Analysis: Currencies

US labor market showing cracks; corporate profits post largest drop since 2020

WASHINGTON -The number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits increased more than expected last week and the unemployment rate appeared to have picked up in May, suggesting layoffs...

Kenyan shilling steady against dollar, LSEG data shows

NAIROBI -Kenyan shilling held steady against the dollar on Thursday, data from the London Stock Exchange Group showed. At 0745 GMT, commercial banks quoted the shilling 129.00/50 per...

South African assets firm after central bank trims lending rate

JOHANNESBURG -South Africa's rand, government bonds and stocks strengthened on Thursday after the South African Reserve Bank trimmed its main lending rate, citing well-contained inflation. ...

Markets hope Trump tariffs stay 'unlawful'

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Wayne Cole Who knew the three judges at the rather obscure United States Court of International Trade had the power to spark a...

Markets shrug off US appeals court's decision to reinstate Trump tariffs

NEW YORK -Wall Street closed higher on Thursday, largely shrugging off a decision by a federal appeals court late Thursday reinstating President Donald Trump's tariffs. This came a day after a trade...

Fed saw inflation, jobless, stability risks at May meeting, minutes show

WASHINGTON -U.S. Federal Reserve officials at their last meeting acknowledged they could face difficult tradeoffs in coming months in the form of rising inflation alongside rising unemployment, an...

Jihadist violence and coups test West Africa ECOWAS bloc at 50

LAGOS -The Economic Community of West African States faces growing threats of terrorism, climate change, military coups, and poverty, its most senior official said on Wednesday as leaders marked 50...

Bulgaria likely to get EU Commission go-ahead to adopt euro from 2026, officials say

BRUSSELS -The European Commission is likely to give Bulgaria the green light on June 4 to adopt the euro currency from the start of 2026, several euro zone officials said, making Bulgaria the 21st...

Sterling steady against the dollar as economic data, trade deals offer support

Sterling was steady against the dollar on Wednesday, hovering near Monday's three-year high, as it continued to be supported by favourable economic data last week as well as Britain's recent trade...

Brazil airline Azul files for Chapter 11 to restructure debt

Brazilian airline Azul on Wednesday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States, it said in a securities filing, after months of trying to restructure mostly pandemic-era debt. ...

Minutes of Fed's May meeting likely to show officials grappling with uncertainty

WASHINGTON -The U.S. Federal Reserve at its May 6-7 meeting undercut expectations that it would change its policy interest rate anytime soon, and minutes from that session released on Wednesday may...

BOJ long-term government bond holdings fall for first time since 2008

TOKYO -The Bank of Japan's long-term government bond holdings fell for the first time in 16 years as of end-March as it tapered bond purchases, its earnings showed on Wednesday, in another sign of...

South African rand stable as traders wait for interest rate decision

JOHANNESBURG -The South African rand was steady on Wednesday, a day ahead of the central bank's interest rate decision. At 1329 GMT, the rand traded at 17.9375 against the dollar,...

Japan's government to pledge 'nimble' fiscal action in policy guidelines

TOKYO -Japan's government will pledge in this year's policy guidelines to take nimble policy action as U.S. tariffs and high inflation impact household finances, according to a draft seen by...

German home prices to rise 3% this year on tight supply; affordability to worsen

German home prices will build on a recent rebound but at a slightly slower pace than expected earlier this year, according to analysts polled by Reuters, as supply remains tight and worsening...

Sterling weakens versus dollar but stays close to over three-year high

LONDON -The pound ticked lower versus a broadly stronger dollar on Tuesday, yet remained close to a more than three-year high scaled on Monday as reduced bets on Bank of England rate cuts and some...

Trump's tariff blitz prompts 'firefighting' response from Fed researchers

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO -U.S. Federal Reserve staffers have scrambled since January to decipher what Trump administration trade policies will mean for the economy, with published tallies of...

Fed's Kashkari calls for steady rates, awaits clarity on tariff impact

TOKYO -Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari on Tuesday called for keeping interest rates steady until there is more clarity on how higher tariffs affect inflation, warning...

South African rand weakens as gold prices weigh

JOHANNESBURG -South Africa's rand weakened against a stronger dollar on Tuesday, hurt by lower gold prices as risk sentiment improved following U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to postpone...