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...
Unemployment claims fell 7,000 to 221,000 in the week ending July 12, compared with the median estimate of 233,000, according to Labor Department data. The estimated range was 220,000-240,000 according to 43 economists. The previous week's claims were revised up to 228,000 from 227,000. The 4-week moving average was 229,500 in the week ending July 12. Actual unadjusted initial claims were 260,900 vs. 241,400 in the previous week. Continuing claims rose 2,000 to 1.956 million in the week ending July 5. (alg) Source: Bloomberg
Retail sales in the US increased 0.6% month-on-month to $720.1 billion in June, the US Census Bureau reported on Thursday. This figure follows a 0.9% decline reported in May and was better than market expectations of a 0.1% increase. On an annual basis, retail sales rose 3.9% in June, compared to 3.3% in May. "Total sales for the period April 2025 to June 2025 increased 4.1% compared to the same period last year," the press release stated. (alg) Source: FXstreet
What are the market implications of a potential early departure of Fed Chairman Powell? This scenario seemed improbable, but for an hour on Wednesday afternoon, it seemed very real. It was initially reported that a letter had been prepared by Trump and delivered to Republican policymakers, and at one point the White House confirmed that Trump would fire Powell. Shortly thereafter, Trump said it was "unlikely" he would fire Powell, notes ING FX analyst Chris Turner. Potential for USD consolidation or slight appreciation "In that hour, we saw the reaction we expected: a steepening of the US...
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he plans to send a single letter to over 150 countries outlining the tariff rate they will face, saying, "It's all going to be the same for everyone, for that group." He noted these are "not big countries" with limited trade ties to the U.S., unlike China or Japan. All nations have faced a 10% baseline tariff since April, though Trump has hinted it could rise to 15–20%, without confirming specifics. About two dozen countries, including the EU, Japan, and South Korea, have already received individual letters with tariff rates effective August 1,...
Australia is set to release the June employment report on Thursday at 1:30 GMT. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is expected to announce that the country added 20,000 new job positions in the month, reversing the 2,500 lost positions announced in May. The Unemployment Rate is foreseen steady at 4.1%, while the Participation Rate is also expected to remain unchanged at 67%. Ahead of the announcement, the Australian Dollar (AUD) is under strong selling pressure amid fears dominating financial boards. Australian ABS reports both full-time and part-time positions through the monthly...
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...