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...
US job openings fell in February while layoffs remained subdued, adding to evidence of a labor market that's only gradually cooling. The number of available positions decreased to 7.57 million from a revised 7.76 million reading in January, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, known as JOLTS, showed Tuesday. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 7.66 million openings. The pullback in openings was driven by declines in retail trade, financial activities and accommodation and food services. After steadily declining...
US factory activity contracted in March for the first time this year and prices accelerated sharply for a second month as the drumbeat of higher tariffs reverberated through the economy. The Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index declined 1.3 points last month to 49, according to data released Tuesday. Readings below 50 indicate contraction and the figure was slightly weaker than the median production in a Bloomberg survey of economists. The group's price measure increased another 7 points to 69.4, still the highest since June 2022. Over the past two months, the...
China's official NBS Non-Manufacturing PMI rose to 50.8 in March 2025, up from 50.4 in February, marking the highest reading in three months and exceeding market expectations of 50.5. The new orders index climbed to 46.6%, up 0.5 percentage points from the previous month, signaling a rebound in demand within the non-manufacturing sector. The input price index edged up to 48.6%, rising 0.2 points, indicating a slower decline in operating costs for non-manufacturing firms. Meanwhile, the sales price index fell to 46.7%, down 1.1 points, suggesting that overall sales prices continued to...
Japan's industrial production grew at the fastest clip in nearly a year, as manufacturers sought to meet strong demand before the US implements new tariffs on autos and auto parts. Factory output increased in February by 2.5% from January, the first advance in four months and marking the fastest gain since March last year, the Industry Ministry reported Monday. Economists had expected a 2.0% gain. Output rose 0.3% from a year ago, missing the consensus call of a 1.2% rise. The ministry also reported that retail sales increased 0.5% in February from...
The U.S. Federal Reserve's seemingly locked-in path to a soft landing, already roiled by the arrival of the Trump administration, may be growing even more complicated as evidence of consumer caution about spending starts to align with new inflation risks and another jump in inflation expectations. Consumer spending and inflation data for February accentuated the point, with spending near zero once adjusted for inflation and a key measure of inflation itself increasing. "No matter how you want to slice it, it's shaping up to be a very weak quarter for real spending, and it may end up being...
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...