President Donald Trump announced a new peace pact between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which he linked to US access to critical minerals. At a meeting in Washington, Trump claimed his administration had "succeeded where many others have failed," calling this the eighth war he has ended in less than a year. However, the reality on the ground is far more complicated, as fighting in eastern Congo continues despite the signing of the previous peace agreement. The agreement is not just about a ceasefire; it also concerns the mineral trade. The agreement grants US companies access...
Core producer prices in the United States, which exclude food and energy, declined by 0.1% from the previous month in March of 2025, contrasting sharply with market expectations of a 0.3% jump to reflect the first decline in eight months. From the previous year, core producer prices rose by 3.3%, the least in six months, from the 3.5% in February. Source: Trading Economics
The current US tariff rate will drag China's GDP growth lower by c.1.8ppt. Any further increases in tariffs are likely to have little impact on China's growth. Another CNY 1.5-2.0tn of fiscal support is needed, supported by moderately loose monetary policy, Standard Chartered's economists report. The perfect storm"Over the past week, the US and China have announced sweeping tariffs in multiple rounds of retaliation. As of now, China's tariff on US products has jumped to 142%, and the US' tariff on China has surged to 157%, according to our estimate. As bilateral tariffs are already...
Chinese President Xi Jinping will embark on a three-nation Southeast Asia tour next week in his first overseas trip this year to consolidate ties with some of China's closest neighbours as trade tensions with the United States escalate. Xi will visit Vietnam from April 14-15, and Malaysia and Cambodia from April 15-18, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Friday. China, hit with 145% U.S. tariffs since President Donald Trump took office this year, is quickly moving to reinforce relations with other countries who also lie in the shadow of Washington's damaging trade levies. Some of the...
The annual core consumer price inflation rate in the United States, which excludes volatile items like food and energy, eased to 2.8% in March 2025, down from 3.1% in February and below the market expectation of 3%. This marked the lowest rate since March 2021, driven by slower price increases in shelter (4.0% vs. 4.2% in February), transportation services (3.1% vs. 6.0%), medical care commodities (1.0% vs. 2.3%), apparel (0.3% vs. 0.6%), and used cars and trucks (0.6% vs. 0.8%). On a monthly basis, core consumer prices rose by 0.1% in March, following a 0.2% increase in February and below...
Initial jobless claims in the United States rose by 4,000 from the previous week to 223,000 on the first week of April, in line with market expectations, to remain at the historically low levels that were steadily shown since March. In the meantime, continuing claims fell by 43,000 from downwardly revised levels to 1,850,000 in the last week of March, well below market expectations of 1,880,000, to reflect slight traction in individuals finding suitable employment after a period of joblessness. In the meantime, unemployment claims filed under programs for Federal government employees, which...
Asian stock markets fell in unison on Thursday, following Wall Street's decline. A brief rally in tech stocks led by Nvidia quickly faded, prompting investors to turn away from riskier assets like...
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...
President Donald Trump announced a new peace pact between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which he linked to US access to critical minerals. At a meeting in Washington, Trump claimed...