* Dollar languishes near over one-month lows. * Core PCE data on Friday showed modest increase in prices. * Silver hit a record high of $59.32/oz on Friday. By Ishaan Arora. Gold nudged higher on Monday, supported by a softer dollar as traders grew more confident the U.S. Federal Reserve will deliver an interest-rate cut at its policy meeting this week.
* Nikkei flat, Wall St futures fraction firmer. * China stocks gain as Nov exports top forecasts. * Fed expected to deliver hawkish rate cut on Wednesday. * Rates set to stay on hold in Canada, Switzerland, Australia. By Wayne Cole.
China's trade surplus topped $1 trillion for the first time as manufacturers seeking to avoid President Donald Trump's tariffs shipped more to non-U.S. markets in November, with exports to Europe, Australia and Southeast Asia surging. Shipments to the United States dropped by close to one-third from the same month a year before.
* China's trade surplus tops $1 trillion in first 11 months of 2025. * November exports top expectations as non-US shipments lead amid high US tariffs. * Imports underperform, pointing to still-subdued domestic demand. * PMI surveys suggest exporters face challenging 2026. By Joe Cash.
Shanghai Copper opened the week higher on Monday, bolstered by expectations of an interest rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve. The most-active copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange was up 0.52% at 92,040 yuan per metric ton as of 0215 GMT. In contrast, the benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange ticked 0.23% lower to $11,593 a ton.
The U.S. dollar rose against major currencies on Monday in choppy trading ahead of a week packed with central bank meetings and headlined by the Federal Reserve, where an interest rate cut is all but priced in, but investors braced for signals of a milder easing cycle than expected.
* 'Hawkish cut' expected for Fed. * Rates seen on hold in Australia, Canada, Switzerland and Brazil. The U.S. dollar steadied on Monday after two weeks of selling, ahead of a week crammed with central bank meetings and headlined by the U.S. Federal Reserve, where an interest rate cut is all but priced in but a divided committee makes for a wild card.
U.S. Treasury yields and the dollar gained on Monday as investors prepared for this week's Federal Reserve meeting, with investors widely expecting an interest rate cut, while major stock indexes were lower. Investors also assessed the potential impact of a powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake that shook Japan's northeast region.
* Nikkei dips, S&P futures flat in thin trade. * Fed expected to deliver hawkish rate cut on Wednesday. * Rates set to stay on hold in Canada, Switzerland, Australia. By Wayne Cole.
Oil prices hovered at two-week highs on Monday as investors expect a Federal Reserve interest rate cut this week that will lift economic growth and energy demand while eyeing geopolitical risks that threaten oil supplies from Russia and Venezuela.
* Q3 GDP contraction revised to annualised 2.3% from 1.8% * Contraction temporary, minimal impact on rates, economists say. * Private consumption figure raised, capital expenditure lowered. By Satoshi Sugiyama.
Japan's economy contracted faster than initially reported in the July-September period from the previous quarter, revised government data showed on Monday. External demand, or exports minus imports, knocked 0.2 percentage points off growth, unchanged from the preliminary reading.
* Fed's internal division over interest-rate cut draws investors' attention. * Markets pricing in an 84% chance of quarter-point cut. * Powell's guidance and dissent count being watched for clues about future Fed policy. By Laura Matthews.
The Federal Reserve meeting next week is expected to be one of its most contentious in years, and investors are focused on how divided policymakers are over an expected interest-rate cut and what Chair Jerome Powell signals about the path ahead.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he had threatened Beijing with tariffs during his state visit to China if there was no action taken to reduce the country's ever-widening trade deficit with the European Union. During Macron's visit earlier in December, he urged China to boost cooperation on "unsustainable" global trade imbalances, geopolitics and the environment.
China kept adding gold to its reserves of the precious metal, with its holdings totalling 74.12 million fine troy ounces at the end of November from 74.09 million at the end of October, extending its buying spree for the 13th month in a row.
China's central bank has upgraded a bilateral currency swap agreement to a long-term standing swap deal with the Monetary Authority of Macao, the People's Bank of China said late on Friday. The size of the deal will be expanded to 50 billion yuan from 30 billion yuan, the PBOC also said.
US equity indexes rose this week as the odds of a third consecutive interest rate cut remained elevated amid supportive macroeconomic data and as leadership returned to high-growth sectors. * The S&P 500 closed at 6,870.40 on Friday versus 6,827.70 a week ago. * Technology and communication services were the top two sectors this week, a return of leadership to high-growth areas.
The Nasdaq Composite extended its winning streak to a fourth straight session on Friday, as Wall Street logged back-to-back weekly gains amid expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next week. The Nasdaq rose 0.3% to close at 23,578.1. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 each gained 0.2% to end at 47,955 and 6,870.4, respectively.
If the Federal Reserve needed any encouragement toward easing, the latest ADP numbers are pushing in that direction. "Hiring has been choppy of late as employers weather cautious consumers and an uncertain macroeconomic environment. Zooming out provides a clearer picture.
* Inflation print as expected; market reaction muted. * US consumer sentiment improves in early December. * Fed poised to cut 25 bps next week. * US 10-year yields hit largest weekly rise since April. * US two-year yields post biggest weekly increase since October. By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss.
* Warner Bros gains after Netflix (NFLX) agrees to buy the company. * Investors assess inflation and consumer sentiment data. * Ulta Beauty soars after raising forecasts. By Chuck Mikolajczak. NEW YORK, Dec 5 - U.S. stocks closed out the trading week with slight gains on Friday as the latest flurry of economic data kept elevated expectations for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut next week intact.
