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...
Australia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 4.2% in August 2025, unchanged from the previous month and in line with market expectations. The number of unemployed people fell by 900, bringing the total to 647,400. Among them, those seeking part-time jobs declined by 3,600 to 204,400, while those looking for full-time jobs increased by 3,000 to 443,000. Meanwhile, employment unexpectedly declined by 5,400 to 14.63 million, missing forecasts of a 22,000 increase, following an upwardly revised gain of 26,500 in July. Full-time employment decreased by 40,900 to 10.08 million,...
The United States Federal Reserve (Fed) will announce its monetary policy decision and publish its revised Summary of Economic Projections (SEP), known as the dot plot, after its September policy meeting on Wednesday. Market participants widely anticipate the US central bank will cut its benchmark interest rate for the first time since last December, lowering it to a range of 4%-4.25%. The CME FedWatch Tool shows that investors see only about a 6% chance of a larger rate cut, while pricing in about an 80% chance of a 75 basis point (bps) cut for the remainder of the year. This means the...
The United States has rejected India's request for consultations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding Washington's 50% tariffs on copper and copper derivative products, arguing that the tariffs are not safeguard measures, as claimed by New Delhi. According to The Economic Times, the US told the WTO that there is "no basis" for India to seek consultations. Earlier this month, India had initiated the request under the WTO Agreement on Safeguards. This marks the third instance of India seeking WTO consultations with the US and Washington refusing, following previous disputes over...
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the US and China have reached a deal on TikTok. The deal will transfer the assets of the ByteDance-owned short-video app to its US owner so it can continue operating in the country. The deal potentially resolves a saga that has dragged on for nearly a year. The deal for the popular social media app, which has 170 million users in the US, represents a breakthrough in months of negotiations between the world's two largest economies in an effort to defuse a trade war that has roiled global markets. "We've reached a deal with TikTok. We have a group...
Both President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will speak on Friday to discuss the terms. Trump also said in a Truth Social post Monday that a deal was reached "on a ‘certain' company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save." Bessent indicated the framework could pivot the platform to U.S.-controlled ownership. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China's lead trade negotiator, Li Chenggang, confirmed the framework deal was in place and said the U.S. should not continue to suppress Chinese companies, according to Reuters. The...
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,...