Retailers in the U.S. are gearing up for Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, which kicks off the holiday shopping season that typically account for a third of U.S. retailers' annual profits. WHY IS IT CALLED 'BLACK' FRIDAY?
Brazil's public sector gross debt hit 78.6% of gross domestic product in October, up from 78.1% the month before, central bank data showed on Friday. The public sector recorded a primary surplus of 32.39 billion reais for the month.
Futures linked to Canada's main stock index held steady on Friday as investors awaited domestic GDP data, while the benchmark remained set for its seventh consecutive month of gains. December futures on the S&P/TSX index were flat at 1835.2 points at 06:00 a.m. ET.
Investors will look in the coming week for signals about profitability for artificial intelligence companies, as well as the broader economy's health, to steady the U.S. equity market. Stocks rebounded this week from their biggest pullback since April, helped by a firming conviction that the U.S. Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in December.
Bargain-hunting Americans clicked their way through Thanksgiving, spending 5% more than last year, as more consumers turned to laptops and phones instead of braving brisk weather to snap up deals over the crucial Black Friday shopping weekend.
Fitch: * FITCH UPGRADES ZAMBIA TO 'B-'; OUTLOOK STABLE. * FITCH: UPGRADE OF ZAMBIA'S LTFC IDR REFLECTS ASSESSMENT THAT ZAMBIA HAS NORMALISED RELATIONS WITH MAJORITY OF ITS EXTERNAL COMMERCIAL CREDITORS. * FITCH ON ZAMBIA: AUGUST 2026 ELECTIONS COULD POSE A RISK TO FISCAL DISCIPLINE.
While Canada's current account deficit was smaller than expected in Q3, the fact is that it is still in the red, said Bank of Montreal. What's different this cycle from 15-20 years ago is that the roles have reversed between trade in goods and the balance in services and income, noted the bank. This was usually countered by large deficits in all other areas, pointed out BMO.
* Stocks rebounding after biggest pullback since April. * AI news keep markets on edge amid big gains for Alphabet shares. * Manufacturing, services activity, consumer sentiment reports due. * Bets rise on December Fed rate cut. By Lewis Krauskopf.
* Retailers face challenge as consumer spending intentions decline. * Black Friday's significance diluted by extended online promotions. * Labor market concerns lead to selective purchasing among shoppers. By Siddharth Cavale.
Beneath the U.S. bond markets' composure around the prospect of White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett becoming the next Federal Reserve chair lies a niggling worry that his bias for interest rate cuts will undermine the dollar.
Conflicting signals from the Federal Reserve on the timing and magnitude of U.S. interest rate cuts have accelerated hedging flows into swaptions and derivatives tied to overnight rates, with investors seeking protection against heightened policy uncertainty.
Asian stock markets churned on Friday, as traders looked for fresh cues from New York trading floors and awaited the next rate moves slated for December by the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan. Shanghai and Tokyo finished modestly in the green, while Shanghai edged lower.
* CME trading halt affects FX, commodities, equities futures. * Investors see 85% chance of a rate cut in December. * US dollar heads for worst week since late July. * All metals headed for weekly and monthly gains. By Noel John.
* Traders ramp up bets Fed will cut rates on Dec 10. * US closed for Thanksgiving holiday. * Japanese economic data strengthen case for BOJ hike. * CME Group halts trade on its popular currency platform and futures. By Ozan Ergenay and Gregor Stuart Hunter.
Global stocks headed into a jittery final session of the month on Friday, as an outage at exchange operator CME Group halted trading in a swathe of futures on currencies, commodities, Treasuries and stocks, further draining market liquidity. The outage at CME datacentres came with U.S. investors due to return from the Thanksgiving holiday for a shortened session on Friday.
Euro zone growth and inflation remain on a benign path, a slew of fresh data suggested on Friday, supporting economists' bets that no further European Central Bank rate cuts are coming in the near future.
JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs have realigned their interest rate outlooks, now forecasting that the Federal Reserve will deliver a quarter-point cut after its Dec. 9-10 meeting. JP Morgan, reversing its earlier prediction of a pause until January, cited recent comments from central bank officials as the primary driver for the shift.
European shares inched higher on Friday, poised for their fifth consecutive month of gains, as rising bets of a U.S. interest rate cut lifted the index. The pan-European STOXX 600 was up 0.1% at 575.28 points by 0802 GMT, on track for its best weekly showing since early October. Major regional bourses in London and France added 0.1% each.
Euro zone benchmark Bund yields were set for a second straight weekly decline, tracking U.S. Treasuries after the shutdown ended and fresh U.S. economic data hit the market. German bond yields fell more modestly than their U.S. counterparts, with the gap between 10-year Treasuries and Bunds narrowing to its lowest since April late Wednesday.
* German jobless rate unchanged at 6.3%, labour demand slows. * Inflation steady in key states of Europe's largest economy. * Retail sales fall 0.3%, weak growth expected for holiday season. By Maria Martinez. BERLIN, Nov 28 - German inflation accelerated more than expected in November, reaching the highest level since February, while the number of people out of work rose and retail sales fell.
Japan's Nikkei share average added to a weekly advance on Friday as investor attention turned towards major central bank decisions next month. The Nikkei 225 index swayed between gains and losses before closing up 0.2% at 50,253.91. The gauge rallied 3.4% for the week, but its 4.2% slide this month marks the worst November performance since 2011.
* 87% chance of a rate cut in December - CME FedWatch Tool. * US dollar heads for worst week since late July. * All metals headed for weekly and monthly gains. By Ishaan Arora. Nov 28 - Gold prices climbed on Friday and were poised for a fourth straight monthly rise, bolstered by investor optimism that the U.S. Federal Reserve would cut interest rates in December.
Japan's Nikkei share average was poised for a weekly advance on Friday as investor attention turned towards major central bank decisions next month. The Nikkei 225 Index slid 0.2% to 50,084.8. The gauge was poised for a 3.2% weekly advance, but its 4.2% slide this month would be the worst November performance since 2011.
U.S. stocks ended higher in a truncated, post-holiday session on Friday that was complicated by an outage at an exchange operator as investors closed the book on a tumultuous month and kicked off the holiday shopping season. The three major U.S. stock indexes made modest advances on the day, benchmark Treasury yields strengthened, and gold advanced.
* Asia shares set for weekly gains, still down sharply in the month. * Dollar falls in the week, with Aussie, kiwi big gainers. * Treasuries extend winning streak as markets bet on Fed cut. By Stella Qiu.
The U.S. dollar was heading for its worst weekly performance since late July on Friday as traders increased bets that the Federal Reserve will cut rates again next month. The dollar has dropped this week as traders conclude that weakening labor data will lead to more rate cuts, even as many Fed policymakers express concern about still-elevated inflation.
* Traders ramp up bets Fed will cut rates on Dec 10. * US closed for Thanksgiving holiday. * Japanese economic data strengthen case for BOJ hike. * Sterling rallies after budget meets with market approval. By Gregor Stuart Hunter.
* Tokyo November core CPI up 2.8% yr/yr vs forecast +2.7% * Index excluding fresh food, fuel steady at +2.8% * Factory output rises, manufacturers expect falls ahead. * Data among factors BOJ will scrutinise at December meeting. By Leika Kihara.
Britain's car production fell 23.8% to 59,010 units in October as the sector continued to feel the impact of an unprecedented cyberattack at Jaguar Land Rover, the country's largest automaker, industry data showed on Friday.
Online sales in the U.S. on the Thanksgiving holiday are expected to rise 6% compared with last year to reach $8.6 billion, data from Salesforce (CRM) showed on Thursday, suggesting shoppers were lapping up steep discounts from retailers to splurge amid tariff-induced macroeconomic uncertainty.
