolster concerns among Federal Reserve policymakers that rising inflation remains a risk, intensifying debate over the rationale for an interest rate cut next month and leaving the tension between the U.S. central bank and the White House unresolved. The Producer Price Index increased 0.9% in July on a month-over-month basis, well above economists' expectations, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Thursday. Trade services inflation, a measure of retail and wholesale margins, rose 2%, the fastest pace in a couple of years and...
Asian stock markets fell in unison on Thursday, following Wall Street's decline. A brief rally in tech stocks led by Nvidia quickly faded, prompting investors to turn away from riskier assets like...
European stock indices closed marginally lower on Wednesday as equities took a breather from their recent strong momentum, while investors continued to assess the outlook for the ECB's policy this...
The upcoming Supreme Court ruling on the legality of President Donald Trump's massive tariffs, which rocked markets in April, is one of the next major tests for US stocks and bonds.
Equity markets...