Applications for US unemployment benefits fell after a spike in the previous week, underscoring the choppy nature of the data at this time of year. Initial claims decreased by 13,000 to 224,000 in the week ended Dec. 13, according to Labor Department data released Thursday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 225,000 applications. Continuing claims, a proxy for the number of people receiving benefits, rose to 1.9 million in the previous week. Holiday-related factors often lead to swings in weekly claims data, which will likely continue through the end...
Wednesday brought a stark warning from Senator Elizabeth Warren regarding the potential for President Donald Trump to dismiss Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. In an interview with Bloomberg News on Wednesday, the Massachusetts Democrat expressed concerns that Trump's broad interpretation of his authority to remove officials from independent agencies could lead to significant instability in the US markets. Warren highlighted the dangers of such actions, suggesting that if the president can remove civil servants and leaders of independent agencies at will, it would result in a...
President Donald Trump is preparing to announce new auto tariffs as early as Wednesday, escalating trade tensions ahead of a broader tariff rollout next week, according to a report from Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter. The details of the tariffs, including their scope and possible exemptions, remain unclear, said Bloomberg. The news caused midday volatility in large U.S. auto stocks, including GM, Ford, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), and Stellantis (NYSE:STLA). Bloomberg said it is also uncertain whether the tariffs will take effect immediately or be implemented over...
The UK (UK) Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.8% year-on-year (YoY) in February, following a 3.0% acceleration in January, data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed on Wednesday. Markets were expecting a 2.9% growth in the reported period. The reading remains well above the Bank of England's (BoE) target of 2%. Core CPI (excluding volatile food and energy) rose at an annual rate of 3.5% in the same period, compared to a 3.7% surge in January, which was below market expectations of 3.6%. (Newsmaker23) Source: FXstreet
Australia's monthly inflation indicator showed price pressures continued to cool in February, keeping the door open for the Reserve Bank of Australia to cut interest rates further, perhaps as early as next month. The inflation indicator rose 2.4% in the 12 months to February, slightly below market expectations and well entrenched within the RBA's target band, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday. The data for February comes after the indicator held steady at 2.5% for the previous two months. The hot spots for price gains over the last year were in food and non-alcoholic...
The US economy entered 2025 with a fair amount of momentum. However, GDP growth in the first quarter of the year looks to be soft. Real consumer spending declined in January, although the weakness may be attributable, at least in part, to bad weather. Furthermore, the surge in imports in January, which mechanically reduce GDP (everything else equal), will also weigh on output growth in Q1. In our view, the surge in imports reflects front-running ahead of potential increases in tariff rates.Tariff announcements have come and gone in recent weeks. In terms of our forecast, we assume that the...
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...
Pasangan mata uang EUR/USD mengawali pekan ini dengan nada sedikit melemah di sesi Asia, diperdagangkan di sekitar 1,1730, turun kurang dari 0,10% dalam sehari. Meski terkoreksi, euro masih berada...
US President Donald Trump said Washington is willing to provide security assistance to Ukraine as part of a deal to end the war with Russia. He emphasized that security support is a crucial factor...