The United States was rocked by another political tragedy after Charlie Kirk, a conservative figure and close supporter of Donald Trump, was shot dead while attending an event at Utah Valley University. This incident immediately sparked national outrage, given that Kirk was known as an influential young figure in the conservative movement and a frequent mobilizer of Trump's voter base. The shooting is feared to deepen political polarization in the US, with Republicans viewing it as an attack on free speech, while the issue of gun control has resurfaced. This political uncertainty has the...
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller is emerging as a top candidate to be the central bank's next chair, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Waller has met with members of President Donald Trump's team, who are impressed with him, though he has not met with the president, Bloomberg News reported. A Fed spokesperson had no comment. "President Trump will continue to nominate the most competent and experienced individuals to deliver on his pledge to Make America Wealthy Again," White House spokesperson Kush Desai said. "Unless it comes from...
Initial jobless claims in the US rose by 7,000 from the previous week to 226,000 in the last week of July, firmly above market expectations of a softer increase to 221,000. In turn, outstanding jobless claims soared by 38,000 to 1,974,000 on the previous week, well above market expectations of 1,950,000 to mark the highest level of unemployment since November 2021. The results consolidated the view of a sharp slowdown in hiring and a softening labor market. Source: Trading Economics
Switzerland's government will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to decide its next move after its president returned home empty-handed from an 11th-hour trip to Washington aimed at averting a crippling 39% U.S. import tariff on Swiss goods. An urgent meeting of the seven-member Federal Council - Switzerland's governing cabinet - will take place in Bern in the early afternoon, the government said a post on X. Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter left Washington on Wednesday without a new deal and did not meet with U.S. President Donald Trump or any of his top trade officials, two sources...
A worst-case scenario for India on U.S. tariffs is now the base case. New Delhi called Donald Trump's decision on Wednesday to double the levy on the South Asian nation's goods to 50% because of its Russian oil purchases "extremely unfortunate". That's an understatement. Negotiating down this high rate before it goes into effect in three weeks is now an urgent priority for Narendra Modi - and will require a major compromise from the Indian leader. The new rate can inflict serious pain on the $4 trillion economy. New Delhi failed to lower the initial 25% tariff unveiled by the U.S. president...
Donald Trump said he would impose a 100% tariff on semiconductor imports, though it would exempt companies that move production back to the United States, as Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook and the president announced a $100 billion new investment plan from the Oval Office. "We're going to have a very large tariff on chips and semiconductors, but the good news for companies like Apple is, if you're building in the United States, or have committed to building, without question, committed to building in the United States, there will be no cost," Trump told reporters. "So in other words, we're going...
China's official NBS Manufacturing PMI increased to 49.7 in June 2025 from May's 49.5, matching market expectations while marking the third consecutive month of contraction in factory activity.
It...
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...