News Results

* Dollar/yen hits highest since January. * Japan's Katayama said new government closely monitoring markets. * Dollar strengthens against major currencies as traders await payrolls data. By Laura Matthews and Joice Alves.

AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ?bbb? of S2C S.p.A. Compagnia di Assicurazioni di Crediti e Cauzioni. The ratings reflect S2C?s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as adequate, as well as its strong operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

* Trade deficit shrinks 23.8% to $59.6 billion in August. * Goods imports tumble 6.6% to $264.6 billion. * Exports of goods fall 0.3% to $179.0 billion. By Lucia Mutikani.

After terminating the project in September, the council approved an initial deal with a new contractor team to develop design and construction options.

* Bitcoin back above $90,000. * Nvidia (NVDA) earnings seen as key to AI market outlook. * Delayed employment data may impact Fed rate decision. * Treasury yields rise as investors await Fed minutes. * Europe stocks fall, dollar up against yen. By Stephen Culp.

Element Fleet Management (ELEEF) on Wednesday said it intends to sell senior unsecured notes in a proposed private offering that will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, subject to market and other conditions.

Pottery Barn (WSM) owner Williams-Sonoma (WSM) kept its annual sales forecast intact on Wednesday, after topping quarterly estimates, signaling rising pressure of tariff-led uncertainty on demand for discretionary items including furniture and home decor.

New Brunswick released its mid-year economic and fiscal update, with a projected FY26 deficit of $836 million, or 1.7% of gross domestic product, compared with $549 million, or 1.1% GDP, in the Budget, said Scotiabank. No new policy measures were announced by the Canadian province. A lower revenue forecast drove most of the increase in the FY26 deficit, stated the bank.

* Delayed economic data adds uncertainty to Fed policy decisions. * Fed minutes may reveal opposition to December rate cut. * September jobs report expected to show 50,000 new jobs. By Karen Brettell.

Baxter International (BAX) said Wednesday that it has launched tender offers to buy certain debt securities for cash. The tender offers include the 2.600% senior unsecured notes due 2026, which have $750 million of outstanding principle, and the 1.915% senior unsecured notes due 2027, which have $1.45 billion of outstanding principle.

Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran on Wednesday called for regulators to exempt U.S. Treasury bonds from a key bank leverage ratio, arguing agencies should go further than previously proposed plans. The Fed in June proposed overhauling how much capital large global banks must hold against relatively low-risk assets, as part of a bid to boost participation in Treasury markets.

-Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran said on Wednesday that easing financial firms' regulatory burden could allow the U.S. central bank to shrink the size of its balance sheet again in the future.

Diverging Performance Within Asset Classes Bolsters Case for Active Management Northern Trust Asset Management, a leading global investment management firm with $1.4 trillion in assets under management as of September 30, 2025, expects the global economy in 2026 to continue to grow by maintaining momentum and avoiding recession, despite ongoing risks.

AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A+ and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of ?aa-? of RiverSource Life Insurance Company and its wholly owned subsidiary, RiverSource Life Insurance Co. of New York.

-The U.S. Commerce Department's Census Bureau said on Wednesday it would publish both September retail sales and food services and durable goods orders reports next week. The monthly sales report for retail and food services will be issued on Tuesday, while the durable goods orders report is set for publication on Wednesday.

The Central Bank of Iceland Wednesday said its Monetary Policy Committee decided to lower interest rates by 25 basis points, with the key interest rate -- the rate on seven-day term deposits -- falling to 7.25%. All MPC members voted in favour of the decision, noted the policy statement.

CTBC Bank in partnership with the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco have awarded the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation a $150,000 economic development grant to support fire disaster relief under the Access to Housing and Economic Assistance for Development program. CTBC delivered the AHEAD grant to LAEDC for the second year in a row.

Recurring work, digital payments, and a fall rebound fuel cautious optimism in Q3 2025 TORONTO, Nov. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -?Jobber, the leading provider of home service software, today released its latest Home Service Economic Report: Q3 2025.

* Dollar/yen hits highest since January. * Sterling eases after UK inflation data. * Nvidia (NVDA) earnings in focus. * Trump renews attack on Fed Chair Powell. By Ozan Ergenay and Joice Alves.

