American consumers struggling to access food assistance payments due to the government shutdown are unable to fill their shopping carts, and that's "hurtful," according to the company behind Stop & Shop and Food Lion grocery stores. The US government needs to quickly find a solution to the longest government shutdown on record "because it's very painful for people that nutritional support is no longer there," said Frans Muller, CEO of Ahold Delhaize, in an interview with Bloomberg TV. While Ahold hasn't seen a drop in sales due to the issues affecting the program that provides support...
Core producer prices in the United States, which exclude food and energy, rose by 0.9% over a month in July 2025, marking the strongest increase since March 2022, after being flat in June. Figures came above market estimates of a 0.2% increase. On a yearly basis, core producer prices surged by 3.3% in July, after an upwardly revised 2.4% rise in the prior month and also surpassing forecasts of a 2.5% advance. Source: Trading Economics
Applications for US unemployment benefits edged lower last week, suggesting employers remain reluctant to layoff workers. Initial claims decreased by 3,000 to 224,000 in the week ended Aug. 9, which was about in line with economists' forecasts. Continuing claims, a proxy for the number of people receiving benefits, fell to 1.95 million in the previous week, according to Labor Department data released Thursday. Source: Bloomberg
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is due in London to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, to take stock ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's key talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Zelenskiy, who was in Germany on Wednesday, has been working with European leaders to press Trump not to allow Putin to carve up Ukraine's territory at the Alaska summit. He is due to meet Starmer at 9.30 a.m. local time (0830 GMT) at the British premier's official residence, 10 Downing Street. On Wednesday, Trump joined a Germany-hosted virtual meeting...
The UK economy fared better than expected in the second quarter, bringing some relief for Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves but raising the bar to further interest-rate cuts from the Bank of England. Gross domestic product rose 0.3%, the Office for National Statistics said Thursday, beating the 0.1% forecast by both private-sector economists and the Bank of England. Output in June alone gained 0.4% — double expectations — following modest declines in the previous two months. The figures suggest the economy held up during what always expected to be a difficult...
Employment in Australia increased by 24,500 to a record peak of 14.64 million in July 2025, sharply picking up from a downwardly revised 1,000 rise in the previous month but slightly below market consensus of a 25,000 gain. Full-time employment surged 60,500 to a record peak of 10.13 million, swinging from a downwardly revised 36,700 gain in June. However, part-time employment declined by 35,900 to 4.52 million, erasing a downwardly revised 37,600 increase in June. The employment-to-population ratio edged up to 64.2%, with the participation rate steady at 67.1%. Year-on-year, total...
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...
American consumers struggling to access food assistance payments due to the government shutdown are unable to fill their shopping carts, and that's "hurtful," according to the company behind Stop...