* Investors weigh potential for Fed rate cut. * Peace talks on Russia-Ukraine stall. * U.S. crude stocks rise vs expected draw. By Georgina McCartney. Oil prices settled up on Thursday on investors' expectations for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, while stalled Ukraine peace talks tempered expectations of a deal restoring Russian oil flows.
Freddie Mac today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey?, showing the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.19%. ?Mortgage rates decreased for the second straight week as we emerged from the Thanksgiving holiday,? said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac?s Chief Economist.
Syria's economy is growing much faster than the World Bank's 1% estimate for 2025 as refugees flow back after the end of a 14-year civil war, fueling plans for the relaunch of its currency and efforts to build a new Middle East financial hub, central bank Governor AbdulKader Husrieh said on Thursday.
"The Nominating Committee's goal is to achieve broad representation of the municipal securities market on the MSRB Board of Directors," the committee's chair said.
* Fed expected to cut rates amid weak economic data. * U.S. dollar index set for 10th straight session of losses. * Japanese stocks lead gains, Nikkei up 2% By Chibuike Oguh and Amanda Cooper.
Endeavour Silver Corp. (EXK) announced today the closing of its previously announced offering of US$350 million aggregate principal amount of 0.25% unsecured convertible senior notes due 2031, which includes the exercise in full of the US$50 million option granted to the initial purchasers of the Notes.
Market expectations for next year's Federal Reserve policy have quietly shifted in recent weeks, and the tone has grown noticeably more dovish. Investors now anticipate roughly two and a half rate cuts in 2026, according to the CME FedWatch tool, a mix that essentially means two cuts are fully baked in, while a third is hovering with meaningful probability.
* Rate cut bets weigh on dollar. * US weekly jobless claims at lowest level in more than three years. * Yen supported by rate hike expectations. * Bitcoin takes breather, slips 1% By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed.
Nomura said it believes the rate-cutting cycle at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand has most likely ended. The reasons for this forecast are that, one, the economy is now commencing what appears to be an enduring recovery, and, second, monetary policy is now in accommodative territory, while as third, inflation is still at the top of the RBNZ's target band and forecast to decline only slowly.
The U.S. Congress' watchdog said this week it will investigate whether Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte abused his position and government resources to accuse President Donald Trump's perceived enemies of crimes, according to a letter from the agency reviewed by Reuters.
Bank of Montreal (BNKD): * BMO CEO SAYS CANADIAN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS LIKELY TO REMAIN ABOVE 7% THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF 2026, PRESENTING SOME CHALLENGES, PARTICULARLY TO CONSUMER CREDIT - CONF. CALL. * BMO EXEC EXPECTS CORE EXPENSE GROWTH TO BE IN THE MID SINGLE DIGIT RANGE IN 2026. * BMO EXEC SAYS EXPECT TO CONTINUE BUYING BACK SHARES IN 2026.
* Indexes: Dow fell 0.04%, S&P 500 flat, Nasdaq down 0.07% * Hormel Foods (HRL) rises after annual profit forecast above estimates. * Salesforce climbs as FY26 outlook gets boost. * Investors assess a series of labor market data. By Johann M Cherian and Pranav Kashyap.
* US weekly jobless claims drop to over 3-year low. * Gold will not retest the old highs, analyst says. * US private payrolls fell by 32,000, jobs data on Wednesday showed. By Anmol Choubey.
AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A+ and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of ?aa? of Minnesota Life Insurance Company and its subsidiary, Securian Life Insurance Company, together referred to as Securian Financial Insurance Group.
Canadian economic activity contracted in November for the first time in six months as a measure of employment declined, Ivey Purchasing Managers Index data showed on Thursday.
AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ?bb+? of Mongolian National Reinsurance JSC. The ratings reflect Mongolian Re?s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse argues the bearish mood around Bitcoin is temporary and completely out of sync with the structural tailwinds supporting the market. What Happened: Speaking at Binance Blockchain Week 2025, Garlinghouse said the U.S., which accounts for over one-fifth of global GDP, is undergoing a historic shift from anti-crypto hostility to pro-crypto regulation.
Step strengthens Louisiana?s role in U.S. energy leadership and advances project finance process for biomass?to?fuel facility DevvStream Corp. (DEVS), a leading carbon management and environmental-asset monetization firm, and Southern Energy Renewables Inc., a U.S.-based producer of low-cost fuels made from biomass, with a flagship Louisiana project that plans to utilize regional wood-waste biom...
* Weekly jobless claims drop 27,000 to 191,000. * Continuing claims fall 4,000 to 1.939 million. * Planned layoffs decrease 53% in November. By Lucia Mutikani.
Brazil's Finance Ministry said on Thursday it expects the economy to post a positive fourth-quarter growth supported by a slight pickup in services activity, after a weaker-than-expected third quarter. * GDP grew 0.1% in the third quarter from the previous three months, below the 0.2% forecast in a Reuters poll.
Gold traded lower early on Thursday as treasury yields rose ahead of key U.S. inflation data coming Friday and next week's interest-rate decision from the Federal Reserve. Gold for February delivery was last seen down US$9.00 to US$4,223.50 per ounce.
