Economics
Policy Uncertainty and Industry Layoffs Drive U.S. Jobless Rate to Near Four-Year Peak
U.S. unemployment rose to its highest level in nearly four years as hiring cooled sharply in August, underscoring a set of intersecting forces that have slowed labor demand. Payrolls rose only modestly while revisions showed earlier months were weaker than first reported, signaling the labor market...
Saudi Arabia promotes accelerated increase in OPEC+ oil production
Saudi Arabia, a key figure in the OPEC+ agreement, is advocating for a rapid boost in oil output by OPEC+ nations to reclaim market share, according to Bloomberg's sources. One set of limitations imposed by eight OPEC+ nations, totaling 2.2 million bpd, was rapidly reintroduced to the market from...
Bank of France Governor says ECB has inflation under control
Inflation within the Eurozone is well-managed, and economic growth aligns with projections, as stated by François Villeroy de Galhau, a member of the European Central Bank's Governing Council and Governor of the Bank of France. It was reported on Tuesday that in August, consumer prices in the...
Supreme Court Review Looms Over Trump Tariffs; Treasury Readies Contingency
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters and advisers this week he expects the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold President Donald Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose sweeping, unilateral tariffs — and he framed that expectation around two central...
Asia factories hit by tariff shock and softer demand — what pushed activity down and what’s next
Manufacturing activity across much of Asia cooled sharply in recent months as global trade frictions, weakening external demand and supply-chain reconfigurations combined to sap orders, dent margins and force firms into belt-tightening. While China has shown pockets of resilience, private PMI...
US Federal Appeals Court Finds Most of Trump’s Tariff Program Exceeded Emergency Powers, Forcing Legal and Policy Rethink
A federal appeals court on Friday concluded that the bulk of the sweeping tariffs imposed during the Trump administration were outside the legal authority the president invoked, delivering a major judicial rebuke to a signature element of the administration’s economic strategy. While the levies...
Lula’s Calm Response to Washington’s 50% Tariff Shock: A Short History of Trade Friction and Strategic Restraint
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s public posture — patient, measured, insistently open to talks — looks almost paradoxical given the jolting 50% tariffs the United States recently slapped on a broad swath of Brazilian exports. The measures, announced by the U.S. administration as a...
AI-led investment and tariff timing pushed U.S. Q2 growth higher, but durability remains unclear
The U.S. economy’s second-quarter growth picture brightened in the Commerce Department’s second estimate, which raised real GDP to a 3.3% annualized pace from an initial 3.0% reading. The upward revision reflected a mix of stronger business investment — notably in intellectual property tied to...
EU accepts tariff cuts on U.S. industrial goods to avert wider trade war and shore up economic stabilityThe European Commission’s move to remove tariffs on a broad swathe of U.S. industrial imports marks a strategic decision by the European Union to
The European Commission’s move to remove tariffs on a broad swathe of U.S. industrial imports marks a strategic decision by the European Union to prioritise economic stability and geopolitical de-escalation over short-term tariff protection. Brussels presented legislative proposals this week that...
Putin’s China visit aims to convert diplomacy into concrete trade gains in energy, agriculture and industry
President Vladimir Putin’s trip to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit is being used by Moscow as a targeted push to arrest a slide in bilateral commerce and to convert high-level diplomatic warmth into tangible economic commitments. Russian officials have signalled that the...
