Renewed tensions between the United States and Russia have resurfaced following an incident involving an oil tanker, sparking market concerns about potential disruptions to global energy supplies. Washington's move, associated with tightening oversight and enforcement of sanctions on Russian oil shipments, is viewed by Moscow as provocative and could worsen relations between the two countries. Russia views these actions as an attempt by the United States to suppress Russian energy exports and strengthen its dominance in the global oil market. Meanwhile, Washington argues that these measures...
Employment in Australia increased by 24,500 to a record peak of 14.64 million in July 2025, sharply picking up from a downwardly revised 1,000 rise in the previous month but slightly below market consensus of a 25,000 gain. Full-time employment surged 60,500 to a record peak of 10.13 million, swinging from a downwardly revised 36,700 gain in June. However, part-time employment declined by 35,900 to 4.52 million, erasing a downwardly revised 37,600 increase in June. The employment-to-population ratio edged up to 64.2%, with the participation rate steady at 67.1%. Year-on-year, total...
Australia will release its July monthly employment report on Thursday at 1:30 GMT, following the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) decision to trim the Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 25 basis points (bps) to 3.6%. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is expected to announce that the country added 25,000 new job positions in the month, after adding the measly 2,000 announced in June. The Unemployment Rate is foreseen declining to 4.2% after spiking to 4.3% in the previous month, while the Participation Rate is expected to remain unchanged at 67.1%. Australian ABS reports both full-time and...
US President Donald Trump said he would be speaking to European leaders shortly as he prepares for his summit later this week with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. "Will be speaking to European Leaders in a short while. They are great people who want to see a deal done," Trump wrote on social media Wednesday. The call comes as Trump ramps up diplomatic efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine — now well into its fourth year — with a face—to-face meeting with Putin on American soil. The sitdown slated for Friday in Alaska has raised worries among Kyiv's allies that...
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said interest rates are "too constrictive" and should likely be 150-175 basis points lower. Bessent, speaking in an interview on Bloomberg Television, said the Federal Reserve could be heading into a series of rate cuts in the coming months — starting with a half-point reduction in September. "There's a very good chance of a 50 basis point rate cut," Bessent said Wednesday. "We could go into a series of rate cuts here, starting with a 50 basis point rate cut in September." Bessent added, that by any model, rates "should probably be 150,...
President Donald Trump said he is considering a lawsuit against Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell over the renovation of the central bank's headquarters, a project whose cost overruns have been investigated. In a social media post on Tuesday, Trump again criticized the Fed Chairman for the central bank's decision to keep interest rates steady and repeated his criticism of Powell over the renovation work. "The damage he's done by being late is incalculable. Fortunately, the economy is doing so well that we've moved past Powell and the complacent Board," Trump said. "However, I am...
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...
European stock indices closed marginally lower on Wednesday as equities took a breather from their recent strong momentum, while investors continued to assess the outlook for the ECB's policy this...
The upcoming Supreme Court ruling on the legality of President Donald Trump's massive tariffs, which rocked markets in April, is one of the next major tests for US stocks and bonds.
Equity markets...