Analysis: Currencies

US existing home sales rise in May; mortgage rates still a constraint

WASHINGTON -U.S. existing home sales unexpectedly increased in May, but the trend remained weak amid high mortgage rates. Home sales climbed 0.8% last month to a seasonally adjusted...

Still early to assess tariff impact on economy, Fed report says

The Federal Reserve's latest Monetary Policy Report to Congress, released on Friday, said U.S. inflation is somewhat elevated and the labor market is in solid shape, but suggested that President...

Fed's Powell says central bank still has the needed data to do its work

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell made a plea on Wednesday for the government not to cut back too aggressively on its efforts to collect data on the economy because the information it collects...

Fed officials see two rate cuts in 2025, but overall turn hawkish

WASHINGTON -U.S. central bankers are increasingly split over the appropriate path of policy, with the median of fresh forecasts published on Wednesday still pointing to a half percentage point of...

US-Canada deal prospect offers hope but inflation a worry if tariffs remain, says BoC

The Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem said on Wednesday that the prospect of a new Canada-U.S. trade deal offers hope that tariffs will be removed, but cautioned that inflation could rise if...

US weekly jobless claims, housing data point to softening economic activity

WASHINGTON -The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, but stayed at levels consistent with a further loss of labor market momentum in June and...

Exclusive-Russia's Sberbank warns of economy overcooling, says key rate below 15% would spur growth

ST PETERSBURG -The Russian economy could cool down excessively due to high interest rates and may face difficulties returning to a growth path, Alexander Vedyakhin, First Deputy CEO of Russia's...

Fed announces meeting to discuss easing bank leverage rules

WASHINGTON -The Federal Reserve will consider plans to ease leverage requirements on larger banks at a meeting later this month, kicking off what is expected to be a broad effort to reconsider bank...

Fed policymakers meet as new data raises growth concerns, geopolitical risks rise

WASHINGTON -Federal Reserve officials met on Tuesday armed with new economic data that could give more weight to their concerns that Trump administration policies, or at least the intense uncertainty...

Currencies: On the brink

The dollar fell sharply again last week against the major G10 currencies, and it took Israel's surprise attack on Iran to give it some respite. But will that be enough to prevent it from plunging...

The dollar's crown is slipping, and fast

LONDON -The dollar has sunk to its lowest in three years as rapidly changing U.S. trade policy unsettles markets and expectations build for Federal Reserve rate cuts, fuelling outflows from the...

US producer prices rebound less than expected in May

WASHINGTON -U.S. producer prices increased less than expected in May, restrained by lower costs for services like air fares. The producer price index for final demand rebounded 0.1%...

US consumer prices rise moderately; tariffs expected to fan inflation

WASHINGTON -U.S. consumer prices increased less than expected in May as cheaper gasoline partially offset higher rents, but inflation is expected to accelerate in the coming months on the back of the...

Fed seen on track to start cutting rates by September

Cooler-than-expected U.S. inflation last month deepened conviction in financial markets on Wednesday that the Federal Reserve will start cutting interest rates by September and deliver a second...

BOJ to postpone rate hike to Q1 next year, tiny majority of economists say

TOKYO -The Bank of Japan will forego another interest rate hike this year due to uncertainty over U.S. tariff policy, according to a slight majority of economists in a Reuters poll who expect the...

EU's new Russia sanctions to target energy sector and banks

BRUSSELS -The European Commission proposed on Tuesday an 18th package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, aimed at Moscow's energy revenues, its banks and its military industry. ...

Deal to get US-China trade truce back on track is done, Trump says

WASHINGTON/LONDON -President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he was very happy with a trade deal that restored a fragile truce in the U.S.-China trade war, a day after negotiators from Washington and...

Brazil inflation estimated to have edged down in May

Brazil's inflation is estimated to have edged down in May as a persistent rise in food and beverage prices took a break, a Reuters poll found. Food inflation has begun to cool due to a...

Why Brazil's 'King of Cattle' is embracing a plan to save the Amazon

XINGUARA, Brazil -Decades of ranching in the Amazon have earned Roque Quagliato, Brazil's King of Cattle, great wealth - and some trouble. His family's immense farms were accused of submitting workers...