Analysis: Currencies

Bank of England heads for close vote on likely rate cut

The Bank of England looks set for a knife-edge vote on interest rates this week with Governor Andrew Bailey expected to change his view and tip the balance for a cut. Barring a major...

With Fed independence in crosshairs, will Supreme Court back Trump again?

The U.S. Supreme Court's conservative justices appear ready to endorse President Donald Trump's power to fire a regulatory agency official despite job protections given by Congress. But they have...

Bipartisan group of US lawmakers calls for export controls on synthetic DNA sequences

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers this week introduced bills that would require U.S. firms to obtain a license before exporting sequences of synthetic DNA. DNA research is...

Fed's Daly says this week's rate cut was right move for Fed

Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Mary Daly said on Friday in a LinkedIn posting that she favored cutting interest rates at this week's monetary policy meeting. This week's...

Russia's monthly oil and gas revenue poised to hit lowest since August 2020

Russian state oil and gas revenue in December is likely to almost halve from a year earlier to 410 billion roubles as a result of lower crude prices and a stronger rouble, Reuters calculations showed...

Two Fed dissenters cite inflation risk in votes against rate cut

Federal Reserve officials who voted against the U.S. central bank's interest rate cut this week said on Friday they are worried that inflation remains too high to warrant lower borrowing costs,...

India central bank deputy warns of stablecoin risks, dismisses claims of utility

India needs to be cautious towards stablecoins, as they pose significant macroeconomic risk while serving no purpose that fiat money cannot, the Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor, T. Rabi Sankar,...

US inflation may slow, but the affordability debate is likely to keep raging

Even if overall inflation slows next year as the U.S. Federal Reserve anticipates, President Donald Trump will still face political headwinds over the cost of living with home mortgage rates expected...

EU agrees to indefinitely freeze Russian assets, removing obstacle to Ukraine loan

The European Union agreed on Friday to indefinitely freeze Russian central bank assets held in Europe, removing a big obstacle to using the cash to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia. ...

BOJ to pledge more rate hikes at next week's policy meeting, sources say

The Bank of Japan will likely maintain a pledge next week to keep raising interest rates, but stress the pace of further hikes will depend on how the economy reacts to each increase, said three...

Sterling dips after data shows surprise drop in UK GDP

The pound dipped on Friday after data showed the UK economy unexpectedly shrank in the three months to October.  Economic activity fell by 0.1% between August and October, while falling...

Russian central bank says EU plans to use its assets are illegal

Russia's central bank said on Friday European Union plans to use its assets were illegal and it reserved the right to employ all available means to protect its interests. It said...

Will it be a hike next year? Five questions for the ECB

The European Central Bank meets on Thursday, with traders suddenly speculating a rate hike could be on the cards in 2026. Since policymakers last met in October, there has been more...

Japan's core inflation likely held at 3.0% in November

Japan's core inflation rate likely held well above the central bank's 2% target in November, a Reuters poll showed on Friday, although moderating food price hikes have taken some pressure off...

India rupee steadies after hitting record low; drift lower may persist

The Indian rupee ended little changed after hitting a record low on Friday but notched its second weekly fall in a row as investors continued to fret over prolonged U.S.-India trade deal negotiations....

Trump thinks more should be done to lower interest rates, White House says

President Donald Trump was happy to see the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points this week, but wants to see further reductions in borrowing costs, White House spokeswoman Karoline...

TSX opens lower as tech jitters weigh

Canada's main stock index opened lower on Thursday, with technology stocks leading losses, as renewed fears about lofty valuations following Oracle's disappointing results outweighed a widely expected...

US weekly jobless claims post largest increase in nearly 4-1/2 years amid seasonal volatility

The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits increased by the most in nearly 4-1/2 years last week, but the surge likely does not suggest a material weakening in labor...

Lukoil leans towards Xtellus' cashless bid for its foreign assets

Russia's Lukoil favours U.S. bank Xtellus Partners' bid for its global assets over a dozen rival bids, as it takes the form of a cashless deal that would return U.S.-held securities to the Russian oil...