Bank of Japan Is Heard From on a Day Otherwise Muted by May Day Observances May 1, 2025 Bank of Japan officials signaled a longer wait before additional interest rate hikes. In response, the 10-year JGB yield slipped back six basis points, the yen fell 1.2%, but the Nikkei 225 index advanced 1.1%. This week’s…
April 2025 in Figures April 30, 2025 The dollar fell against most other major currencies in April as it had in the whole first quarter, if not more so. The slide was attributable not to economic fundamentals so much as a generalized loss of confidence in America’s geopolitical role in the world. Stock markets experienced…
Central Bank of Colombia Delivers Surprise 25-Basis Point Interest Rate Cut April 30, 2025 From a 13.25% peak maintained from April 2023 until an initial 25-basis point cut in December of that year, Colombia’s central bank interest rate had peaked at 13.25%. CPI inflation had slowed from 13.3% to high single-digit territory by the time…
A Third Thai Central Bank Rate Cut but Not by a Unanimous Vote April 30, 2025 By a 5-2 vote with dissents favoring no change, the Bank of Thailand‘s policy interest rate was reduced by 25 basis points from 2.0% to 1.75%. This marked the third such cut from a peak of 2.5% maintained for…
A Disturbing U.S. Data Reality Check April 30, 2025 The last business day of April typically delivered a ton of data releases, but what stood out most was how abruptly U.S. economic activity slowed last quarter. In the wake of the Covid shock of 2020, U.S. GDP had expanded 6.1% in 2021, 2.5% in 2022,…
Mid-Tuesday Report: Canadian Liberals Hold onto Power and Another Drop in U.S. Consumer Confidence April 29, 2025 U.S. stocks and the dollar were holding on to slight gains at the midday hour EDT. Ten-year sovereign debt yields had fallen by three basis points in the United States, Great Britain and Germany and by two bps…
Trump’s First 100 Days Ends Wednesday with Much Still Undone April 28, 2025 (194) The fifteenth week of the second Trump presidency got off to a more sanguine start, with investors concluding that no news is better than worrisome news. U.S. equity markets opened slightly higher, extending last week’s recovery. Clarity on U.S. tariffs has…
Chinese authorities have vowed to enhance support for exporters affected by the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Trump. In a briefing held on Monday, Beijing announced a series of strategies designed to assist exporters facing challenges, which include ensuring access to financial loans and enhancing domestic consumption to mitigate the impact of U.S. tariffs. This…
In the three months concluding in March 2025, Macau experienced a slight uptick in its unemployment rate, rising to 1.9% from 1.8% in the preceding period. This figure represents the highest unemployment rate recorded since May 2024. The number of unemployed individuals increased by 500, totaling 7,300, while total employment saw a decrease of 3,100,…
Next Week’s Menu: April 26 – May 2, 2025 April 25, 2025 Central Banks: Interest rate policies will be reviewed in Japan, Colombia, Hungary, Brazil and Thailand. The Bank of Japan’s quarterly Outlook for Economic Activity and Prices gets published. Bank of Japan Governor Ueda, Kent of the Reserve Bank of Australia, and Ramsden of…