* TSX ends up 0.1% at 31,196.71. * Moves past Wednesday's record closing high. * Energy sector adds 0.2% as price climbs. * Technology ends 0.3% higher. By Fergal Smith. Canada's main stock index edged up to another record high on Thursday, led by gains for energy and technology shares, as investor sentiment remained positive in advance of domestic GDP data.
The new head of the Bank for International Settlements has said reining in hedge funds' ability to make highly leveraged bets in government bond markets should be a key priority for policymakers given rapidly increasing public debt levels.
* Canadian dollar gains 0.1% against the greenback. * Touches strongest level since November 19 at 1.4029. * Current account deficit narrows to C$9.68 billion. * 10-year yield touches a near three-week low. By Fergal Smith.
Tether just got slapped with the lowest possible stability score from S&P Global ? and in the same breath, it's quietly buying more gold than sovereign nations. In its Nov. 26 assessment, S&P moved USDT from 4 to 5, warning that Tether's reserve composition has shifted meaningfully toward riskier components including Bitcoin, Gold, Secured loans and Corporate credit.
* ECB minutes suggest no rush to cut rates. * Euro zone bond yields diverge from U.S. yields. * UK bond markets calm after budget presentation. By Ozan Ergenay and Amanda Cooper.
* Stocks edge up, US rate cut expectations grow. * Yen perks up but intervention focus remains. * AI spending worries subside for now. * US markets closed for Thanksgiving holiday, trading more muted. By Amanda Cooper.
Canada's current account deficit improved to $9.7 billion, or $38.7 billion a.r., in Q3, following the record shortfall of $21.6 billion in Q2, said Bank of Montreal. That's estimated to account for 1.2% of gross domestic product -- with the latter figure to be released on Friday -- and roughly in line with the average over the past year, noted the bank.
Equities roared higher again heading into Thursday's United States Thanksgiving, fueled by Federal Reserve rate cut prospects and leaving recent concerns around valuations in the dust, said Bank of Montreal. Canada wasn't left out, as the TSX punched above the 31,000 level for the first time and is up more than 20% from year-ago levels, and more than 50% in the past two years, noted the bank.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand cut the cash rate by 25bps to 2.25% this week, as widely expected, said UBS. However, its explicit easing bias has been removed, and Governor Christian Hawkesby, at his last press conference, signaled that a hike would become more likely after mid-2026. December 2025 for a five-year term.
By Marc Jones. The Bank for International Settlements, the umbrella body for central banks, on Tuesday named a new head of its Innovation Hub that oversees its influential work on digital currencies, artificial intelligence and other up-and-coming technologies.
Canada's current account deficit on a seasonally adjusted basis narrowed by $11.9 billion to $9.7 billion in Q3, said the country's statistical agency on Thursday. The Q3 deficit was much lower than the $15.1 billion consensus deficit provided by MUFG.
NEW YORK, Nov. 27, 2025 ?upGrad, global skilling major has today announced the appointment of Amitabh Kant - former G20 Sherpa of India, former CEO of NITI Aayog, and one of the country's most respected reformers, to its?Board of Directors as Independent Non-Executive Director.
European Central Bank policymakers were in no hurry to cut rates when they met last month as uncertainty remained high and some even thought that no more easing would be needed, the accounts of the October 29-30 meeting showed on Thursday.
* Stocks edge up, US rate cut expectations grow. * Yen perks up but intervention focus remains. * AI spending worries subside for now. * US markets closed for Thanksgiving holiday, trading more muted. By Amanda Cooper.
In November, the European Commission's economic sentiment indicator climbed to 97 from 96.8 in October, said ING after Thursday's data. However, industrial confidence dipped, mainly due to dwindling orders -- especially from exports. At the same time, inventory assessments dropped to their lowest point since May, which could pave the way for increased production early next year, pointed out ING.
By Ozan Ergenay. Euro zone bond yields steadied in early trading on Thursday, set for a second straight weekly decline, amid subdued activity across most markets due to the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday and growing expectations of a December rate cut by the Fed.
In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.
Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.
Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact Fidelity for a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this information. Read it carefully.