* Traders price a near 90% chance on a Fed cut on December 10. * US consumer sentiment improves in early December. * Yen edges up amid reports BOJ likely to hike this month. * Bitcoin slips for second straight session. By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed.
Financial stocks were advancing in late Friday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index and the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund each adding 0.2%. The Philadelphia Housing Index was 0.3% lower, and the Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund rose 0.3%. Bitcoin was declining 2.6% to $89,725, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries rose 3 basis points to 4.14%. In corporate news, Barclays (BCS) is...
* Wall Street stocks on track for second straight week of gains. * European stocks finish flat, copper hits record highs. * Japanese bonds sell off, yen strengthens on BOJ rate-hike signals. * US September PCE data rises in line with expectations. By Chibuike Oguh and Amanda Cooper.
The Trump administration is requesting information on revitalizing Dulles International Airport, including the possibility of tapping a public-private partnership.
AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ?bbb+? of Aseguradora Agricola Comercial, S.A.. The outlook of these Credit Ratings is stable. The ratings reflect ACSA?s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.
* US consumer spending moderates in September. * Silver hits a record high of $59.32/oz. * Gold seen trading between $4,500 and $5,000 in 2026. By Anmol Choubey. Gold prices rose on Friday as mounting expectations of a U.S. Federal Reserve rate cut next week buoyed sentiment, while silver soared to a record high.
Gold was steady midafternoon on Friday after a report showed U.S. inflation continued to run hot in September but not enough to derail expectations the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next week. Gold for February delivery was last seen up US$3.70 to US$4,246.70 per ounce.
Financial stocks were advancing in Friday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index up 0.4% and the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund adding 0.3%. The Philadelphia Housing Index was 0.1% lower, and the Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund rose 0.3%. Bitcoin was declining 3.4% to $89,266, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries rose 4 basis points to 4.14%. In corporate news, DigitalBridge...
Ukraine's latest bid to swap its GDP warrants for new bonds is "significantly more appealing" than previous proposals and is likely to lure many of the holders, Citi said in a note on Friday.
AM Best has assigned a Long-Term Issue Credit Rating of ?bbb? to the $102.5 million, 6% surplus notes, due June 2038, issued by Victor Insurance Exchange. As a start-up organization in 2023, the exchange utilized the surplus notes provided by its financial sponsor, Gallatin Point Capital, as its initial capitalization.
US consumer sentiment picked up after a four-month deterioration, while year-ahead inflation expectations hit the lowest in 11 months, preliminary results from a University of Michigan survey showed Friday. The main sentiment index rose to 53.3 in December from 51 in November.
Financial stocks were advancing in Friday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index up 0.2% and the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund adding 0.3%. The Philadelphia Housing Index was fractionally higher, and the Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund rose 0.4%. Bitcoin was declining 3% to $89,395, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries rose 4 basis points to 4.14%. In corporate news, Digita...
C. Christopher Trower was the lead attorney before the Supreme Court in a case that upheld states' rights to preferential tax treatment of their own bonds.
* Indexes up: Dow 0.22%, S&P 500 0.27%, Nasdaq 0.33% * Warner Bros gains after Netflix (NFLX) agrees to buy the company. * Investors assess inflation and consumer sentiment data. * Ulta Beauty soars after raising forecasts. By Johann M Cherian and Pranav Kashyap.
The Toronto Stock Exchange was lower midday on Friday despite a better than expected jobs report for November. The S&P/TSX Composite Index was last seen down 113.39 Points to 31,364.18 after setting a record high a day earlier. The drop comes even as Statistics Canada reported Canada added 54,000 new jobs last month, driven by gains in part-time work.
The European stock markets closed mixed in Friday trading as the Stoxx Europe edged 0.01% higher, Germany's DAX gained 0.66%, the FTSE 100 declined 0.45 %, France's CAC was off 0.09%, and the Swiss Market Index rose 0.33%. Seasonally adjusted GDP increased 0.3% in the euro area and 0.4% in the EU in Q3, compared with the previous quarter, according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the Eur...
Consumer spending growth slowed in September, while the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation metric decelerated at the annual level, delayed government data showed Friday. Personal consumption expenditures rose 0.3% in September, in line with Wall Street's estimates, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said in a report.
KBRA releases the November 2025 issue of CMBS Trend Watch. With the Federal Reserve?s December meeting drawing near, market participants will be closely watching the central bank?s policy decision and guidance to aid in their projections for 2026. In November, KBRA published pre-sales for seven deals, including two conduits, two single-family rentals, two CRE CLOs, and one Agency.
* Wall Street stocks on track for second straight week of gains. * European stocks rise, copper hits record highs. * Japanese bonds sell off, yen strengthens on BOJ rate-hike signals. * US September PCE data rises in line with expectations. By Chibuike Oguh and Amanda Cooper.
AM Best has upgraded Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to ?bbb+? from ?bbb? and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ of Ikal Insurance Company AG. The ratings reflect Ikal?s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.
* US consumer spending moderates in September. * Silver hits a record high of $59.32/oz. * Gold seen trading between $4,500 and $5,000 in 2026. By Anmol Choubey. Gold prices rose 1% and were on track for a weekly gain as growing expectations of a U.S. Federal Reserve rate cut next week pressured the dollar, while silver reached a record high.
* Traders price a near 90% chance on a Fed cut on December 10. * US consumer sentiment improves in early December. * Yen treads water amid reports BOJ likely to hike this month. * Bitcoin slips for second straight session. By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed.
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.