Mountains of Data to Absorb May 30, 2025 Typical of the final business day of the calendar month, a great many data reports around the world have arrived. In addition, investors have again been whipsawed by fresh tariff news. It took only a matter of hours after yesterday’s U.S. Court of International Trade’s ruling against…
Korean and South African Interest Rate Cuts to 2.5% and 7.25% May 29, 2025 Central bank interest rates were sliced today by 25 basis points in both South Korea and South Africa. South Korea‘s new Base Rate becomes 2.50%, its lowest level since October 2022. A peak of 3.5% had been maintained from January 2023…
Favorable Nvidia Earnings, Revised U.S. GDP Data, and A Significant Court Ruling Against U.S. Tariff Policy May 29, 2025 Nvidia’s first quarter earnings leaped over 70% year-on-year, crushing analyst expectations and eliciting a 5.4% pre-open jump in the AI computer chipmaker’s share price. A small revision to U.S. quarterly GDP growth last quarter from -0.3%…
Another New Zealand Interest Rate Cut May 28, 2025 The reduction to 3.25% from 3.50% in policy interest rate of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand returns such to its lowest level since October 2022 and brings the cumulative decline to 225 basis points from a peak of 5.50% sustained from September 2023 until August…
Higher Long-Term Interest Rates But Scant Changes So Far Today in Dollar or Equities May 28, 2025 The 10-year Japanese JGB yield climbed five basis points this Wednesday back to 1.50% despite a warning from Bank of Japan Governor Ueda that volatile long-term rates carry risk. Other 10-year sovereign debt yields have risen by 3…
Some Fresh Policy Signals May 27, 2025 Officials at Japan’s Ministry of Finance signaled an intent to dampen Japanese bond issuance in an effort to counter upward pressure on long-term yields. Governor Ueda of the Bank of Japan warned of upside risks surrounding core inflation in an apparent indication that the next BOJ interest rate…
Trump Interrupts American and British Holidays with a Social Media Blitz May 26, 2025 (190) Monday ought to have been a quiet session in world financial markets given the holiday observances of Memorial Day in the United States and the late spring bank holiday in the United Kingdom, plus a scarcity of items on the…
In April 2025, consumer prices in Brunei experienced a modest dip of 0.1% compared to the same month the previous year. This decline is a slight improvement from the 0.5% decrease observed in March and represents the third annual decrease in 2025. Several categories continued to see price reductions, including food and non-alcoholic beverages, which…
Next Week’s Menu: May 24-30, 2025 May 23, 2025 Central Banks: Monetary policies will be reviewed in Israel, Kyrgyzstan, South Africa, New Zealand, South Korea, and Hungary. Fed officials speaking publicly include Chairman Powell and also Bostic, Goolsbee, Waller, Kashkari, Waller, and Williams. FOMC minutes will be published. Holidays: The U.S. Memorial Day and late…
Difficult Day for Equities and the Dollar May 23, 2025 The sharp rise earlier this week in long-term sovereign debt yields around the world has been partly trimmed but at the expense of a difficult Friday session for equities. Major U.S. stock futures are down between 1.4% and 2.1%. Similar slides have occurred in the…