Tag: USA

Europe must be prepared for Trump tariffs, European Central Bank chief warns

Europe must “be prepared” and anticipate the potential trade tariffs of newly inaugurated U.S. President Donald Trump, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde told CNBC on Wednesday.

Oracle, OpenAI, SoftBank, Trump Announce $500 Billion AI Infrastructure Plan

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, and Oracle Chairman and CTO Larry Ellison joined President Trump to announce an investment of as much as $500 billion in artificial intelligence infrastructure in the U.S.

Interest rates won’t fall as fast as expected if tariffs stoke inflation, UBS CEO says

An expected decline in interest rates could be stalled if the prospective tariffs of Donald Trump’s second White House administration bleed into markets and shore up inflation, UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti warned Tuesday.

Trump Plans to Impose 25% Tarifffs on Mexico, Canada by Feb. 1

President Donald Trump signaled plans to impose previously threatened tariffs of as a much as 25% on Mexico and Canada by Feb. 1, reiterating his contention that America’s closest neighbors and largest trading partners are letting undocumented migrants and drugs flood into the US.

U.S. crude oil falls more than 2% as Trump weighs tariffs, aims to boost energy production

U.S. crude oil fell more than 2% on Tuesday, as President Donald Trump weighs imposing tariffs on key trade partners while vowing to boost domestic energy production.

German carmakers say Trump tariffs would hurt US consumers, industry

U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff plans would mean higher car prices for U.S. consumers and hit global automakers, Germany’s powerful car industry warned on Tuesday, as auto stocks fell on the prospect of higher U.S. import duties.

Reminder – US markets are closed on Monday, January 20, 2025

Monday January 20 is the Martin Luther King Day holiday in the US: The two major stock markets – the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq – will be closed on Monday, 20 January 2025. Bond markets are closed. The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) recommends bond trading closed (SIFMA is the trade group that represents the bond market).

US single-family housing starts increase in December

U.S. single-family homebuilding increased solidly in December, but further gains were seen limited by rising mortgage rates and a glut of new homes on the market.

Mortgage rates climb above 7% to highest level since May

Mortgage rates topped 7% this week, a key psychological threshold, in a sign of the US housing market’s unrelenting affordability challenges.

Global diesel prices spike as US hits Russia with new sanctions

Global diesel prices and refining margins spiked following the latest round of U.S. sanctions on Russia’s oil trade on expectations the measures would tighten supplies, according to analysts and LSEG data.

China probes US chip subsidies over ‘harm’ to Chinese mature node chipmakers

China will launch an investigation into U.S. government subsidies to its semiconductor sector over alleged harm caused to Chinese mature node chipmakers, the commerce ministry said on Thursday.

Fed’s Beige Book Points to Slight to Moderate Growth at Year-End

Economic activity increased ”slightly to moderately” across to US in late November and December, supported by strong holiday sales, the Federal Reserve said in its Beige Book survey of regional business contacts.

Core inflation rate slows to 3.2% in December, less than expected

Prices that consumers pay for a variety of goods and services rose again in December but closed out 2024 with some mildly better news on inflation.

Inflation watch: Wholesale prices rose 0.2% in December, less than expected

A measure of wholesale prices increased less than expected in December, providing indication that pipeline inflation pressures eased to close the year though likely not enough to provoke another Federal Reserve interest rate cut anytime soon.

U.S. to Ban Chinese, Russian Components in Connected Vehicles

The U.S. has finalized a ban on the use of Chinese and Russian hardware and software in internet-connected vehicles on U.S. roads, an outgoing salvo by the Biden administration to prevent hacking and misuse of data by foreign adversaries.

US small business confidence jumps to more than six-year high

U.S. small-business confidence surged to the highest level in just over six years in December, extending post election gains.

U.S. payrolls grew by 256,000 in December, much more than expected; unemployment rate falls to 4.1%

Job growth was much stronger than expected in December, possibly providing the Federal Reserve less incentive to cut interest rates this year.

US stock markets to remain closed in honor of Jimmy Carter on National Day of Mourning

U.S. stock markets will remain closed on Jan. 9 in honor of former President Jimmy Carter, continuing a long-held Wall Street tradition in mourning the nation’s leaders.

Biden administration planning new AI chip export limits that would hit Nvidia, report says

The White House is finalizing additional restrictions on the export of artificial intelligence microchips that would hit companies including Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices, according to a report.

Weekly US jobless claims unexpectedly dip to 201,000

The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits unexpectedly edged down last week, touching the lowest level since February, in a sign of strength in the labor market.