Visa plans to launch operations in Syria following an agreement with the war-torn country's central bank on a roadmap to develop a digital payments ecosystem, the bank's governor and the company said on Thursday. "We are glad that we are working with Visa," Syrian central bank governor AbdulKader Husrieh told Reuters NEXT, adding that country officials have further meetings with Visa?on Thursday.
Visa plans to launch operations in Syria following an agreement with the war-torn country's central bank on a roadmap to develop a digital payments ecosystem, the bank's governor and the company said on Thursday. "We are glad that we are working with Visa," Syrian central bank governor AbdulKader Husrieh told Reuters NEXT, adding that country officials have further meetings with Visa on Thursday.
The U.S. Federal Reserve will reduce its key interest rate by a quarter-percentage point at the December 9-10 policy meeting to support a cooling labour market, according to a majority of over 100 economists surveyed by Reuters.
The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell to a more than three-year low last week, allaying fears of a sharp deterioration in labor market conditions after independent surveys showed job losses in November.
US initial jobless claims fell to a level of 191,000 in the week ended Nov. 29 from an upwardly revised 218,000 level in the previous week, compared with expectations for an increase to 220,000 in survey of analysts compiled by Bloomberg as of 7:35 am ET. The level of initial claims was the lowest since the week ended Sept. 24, 2022, when it was 189,000.
The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits dropped to the lowest level in more than three years last week, still showing no signs of a deterioration in labor market conditions.
The U.S. unemployment rate was unchanged around 4.4% in November, the Chicago Federal Reserve estimated on Thursday, while closely watched data from a private provider added to the evidence that the U.S. labor market is slowly weakening.
TD Securities raised its price target on National Bank of Canada (NTIOF) to $181 from $161 on Thursday. Analyst Mario Mendonca maintained a Hold rating on shares of the Canadian bank following its Q4 results. "NA beat our estimate on strong trading revenue," Mendonca said in a note to clients.
Royal Bank of Canada (RY) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at TD Securities on Thursday. Analyst Mario Mendonca raised his price target on shares of the Canadian bank to $246 from $215 following its Q4 results on Wednesday. "Overall, a strong quarter for RY," Mendonca said in a note to clients.
Baxter International Inc. (BAX) today announced the early tender results for the previously announced cash tender offers for the 2026 Notes and 2027 Notes. The tender offers comprise Baxter?s offer to purchase for cash any and all of its 2.600% senior unsecured notes due 2026 and a portion of its 1.915% senior unsecured notes due 2027 in an aggregate purchase price up to $600 million.
The US dollar fell against its major trading partners early Thursday, except for a gain versus the Canadian dollar, ahead of the release of weekly jobless claims at 8:30 am ET, delayed factory orders data for September at 10:00 am ET, and weekly natural gas stock inventory data at 10:30 am ET.
US equity markets mostly edged higher before the opening bell Thursday amid growing expectations for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut next week following recent labor and economic data.
* Economy grew 0.1% in Q3, below 0.2% forecast. * Interest rates at nearly 20-year high, central bank cautious. * Services sector rose 0.1%, industry 0.8%, agriculture 0.4% By Marcela Ayres. Brazil's economy slowed more than expected in the third quarter as weak services and household spending reinforced signs of cooling under high interest rates, boosting expectations of easing early next year.
Brazil's economy expanded 0.1% in the third quarter from the previous three months, official data showed on Thursday, below the 0.2% growth forecast in a Reuters poll. On an annual basis, gross domestic product grew 1.8%, statistics agency IBGE said, compared with the 1.7% expected in the poll.
Resulting ION.au assets will be deployed into large-scale tokenization and stablecoin programs across I-ON's expanding open-finance network, underscoring accelerating institutional demand for its regulated, gold-backed digital asset platform.
* Irish modified domestic demand up 4.1% year-to-date. * Jump in investment by domestic firms drives Q3 growth. * Irish GDP remains elevated at 15.8% for first nine months. By Padraic Halpin.
* Sector is a crucial source of financing for big UK companies. * BoE cannot compel private equity and credit firms to participate in test. * BoE expects to produce final report in early 2027. By David Milliken and Phoebe Seers.
U.S. stocks closed near the unchanged mark on Thursday, as investors weighed a report on the labor market and other economic data, while equities drew support from elevated hopes for a Federal Reserve interest-rate cut next week. A 1.4% drop in Amazon.com shares weighed on the S&P 500, limiting its advance.
* Futures: Dow up 0.13%, S&P 500 up 0.08%, Nasdaq up 0.08% U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Thursday as investors took a pause after expectations of an imminent Federal Reserve interest rate cut lifted Wall Street's main indexes to new highs in the previous session, while caution prevailed ahead of a fresh batch of economic data.
Royal Bank of Canada (RY) has an average rating of overweight and mean price target of CA$226.92, according to analysts polled by FactSet. MT Newswires does not provide investment advice.
Societe Generale in its early Thursday economic news summary pointed out: -- US dollar selling subsides after weak ADP on Wednesday, Australian dollar pushes on above 0.66 after 1.3% month-over-month gain in October household spending tips scales towards Reserve Bank of Australia hike in H1 2026.
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.
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