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 number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose to 223,000 in the week ending Jan. 19, 2025. That was up from the estimate of 221,000 and the previous weekly estimate of 217,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. Source: @Newsmaker23
Economic activity in Argentina likely fell again in November versus the same month a year earlier, but less than the 0.7% contraction in October, a Reuters poll of market analysts on Wednesday showed. The median forecast from 13 analysts sees economic activity shrinking 0.6% year-on-year in November, the sixth consecutive year-on-year contraction, if confirmed by officials. Poll estimates ranged from a 3.2% contraction to 1.6% growth. The slight improvement was driven by the key agricultural sector, analysts said, while construction continued to fare poorly. Despite the anticipated...
President Donald Trump said his team is discussing 10% tariffs on China and that the duties could go into effect as early as Feb. 1. "We're talking about a 10% tariff on China based on the fact that they're sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada," the president said, speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday evening. "Maybe February 1st is the date we're looking at," he added. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is an addictive drug that has caused tens of thousands of overdose deaths each year in the U.S. Reducing the supply of the illicit drug, whose precursors are largely produced...
European wind shares fell on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump axed support for new offshore wind power on his first day in office, adding to pain in an industry that had turned to the United States to help revive its fortunes. The biggest decliner, Denmark's Orsted (CSE:ORSTED), which plunged 17%, came under further strain from impairments on its U.S. ventures. The global offshore wind industry, which initially boomed, has been struggling to deliver the carbon reductions pursued by many governments as escalating costs, supply chain issues and planning issues have slowed...
European Union finance ministers will approve French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's deficit-cutting plan on Tuesday as it complies with the EU's recommendations to bring the French deficit below 3% of GDP by 2029, officials said. Senior officials of EU governments agreed last week to support Bayrou's plan, which will replace a more front-loaded scheme designed by his predecessor Michel Barnier that was rejected by the French Parliament in December. "We are determined to reach the 3% deficit target by 2029, to be below by 2029," French Finance Minister Eric Lombard told reporters as he...
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...