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...
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose to 223,000 in the week ending Jan. 19, 2025. That was up from the estimate of 221,000 and the previous weekly estimate of 217,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. Source: @Newsmaker23
Economic activity in Argentina likely fell again in November versus the same month a year earlier, but less than the 0.7% contraction in October, a Reuters poll of market analysts on Wednesday showed. The median forecast from 13 analysts sees economic activity shrinking 0.6% year-on-year in November, the sixth consecutive year-on-year contraction, if confirmed by officials. Poll estimates ranged from a 3.2% contraction to 1.6% growth. The slight improvement was driven by the key agricultural sector, analysts said, while construction continued to fare poorly. Despite the anticipated...
President Donald Trump said his team is discussing 10% tariffs on China and that the duties could go into effect as early as Feb. 1. "We're talking about a 10% tariff on China based on the fact that they're sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada," the president said, speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday evening. "Maybe February 1st is the date we're looking at," he added. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is an addictive drug that has caused tens of thousands of overdose deaths each year in the U.S. Reducing the supply of the illicit drug, whose precursors are largely produced...
European wind shares fell on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump axed support for new offshore wind power on his first day in office, adding to pain in an industry that had turned to the United States to help revive its fortunes. The biggest decliner, Denmark's Orsted (CSE:ORSTED), which plunged 17%, came under further strain from impairments on its U.S. ventures. The global offshore wind industry, which initially boomed, has been struggling to deliver the carbon reductions pursued by many governments as escalating costs, supply chain issues and planning issues have slowed...
European Union finance ministers will approve French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's deficit-cutting plan on Tuesday as it complies with the EU's recommendations to bring the French deficit below 3% of GDP by 2029, officials said. Senior officials of EU governments agreed last week to support Bayrou's plan, which will replace a more front-loaded scheme designed by his predecessor Michel Barnier that was rejected by the French Parliament in December. "We are determined to reach the 3% deficit target by 2029, to be below by 2029," French Finance Minister Eric Lombard told reporters as he...
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...