Analysis: Currencies

CapVest eyes majority stake in German drugmaker Stada, Bloomberg News reports

London-based buyout firm CapVest Partners is in talks to acquire a majority stake in German drugmaker Stada Arzneimittel, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday. The deal would value Stada...

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...

Russia's top carmaker Avtovaz may shorten work week as sales slump

Russia's largest carmaker Avtovaz said on Tuesday it may cut its working week to four days from five in September, a rare move from a major state-owned employer, as high interest rates and...

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...

South African rand edges up after coalition partner backs budget bill

JOHANNESBURG -The South African rand was slightly stronger on Tuesday after the second-biggest party in the coalition government said it would vote in support of the last major piece of budget...

Dutch court lifts seizure of Gazprom's local assets

A court in The Hague has lifted a seizure order on Russian energy giant Gazprom's assets in the Netherlands, a ruling published on the court's website showed. The ruling last week shows...

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...

South African rand flat with inflation the week's main focus

JOHANNESBURG -The South African rand held steady in early trade on Monday, with the main focus this week on inflation data that will influence the central bank's thinking on interest rates. ...

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...

US equity funds see weekly outflows on tariff worries, inflation pressure

U.S. equity funds again came under selling pressure through the week to July 16, dampened by worries over President Donald Trump's tariff rhetoric and the buildup in inflationary pressure,...

Ghana central bank notes economic recovery but takes no action at emergency MPC

ACCRA -Ghana's central bank said on Friday that an emergency meeting of its Monetary Policy Committee on Thursday had considered whether to take immediate action but held off until a regular meeting...

Global equity funds see outflows on tariff concerns

Global investors pulled money out of equity funds in the week through July 16 as U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats and an inflation report indicating an increase in U.S. consumer prices,...

Bank of Japan may offer less gloomy view of US tariff hit in report, sources say

TOKYO -The Bank of Japan will warn of uncertainty over the impact of U.S. tariffs in a quarterly report due this month, but may offer a less gloomy view on the near-term hit to Japan's economy than...