Analysis: Currencies

US business activity rises; tariffs fuel inflation concerns

WASHINGTON -U.S. business activity picked up in July, but companies asked higher prices for goods and services, supporting economists' views that inflation will accelerate in the second half of the...

US labor market steady, jobless claims at three-month low

WASHINGTON -The number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits fell to a three-month low last week, pointing to stable labor market conditions, though sluggish hiring is making it...

Russia says rising tariffs threaten US and global economy

MOSCOW -Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that rising trade tariffs carried risks for the economy of the United States and the whole world. Zakharova...

Euro zone business activity growth hits 11-month high in July, PMI shows

LONDON -Euro zone business activity accelerated faster than forecast this month, supported by a solid improvement in the bloc's dominant services industry and with manufacturing showing further signs...

Subdued dollar firms after ECB leaves rates alone; tariffs and Fed in focus

The dollar traded sideways versus the euro on Thursday after the European Central Bank held rates steady, and was confined to a tight range against the yen as prospects for higher Japanese rates...

Bessent says Fed forecasts 'politically biased'

WASHINGTON -U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday suggested without evidence that the Federal Reserve's widely followed economic forecasts are motivated by politics, as the Trump...

Trump administration not in a rush to replace Powell, Treasury chief Bessent says

WASHINGTON -U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that the Trump administration was not in a rush to nominate a new Federal Reserve Chair to replace Jerome Powell. We...

US Fed independence under threat, say economists, but no one expects a July rate cut- Reuters poll

BENGALURU -The U.S. Federal Reserve's independence is under threat from mounting political interference, according to a clear majority of economists polled by Reuters, although no one expects a July...

Fed officials, banking experts discuss regulatory rewrite effort at conference

The Federal Reserve continued work on its comprehensive effort to rewrite bank rules with a daylong conference at its headquarters on Tuesday. At the conference in Washington, regulatory...

De-risking mood adds more demand for US corporate bonds

Investors have begun to de-risk their equity portfolios and buy more investment-grade corporate bonds as U.S. stock indices near new record highs, in turn pushing corporate borrowing costs to their...

Trump says Fed's Powell will be out in 8 months, calls him a 'numbskull'

WASHINGTON -U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is a numbskull who has kept interest rates too high, but he will be out in eight months, President Donald Trump said at a news conference on...

US Treasury chief: No need for Fed's Powell to step down right now

WASHINGTON -There is no need for U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to immediately step down, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday, adding that the Fed chief's legacy should be to...

In the Market-How the ghost of 'transitory' inflation is haunting the rate debate

Joseph Lavorgna, counselor to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, believes tariffs are not inflationary and says economists who have been predicting that prices would rise due to President Donald...

US dollar slumps as Trump's tariff deadline looms

NEW YORK -The dollar slid on Tuesday, with the yen one of the major gainers versus the greenback, as investors tracked talks ahead of an August 1 deadline that could bring steep tariffs on products...

Fed posts video tour, renovation details as White House intensifies attacks

The Federal Reserve on Monday added a video tour and new details about the renovation of two historical buildings at its headquarters in Washington, as the Trump administration ramps up attacks on...

US Treasury's Bessent calls for review of Fed non-monetary policy operations

WASHINGTON -U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Federal Reserve's vital independence on monetary policy is threatened by its mandate creep into non-policy areas and he called on the U.S....

US tariffs could cost Italy up to 0.8% of GDP, business lobby says

MILAN -U.S. tariffs of 30% on European Union goods could shave up to 0.8% off Italy's gross domestic product in 2027, the country's main business lobby said on Monday, as transatlantic trade...

Waller says he's willing to lead Fed if Trump asks, but no contact so far

WASHINGTON -Federal Reserve Governor Chris Waller, an advocate for an immediate interest rate cut, said on Friday he would accept the job as head of the U.S. central bank if asked by President Donald...

Trump tariffs force Greek olive oil producers to seek new markets

VARVASAINA -Greek olive oil producer Konstantinos Papadopoulos wasted little time when the threat of U.S. tariffs was floated by President Donald Trump in the spring. He immediately started looking...