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...
The United States Commerce Department is set to impose preliminary anti-dumping duties of 93.5% on graphite imported from China after concluding the materials, which are a key component for batteries, had been unfairly subsidized. According to early reporting, the United States (US) could be poised to introduce a new steep import tariff on Chinese goods, this time centered around battery technology, specifically battery-grade graphite. Source: Investing.com
U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to ramp up arms shipments to Ukraine is a signal to Kyiv to abandon peace efforts, Russia said on Thursday, vowing it would not accept the "blackmail" of Washington's new sanctions ultimatum. Trump announced a toughened stance on Russia's war in Ukraine on Monday, setting a 50-day deadline for Moscow to reach a ceasefire or face sanctions. The U.S. also promised more missiles and other weaponry for Kyiv. Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, condemned the move. "It is obvious that the Kyiv regime consistently perceives such...
Federal Reserve Governor Adriana Kugler said the US central bank should keep interest rates steady "for some time," citing accelerating inflation as tariffs begin to push up prices. "Given the stability on the employment side of our mandate, with the unemployment rate remaining at historic lows, near-term inflation expectations high, and goods inflation rising due to rising tariff pressures, I feel it is appropriate to keep our benchmark interest rate at its current level for some time," Kugler said Thursday in prepared remarks for an event in Washington hosted by the Housing Partnership...
Unemployment claims fell 7,000 to 221,000 in the week ending July 12, compared with the median estimate of 233,000, according to Labor Department data. The estimated range was 220,000-240,000 according to 43 economists. The previous week's claims were revised up to 228,000 from 227,000. The 4-week moving average was 229,500 in the week ending July 12. Actual unadjusted initial claims were 260,900 vs. 241,400 in the previous week. Continuing claims rose 2,000 to 1.956 million in the week ending July 5. (alg) Source: Bloomberg
Retail sales in the US increased 0.6% month-on-month to $720.1 billion in June, the US Census Bureau reported on Thursday. This figure follows a 0.9% decline reported in May and was better than market expectations of a 0.1% increase. On an annual basis, retail sales rose 3.9% in June, compared to 3.3% in May. "Total sales for the period April 2025 to June 2025 increased 4.1% compared to the same period last year," the press release stated. (alg) Source: FXstreet
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,...