Preliminary estimates from the UK's Office for National Statistics show that the UK's gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 0.5% in February, following a revised 0.1% increase in January. This exceeded expectations of 0.1% growth. The economy also grew by 0.5% in the three months to February, after a revised 0.3% increase in the three months to January. The services...
Australia's unemployment rate held steady at 4.3% in March, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) at the start of Asian trading on Thursday, April 16. This figure was unchanged from February's reading and in line with market expectations. Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate fell slightly to 66.8% from 66.9%. The Australian economy added 17,900...
Data released moments ago by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the Producer Price Index (PPI), which measures producer price inflation, rose 0.5% in March, compared to a revised 0.5% increase in February. This fell short of expectations, which had anticipated a 1.1% rise. The annual PPI increased by 4%, reaching its highest level since February 2023. The...
Crude oil recorded gains exceeding 8% at the start of the week's trading in the European session on Monday, April 13, after rising more than 10% at the opening of Asian markets. This surge followed threats from US President Donald Trump to impose a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and escalate pressure on Iran. US crude (WTI) rose by...
Data released earlier today from the Canadian economy showed an increase in employment of 14,000 jobs in March, following a decline of nearly 83,000 jobs in February, closely matching expectations. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate remained stable at 6.8%, slightly below the expected 6.8%. In detail, employment increased in several sectors, led by the services sector, which added 15,000 jobs, primarily...
Data released moments ago by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures inflation, rose in March to its highest level since 2022, reaching 0.9%, compared to 0.3% growth in February. This fell short of expectations, which had anticipated a rise to 1%. The core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, remained...
Data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday, April 10, showed that the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI), a key measure of inflation, rose to 1.0% year-on-year in March, up from 1.3% in February. This marked the fastest growth rate since January 2023 and fell short of market expectations of 1.2%. The slowdown in inflation occurred amid typical...
Data released moments ago by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis showed a decline in U.S. personal income of $18.2 billion in February, a 0.1% decrease compared to a 0.4% increase in January, falling short of expectations. Meanwhile, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge, rose by 0.5% to $103.2 billion, compared to a...
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand's (RBNZ) Monetary Policy Committee decided to keep the official cash rate (OCR) unchanged at 2.25% at its meeting this morning, Wednesday, April 8, as expected, for the second consecutive meeting. The statement issued by the bank indicated that events in the Middle East since the bank's last meeting in February have significantly altered the...
New orders for durable goods fell in February, according to a report released moments ago by the US Census Bureau. The decline dropped by $4.4 billion to $315.5 billion, marking the second consecutive month of decreases after a 0.5% drop in January. This was slightly below expectations of a 1.1% decline. Meanwhile, core orders, excluding transportation, rose by 0.8% in...