Many people in China cheered the meeting Thursday between President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, after months of escalating bilateral tensions. Every time the two leaders meet, it helps ease tensions and creates a "positive atmosphere," Alex Hongcai Xu, chair of Beijing Honglve Consulting, said in Mandarin, translated by CNBC. "This atmosphere is beneficial for negotiations." "Each side lowering tariffs to below 10% would benefit capital flows and cooperation," Xu said. He noted that China can likely buy more U.S. soybeans and U.S.-made Boeing airplanes. Trump said Thursday...
Russia launched a massive drone attack on energy and gas transportation infrastructure in six Ukrainian regions overnight, leaving more than 100,000 people without power, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday (August 27). Russian forces significantly damaged gas transportation infrastructure in the Poltava Region and attacked equipment at a major substation in the Sumy Region, the Energy Ministry said via the Telegram messaging service. The attack left more than 100,000 people without power in the Poltava, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. Ukraine's...
The Indian government estimates that the newly imposed 50% US tariff will affect exports worth USD 48.2 billion. Officials have warned that the additional duties could make shipments to the US commercially unviable, potentially leading to job losses and slower economic growth. To soften the impact, the government is working on a multi-pronged strategy, including Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms aimed at boosting domestic demand. The 50% tariff, effective from Wednesday (August 27), is expected to hit exports of textiles, shrimp, leather, and gems and jewellery the hardest. The US...
Australian inflation (CPI) rose 2.8% year-on-year in July, the fastest pace since July 2024. The housing cost component jumped 3.6% year-on-year, highlighting price pressures from rents and utilities. This figure was slightly above market expectations, signaling that the disinflation process is underway, but not yet complete. In the bond market, Australian 3-year bond futures fell (yields rose) shortly after the hotter-than-expected CPI release. However, this reaction is expected to be temporary. The global picture still points to the Federal Reserve moving toward interest rate cuts, a key...
U.S. President Donald Trump said he was ready for a legal battle after moving to oust Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook over allegations she falsified mortgage documents. Meanwhile, the central bank stated it would respect any court ruling in Cook's legal challenge against her dismissal. Trump's attempt to remove her is unprecedented in the Fed's 111-year history as a nominally independent U.S. institution, raising alarms over political pressure on monetary policy. Reuters said that if Cook's seat is vacated, Trump would gain the chance to appoint a majority of the Fed's seven-member...
The U.S. Department of Commerce issued affirmative determinations of anti-dumping and countervailing duties against 10 countries on Tuesday after investigations into corrosion-resistant steel products. The determinations cover $2.9 billion in imports from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Africa, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam, the Commerce Department said in a statement. "Commerce made its final determinations that imports of CORE into the United States from ten trading partners were being dumped and/or subsidized," the department...
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...
US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he had agreed with President Xi Jinping to cut tariffs on China in exchange for Beijing cracking down on illegal fentanyl trade, resuming purchases of...