AM Best has revised the outlooks to positive from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ?bbb+? of Sapphire Reinsurance Company.
AM Best has assigned a Financial Strength Rating of B+ and a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ?bbb-? to Sky Reinsurance Ltd.. The outlook assigned to these Credit Ratings is stable. The ratings reflect Sky Re?s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.
The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits increased by the most in nearly 4-1/2 years last week, but the surge likely does not suggest a material weakening in labor market conditions, as the claims data are volatile around this time of year.
To no one's surprise, on Wednesday, the Bank of Canada left its overnight interest rate unchanged at 2.25%, said Morningstar. Many analysts see the decision as confirming the end of the BoC's monetary easing cycle, about a year and a half after it started, noted Morningstar.
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren labeled President Donald Trump's top contenders to lead the Federal Reserve "sock puppets" on Thursday, singling out Kevin Hassett as someone who would not be able to maintain the U.S. central bank's independence. "The president is looking for someone who will do his bidding," Warren said in an interview with CNBC.
* Indexes: Dow up 1%, S&P 500 off 0.34%, Nasdaq down 1.05% * AI bubble fears impact crypto and tech stocks. * Investors assess weekly jobless claims report. * Fed's rate cut brings optimism, but future rate path uncertain. By Johann M Cherian and Pranav Kashyap.
The S&P 500?and the Dow boasted record closing highs on Thursday as investors favored financial stocks after a Federal Reserve policy update that was less hawkish than expected while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite underperformed as Oracle's financial update made investors wary of artificial intelligence bets.
The European stock markets closed mostly higher in Thursday trading as The Stoxx Europe gained 0.52%, Germany's DAX rose 0.68%, the FTSE 100 was up 0.49%, and France's CAC advanced 0.79%, while the Swiss Market Index was off 0.13%. In Switzerland, the Swiss National Bank left its policy rate unchanged at 0%. The SNB said that although inflation has been slightly lower than expected in recent mo...
Details behind Thursday's surprisingly large swing in the Canadian trade balance back to surplus in September were consistent with earlier reports flagging a stabilization in the broader economic backdrop following significant trade disruptions that began in the spring, said RBC.
* FOMC announced 25-basis points rate cut on Wednesday. * November non-farm payrolls due on December 16. * Silver hits record high at $63.93/oz. By Sarah Qureshi. Dec 11 - Gold rose on Thursday to hit its highest level in more than a month after the U.S. Federal Reserve's quarter-point rate cut pushed the dollar lower, while silver surged to a fresh record high.
Freddie Mac today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey?, showing the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.22%. ?The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is well below the year-to-date average of 6.62%, providing some sense of balance to the housing market,? said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac?s Chief Economist.
SAN FERNANDO, Calif. "It has been an honor to lead Frazier Aviation and help shape the company our family founded more than 72 years ago into the global industry leader it is today for manufacturing and supplying aerospace component parts," said Bob Frazier.
* Jobless claims rise, volatility attributed to seasonal factors. * 10-yr yield on track for biggest two-day drop in two months. * Markets pricing in 24.4% chance of January Fed cut. By Chuck Mikolajczak.
* Canadian dollar gains 0.2% against the greenback. * Touches its strongest level since September 17 at 1.3757. * Canada posts trade surplus in September. * Canada-US 10-year spread touches narrowest since September 2024. By Fergal Smith.
Although delayed by the United States government shutdown, the September report on Canadian international trade nonetheless contained interesting information, starting with the fact that the goods trade balance experienced its largest ever monthly change of $6.6 billion and moved into a surplus position for the first time in eight months, said National Bank of Canada.
The Federal Reserve delivered its third straight 25 basis points rate cut to close out 2025, briefly lifting retail optimism for Bitcoin and Ethereum before the market quickly reversed course. What Happened: On-chain platform Santiment noted that while lower rates typically boost risk assets by increasing liquidity and weakening the dollar, retail enthusiasm peaked before the announcement.
* FOMC announced 25-basis points rate cut on Wednesday. * November non-farm payrolls due on December 16. * Silver hits record high at $62.98/oz. By Sarah Qureshi. Gold held steady on Thursday, after the U.S. Federal Reserve voted to lower borrowing costs by a quarter-percentage point but signaled a pause in further interest rate cuts, while silver surged to another record high.
The Bank of Canada held the policy rate steady at 2.25% on Wednesday, as expected, said Rosenberg Research. The forward guidance was neutral, not hawkish, with the same key language being used as in last month's report, noted Rosenberg Research.
AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to B++ from A- and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to ?bbb+? from ?a-? of Rockford Mutual Insurance Company. The Credit Ratings reflect RMIC?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.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2025 Latin America and the Caribbean could raise GDP per capita by 11% and reduce inequality by 6% by making markets more competitive, according to a new report by the Inter-American Development Bank.
The U.S
dollar slumped on Thursday, hitting multi-month lows against the
euro, Swiss franc, and sterling and extending losses from the
previous session after the Federal Reserve delivered a ...
September's trade data confirms that net trade was a tailwind for real GDP growth, with the door opened to a modest upside revision to Q3 GDP, and also confirms the broader recovery in Canadian exports following April's plunge, TD Economics said Thursday. TD noted Canadian trade data is back on the docket after the U.S. government shutdown delayed its release last month.
