The Bank of England's MPC voted 5-4 to keep Bank Rate at 4% at its November 5 meeting, in line with expectations. Four members favored a 25 bps cut to 3.75%, reflecting growing support for easing. Policymakers noted that CPI inflation has peaked and underlying disinflation is developing, aided by still-restrictive policy, lower wage growth, and easing services inflation. A sluggish economy and increasing labor market slack are also strengthening disinflation. The MPC said the risks to achieving the 2% target are now more balanced: inflation persistence has become less of a concern, while...
The pharmaceutical industry is scrambling with scenario planning as U.S. President Donald Trump's 200% tariff proposal threatens to drive up drug prices and rip out corporate profit margins. The president once again warned on Tuesday that long-awaited industry-wide tariffs would be announced "very soon" after the administration launched a so-called 232 investigation into the sector in April. Trump suggested that those levies would not go into effect immediately, but get a grace period of "about a year, year and a half to come in." Analysts nevertheless warn that such a rate — even with a...
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he will impose a 35% tariff on imports from Canada starting August 1, warning that it could rise further if Canada retaliates. In a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, released on his social media platform, Trump also signaled plans to apply blanket tariffs of 15% to 20% on most other trade partners. The move is part of a broader escalation in his trade war, with new tariffs already targeting allies such as Japan and South Korea, as well as a 50% levy on copper. In an interview with NBC News, Trump said not all countries...
Federal Reserve Board of Governors (Fed) member Christopher Waller reiterated his argument for why the Fed should cut interest rates earlier in July. In a speech at the Dallas Fed, Waller noted that the inflationary impact of tariffs would likely be short-lived and stated that a rate cut would not be politically motivated. Fed Governor Waller is one of the favorites to replace Fed Chairman Jerome Powell in 2026. Key Highlights Tariffs raise prices once, and the central bank can anticipate that. The impact of tariffs is not zero, but it is also not large. Waller argued that a moderately...
Initial jobless claims in the US fell by 5,000 from the previous week to 227,000 on the first period of July, below market expectations of a 2,000 increase to 235,000. It was the fourth consecutive decline in initial claims to the lowest count in seven weeks, consolidating the view that the US labor market remains relatively robust to high interest rates and economic uncertainty. Still, outstanding unemployment claims rose by 10,000 to 1,965,000, the most since 2021, to solidify concerns that hiring is slowing. Initial claims filed by federal government employees, which have been under...
The impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff agenda is likely to be seen in the upcoming second-quarter corporate earnings season, according to analysts at Capital Economics. Despite having largely delayed the implementation of his punishing "reciprocal" levies first unveiled in April, Trump has left a baseline 10% tariff in place, as well as heightened duties on items like steel, aluminum and autos. The effective U.S. tariff has in turn increased compared to its level at the beginning of Trump's second term earlier this year, analysts have suggested. This week, Trump has...
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...
The U.S. Supreme Court's tough questioning of President Donald Trump's global tariffs has fueled growing speculation that they will be overturned, but it also raises the potential for further...