If it just seems like the first Friday of the month wasn't the same without being able to pore through the Bureau of Labor Statistics' hotly watched monthly jobs report, don't worry. You probably didn't miss much. While the BLS has gone dark with the shutdown in Washington, other reports outside the government data suggest the labor market just plodded along in September. The Dow Jones consensus forecast was for growth of 51,000 in nonfarm payrolls with the unemployment rate holding steady at 4.3%. High-frequency data that includes job postings, private payrolls and state-by-state figures...
Initial jobless claims in the US fell by 4,000 from the previous week to 217,000 in the third week of July, well under market expectations that they would increase to 227,000. It was the sixth consecutive decline in initial claims to the lowest since April, extending the period of relative robustness in the US labor market following brief alarms earlier in the year. On the other hand, outstanding claims inched higher to 1,955,000 in the earlier week, marginally below market expectations but remaining at the second highest reading since November of 2021, reflecting a slowdown in the hiring...
The European Central Bank (ECB) is on track to leave its key interest rates unchanged after its July policy meeting, after having reduced rates at each of its last seven meetings. The decision will be announced on Thursday at 12:15 GMT. The interest rate decision will be followed by ECB President Christine Lagarde's press conference at 12:45 GMT. The ECB policy announcements will likely have a significant impact on the EUR/USD performance, as the Euro (EUR) is expected to experience intense volatility following the decision and during President Lagarde's press conference. With a...
The S&P Global UK Services PMI fell to 51.2 in July 2025 from 52.8 in June, compared to market forecasts of 53, according to preliminary estimates. Service providers reported that fragile domestic economic conditions and heightened geopolitical uncertainty weighed on sales pipelines. New orders in the services sector fell to their lowest level since April, with demand from abroad declining. The sector also saw a sharper decline in employment. On the pricing front, selling prices rose at a faster pace. Despite these challenges, private sector firms, on balance, remain optimistic,...
British business activity grew only weakly in July and employers cut jobs at the fastest pace in five months, according to a survey that is likely to add to speculation about a Bank of England interest rate cut next month. The S&P Global UK Composite Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), published on Thursday, slowed to 51.0 points from 52.0 in June, not far above the 50.0 level that separates growth from contraction. A Reuters poll had forecast a smaller fall to 51.8. The survey's employment gauge dropped to 45.1, its lowest since February, with businesses in part blaming the decision by...
Equities in Indonesia rose 64 points, or 0.9%, to 7,555 around noon on Thursday, gaining for a second straight session and supported primarily by heavyweight stocks. The IDX Composite hit its highest level since October 31, 2024, breaking above the 7,500 mark, tracking an upbeat session on Wall Street overnight following US-EU trade agreements. The deals also raised hopes for detailed trade agreements between the US and China—Indonesia's top trading partner. Nearly all sectors traded in the green, with the financial sector leading the gains, soaring 3.3%. Among the top performers were...
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. government shut down much of its operations on Wednesday as deep partisan divisions prevented Congress and the White House from reaching a funding deal, setting off what could be a long,...