Rate-market pricing swung sharply after Wednesday's Federal Reserve meeting. On Thursday, retail prediction market Polymarket showed the probability of no change in January jumping to 82%, leaving just 18% odds of a 25-basis-point cut. Fed funds futures moved in the same direction, though with a slightly softer skew.
* Weekly jobless claims increase 44,000 to 236,000. * Claims data is volatile around this time of year. * Continuing claims decrease 99,000 to 1.838 million. * Trade deficit narrows 10.9% to $52.8 billion. By Lucia Mutikani.
U.S. wholesale inventories rebounded in September amid increases in the stocks of long-lasting manufactured goods, which likely provided a lift to gross domestic product in the third quarter. Stocks at wholesalers increased 0.5% after falling 0.1% in August, the Commerce Department's Census Bureau said on Thursday. The report was delayed by the recently ended 43-day shutdown of the government.
U.S. wholesale inventories rebounded in September amid increases in the stocks of long-lasting manufactured goods, which likely provided a lift to gross domestic product in the third quarter. Stocks at wholesalers increased 0.5% after falling 0.1% in August, the Commerce Department's Census Bureau said on Thursday. The report was delayed by the recently ended 43-day shutdown of the government.
AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ?bbb+? of Tune Protect Re Ltd.. The outlook of these Credit Ratings is stable. The ratings reflect TPR?s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strong, as well as its strong operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.
State-level data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Thursday showed the unemployment rate rose in eight states in September, fell in two and held steady elsewhere. The largest unemployment rate declines were in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and West Virginia, where it dipped by 0.2 percentage point, and fell by 0.1 percentage point in Florida, Montana and Pennsylvania.
Weekly applications for unemployment insurance in the US rose more than expected, while continuing claims fell to the lowest level since mid-April, government data showed Thursday. For the week ended Dec. 6, the seasonally adjusted number of initial claims climbed by 44,000 to 236,000, the Department of Labor said.
For months, President Donald Trump has insisted that America's huge trade deficit could be tamed with one blunt tool: tariffs. In September, the numbers finally moved his way. New figures from the Census Bureau on Thursday show the U.S. trade deficit narrowed to $52.8 billion in September, the smallest gap since June 2020.
AM Best has revised the outlooks to positive from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ?bbb+? of The New India Assurance Company Limited.
Surgery Partners (SGRY) said Thursday its Surgery Center unit plans to offer an additional $425 million in 7.250% senior unsecured notes due 2032. The company said the notes will be guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by each domestic wholly owned unit that backs its senior secured credit facilities.
Image: Bexback. Following the Federal Reserve?s December 10 rate cut, cryptocurrency markets have entered a period of renewed volatility and rising trading volume. Advantages of 100x Leverage Crypto Futures 1. ??Amplified Profits: Control large positions with a small amount of capital, capturing more profits from market fluctuations.
* US borrowing costs drop sharply after data. * ECB policy rates seen stable through 2026. * Markets price a 55% chance of a rate hike in March 2027. * Analysts cautious as euro zone inflation is expected to undershoot. By Stefano Rebaudo.
AM Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B+ and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ?bbb-? of Arabia Insurance Company s.a.l.. The Credit Ratings reflect AIC?s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.
The Bank of Canada left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, as expected, said Commerzbank. At the same time, the BoC indicated that rates are likely to stay where they are for some time, wrote the bank in a note to clients.
Brazil's fiscal and monetary policies must converge as high interest rates have pushed up public debt, Finance Ministry Executive Secretary Dario Durigan said on Thursday. His remarks at an event hosted by the lower house came after the central bank held interest rates at a near two-decade high of 15% on Wednesday, without signaling when a cut might come.
* Canada posts trade surplus of C$153 million in September. * This is the first ever trade surplus since January 2025. * Canada's surplus with U.S. at its highest level since February. * Total exports in September grew by 6.3% to C$64.23 billion. By Promit Mukherjee.
Gold traded higher early on Thursday as the dollar and treasury yields weakened after the Federal Reserve, as expected, cut U.S. interest rates by 25 basis points a day earlier. Gold for February delivery was last seen up US$19.30 to US$4,244.00 per ounce.
European Union governments want to agree on Friday to freeze Russian central bank assets immobilised in Europe for as long as necessary, replacing the need for a vote to renew the freeze every six months, EU diplomats said.
The U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly narrowed in September, touching the lowest level in more than five years, as exports accelerated and imports rose marginally, suggesting that trade likely provided a boost to economic growth in the third quarter.
By Jamie McGeever. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell admitted on Wednesday that there is still no "risk-free" path for the central bank as it seeks to bring down stubbornly high inflation while also supporting an increasingly creaky labor market.
The U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly narrowed in September, touching the lowest level in more than five years, as exports accelerated and imports rose marginally, suggesting that trade likely provided a boost to economic growth in the third quarter.
Canada's merchandise trade deficit with the world went from a deficit of $6.4 billion in August to a surplus of $153 million in September, as exports increased 6.3% month over month, while imports were down 4.1% month over month, said the country's statistical agency on Thursday.
Sterling held onto its gains against a dollar pressured by the Federal Reserve but slipped against a resurgent euro on Thursday, as the British currency took its cues from broader market moves ahead of key domestic economic data.
The US international trade deficit narrowed to $52.83 billion in September from a $59.27 billion gap in August, compared with a larger $63.1 billion gap expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg as of 7:10 am ET. Exports rebounded in the month on large gains in industrial supplies and consumer goods, offset by a large drop in capital goods exports, particularly for computers.
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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