Investors cheered Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's Jackson Hole address, which gave a green light to buy risky assets on the hope the central bank is ready to cut rates, but took his dovish message with a note of caution as they see a risk of stagflation ahead and worry markets are over-optimistic. In his final address as Fed chair at the Jackson Hole, Wyoming, economic symposium, Powell hinted at a September interest rate cut but stopped short of committing, striking a careful balance between mounting job-market risks and lingering inflation worries. The speech on Friday came amid...
The bond vigilantes were stalking global debt markets on Thursday, keeping the dollar and stocks subdued too, ahead of a crucial vote in the United States on President Donald Trump's "big beautiful" tax bill. Caution dominated in Europe after a lacklustre U.S. 20-year bond sale on Wednesday reinforced a "Sell America" narrative already nagging on investors' minds after Moody's last week cut its triple-A credit rating for the United States. Germany's long-term bond yields hit their highest in two-months as global yield curves steepened. Britain's government borrowed more than expected in...
The S&P Global UK Composite PMI rose to 49.4 in May of 2025 from 48.5 in April, aligned with market expectations of 49.3 to reflect the second consecutive contraction in private-sector activity, according to a flash estimate. Activity declined manufacturing (45.1 vs 45.4 in April), reflecting the sharpest drop in 19 months, and offsetting a marginal rebound for service providers (50.2 vs 49). New orders declined the most in two-and-a-half years, as clients cut back non-essential spending due to the increase in global economic uncertainty, stemmed by the threat of aggressive tariffs from...
The Eurozone manufacturing sector remained in contraction, while services sector also followed suit in May, according to data from the HCOB's latest Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) Survey, published on Thursday. The Eurozone Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) improved to 49.4 in May from 49 in April, beating the market estimate of 49.3. The bloc's Services PMI fell to 48.9 May from 50.1 in April. The data came in below the expected 50.3 print and hit a 16-month low. The HCOB Eurozone PMI Composite contracted to 49.5 in May, following April's 50.4. The market forecast was...
China and the 10-member ASEAN bloc have concluded negotiations on an upgraded free-trade agreement, known as version 3.0, marking a key move to deepen Beijing's regional ties amid ongoing U.S. trade disputes. The deal, which updates a 15-year-old agreement, awaits ratification and could be signed within the year. "China stands ready to work with ASEAN to ensure the stability of global supply chains, advance shared development, and safeguard fairness and justice," said Commerce Minister Wang Wentao. He criticized U.S. trade policies, warning that "there are no winners in a tariff war or...
U.S. President Donald Trump's massive tax and spending bill cleared an important procedural hurdle in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Wednesday, when a gatekeeper committee approved the measure and set up a floor vote for passage to occur within hours. Republicans have been deeply divided over the bill, which would extend Trump's signature 2017 tax cuts, create new breaks for tipped income and auto loans, end many green-energy subsidies and boost spending on the military and immigration enforcement. It would pay for those changes by tightening eligibility for food and...
President Donald Trump said he would fire Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors if she does not resign her post over mortgage-fraud accusations from a top...
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) maintained its cash rate at 4.1% during its April meeting, holding borrowing costs unchanged after slashing 25 bps in the February meeting, aligning with market...