The US international trade deficit narrowed to $59.55 billion in August from a revised $78.15 billion gap in July, compared with a $60.4 billion gap expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg as of 7:30 am ET. Exports rose in the month, while imports fell.

The U.S. trade deficit narrowed more than expected in August as businesses imported fewer goods against the backdrop of higher tariffs, a trend that if sustained could be a potential tailwind for economic growth in the third quarter.

The U.S. trade deficit narrowed more than expected in August as imports declined, but trade could still subtract from economic growth in the third quarter. Imports decreased 5.1% to $340.4 billion, while exports edged up 0.1% to $280.8 billion. The report, which was initially scheduled for release on October 7, was delayed because of the recently ended 43-day shutdown of the government.

Element Fleet Management Corp. (ELEEF), the largest publicly traded pure-play automotive fleet manager in the world, today announced that it intends to sell senior unsecured notes in a proposed private offering that will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, subject to market and other conditions.

Canadian housing starts pulled back sharply in October to a 232,800 annual pace, said Bank of Montreal. That brought the year-to-date average down to 256,000, a bit below the bank's call for the year but still above last year's overall result of 245,000.

A $1.2 billion revenue bond required the Columbus Regional Airport Authority to "start from scratch." The result is The Bond Buyer's Midwest Deal of the Year.

Modernising regulations, aligning rules around stablecoins and keeping tabs on ballooning debt and private credit markets are next year's top priorities, global financial regulators said on Wednesday.

The US dollar rose against its major trading partners early Wednesday, except for a decline versus the euro, ahead of delayed release of international trade data for August at 8:30 am ET and weekly oil stocks inventory data at 10:30 am ET.

PPL's capital funding subsidiary said Wednesday it plans to offer $1 billion worth of exchangeable senior notes due 2030 in a private placement. The PPL funding subsidiary said it intends to grant initial purchasers a 13-day option to purchase up to $150 million worth of additional notes.

Damage to the independence of the U.S. Federal Reserve remains a risk going into 2026, the chief investment officer of Europe's largest asset manager said on Wednesday. Amundi, which manages 2.3 trillion euros, favours European and emerging market bonds and is underweight megacap stocks, according to Vincent Mortier.

* Fed independence still a risk - Amundi CIO Mortier. * Firm is underweight megacap stocks. * Expects the ECB will cut rates more than markets expect. By Yoruk Bahceli. Damage to the independence of the U.S. Federal Reserve remains a risk going into 2026, the chief investment officer of Europe's largest asset manager said on Wednesday.

The United Kingdom's October consumer price index ended up being less exciting than Deutsche Bank thought it could be. Headline CPI printed slightly above consensus and Bank of England expectations, at 3.6% y/y, supported by still sticky and elevated food price momentum, noted Sanjay Raja, Deutsche Bank's chief U.K. economist.

The October inflation data released earlier Wednesday in the United Kingdom is largely in line with market consensus -- that means no nasty surprises that could have raised doubts over the ability of the Bank of England to cut the key policy rate in December, said MUFG.

Cenovus Energy (CVE), which recently completed its acquisition of MEG Energy Corp, was at last look Wednesday down 0.3% in US premarket after announcing overnight that it has priced an offering of $2.6 billion in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes.

29 meeting could provide more insight on Wednesday into the depth of the divide that has emerged among policymakers navigating an official data blackout, conflicting signals from available information, and a leadership transition during the final months of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's tenure in the top job.

HYDERABAD, India, Nov. 19, 2025 According to Mordor Intelligence, the foreign exchange market size stood at USD 0.89 trillion in 2025 and is expected to reach USD 1.18 trillion by 2030, advancing at a 5.83% CAGR. Growth is driven by expanding electronic trading adoption, improved central-bank policy coordination, and the shift toward real-time settlement systems.

The cost of U.S. overnight funding in the repo market has stayed stubbornly high and is expected to remain elevated going into year-end despite recent Federal Reserve easing, adding another layer of stress to already fragile financial markets. A spike in repurchase or repo rates signals liquidity is scarce and raises funding costs across the financial system.