Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson said on Friday he was "cautiously optimistic" about the 2026 economic outlook, with growth expected to remain slightly above trend, the labor market stabilizing, and inflation resuming a decline to the U.S. central bank's 2% target.
European stock markets gained in Friday trading as the Stoxx Europe rose 0.9%, Germany's DAX gained 0.9%, the FTSE 100 was up 0.6%, France's CAC increased 0.5%, and the Swiss Market Index advanced 0.3%. According to the European Central Bank's Q1 survey of professional forecasts, headline and core harmonized index of consumer prices inflation expectations were unchanged, as were GDP growth expe...
KBRA releases the January 2026 issue of CMBS Trend Watch. The commercial real estate securitization market has remained hot, even while much of the country has been in a deep freeze. In January, KBRA published pre-sales for 11 deals, including four SB, three conduits, two CRE CLO, one Agency, and one single-family rental.
KBRA assigns a long-term rating of AAA with a Stable Outlook to the State of Wisconsin General Obligation Refunding Bonds of 2026, Series 1 and General Obligation Refunding Bonds of 2027, Series 1. Key Credit Considerations The rating actions reflect the following key credit considerations: Credit Positives. Credit Challenges. Rating Sensitivities For Upgrade. For Downgrade.
San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President Mary Daly said on Friday she thinks the U.S. labor market is in a "precarious" position, saying there could have been a case for the Fed to cut rates last week and that further interest-rate cuts may be needed.
* German yields take cues from elsewhere. * BofA no longer expects March rate cut. * French 10-year yield spread versus Bund at widest in two weeks. By Stefano Rebaudo. German government bond yields were little changed on Friday after earlier touching multi-week lows, a day after the European Central Bank kept interest rates unchanged.
* TSX up 1.4% * Miners lead as gold rebounds. * Consumer staples record biggest weekly gain ever. * Canada's unemployment rate falls to 6.5% By Utkarsh Hathi. Feb 6 - Canada's main stock index jumped on Friday in a broad-based rally led by ?mining shares as precious metals rebounded on safe-haven demand, setting up the index to finish a ?volatile week with healthy gains.
Company Will Host Webcast to Discuss Results WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2026 Fannie Mae?plans to report its fourth quarter and full-year 2025 financial results on Wednesday morning, February?11, 2026, before the opening of U.S. financial markets.
Canadian economic activity expanded at a slower pace in January as ?a measure of employment dipped, ?Ivey Purchasing Managers Index ?data showed on Friday. The ?seasonally adjusted ?index edged down to 50.9 ?last month from ?51.9 in December.
U.S. consumer sentiment increased to a six-month high in February, though anxiety over the labor market and the rising cost of living because of import-tariff-related inflation remained widespread.
Bitcoin surged 6% as U.S. planned layoffs more than tripled in January to their highest level since 2009, raising hopes the Federal Reserve will cut rates to support the economy and put a floor under risk assets down nearly 50% from highs.
The University of Michigan's preliminary consumer sentiment index rises to 57.3 in February from 56.4 in January, higher than expectations for a decrease to 55.0 in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. This is the highest reading since August 2025, Michigan said.
The ECB's plan to make it easier for foreign central banks to secure funding in euros is the latest part of Europe's emerging strategy to win trade and political friends and hold its own against the United States and China.
Brazil's economic policy chief Guilherme Mello said on Friday that stabilizing the country's gross debt-to-gross domestic product ratio depends on monetary policy decisions, offering a glimpse of what he could support as a potential central banker.
OSLO, Norway, Feb. 6, 2026 Agilyx ASA (AGXXF) references the November 4 and October 24, 2025 stock exchange notices regarding the successful placements of Tranche 1 of EUR 24 million subordinated convertible bonds with maturity date 30 June 2028 and with ISIN NO0013684860. Agilyx (AGXXF) today announces a bond tap issue of EUR 14 million of the Convertible Bonds.
Rosenberg Research revised its briefly-held constructive view on the Canadian dollar in light of the economy's "complete failure to respond to the Bank of Canada's rate cuts so far. Although the Canadian dollar has rallied against the US dollar in the last few months, this has been a consequence of US dollar weakness rather than loonie strength, noted Rosenberg Research.
DAVOS, Switzerland and MUMBAI, India, Feb. 6, 2026 ACG Packaging Materials today announced that its Shirwal facility has been named a global Lighthouse and welcomed into the World Economic Forum's Lighthouse Network.
The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust was up 0.6% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust was 0.7% higher in Friday's premarket activity, ahead of the University of Michigan consumer sentiment report release.
Employment in Canada fell to start the year, but with fewer people seeking jobs, the unemployment rate also surprisingly came down, said CIBC after Friday's Labour Force Survey. The 25,000 decline in employment compared with a consensus expectation for a 5,000 gain, although the reduction was driven exclusively by part-time positions, with full-time jobs actually increasing, noted the bank.
AM Best has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating to A- from B++ and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to ?a-? from ?bbb+? of First Net Insurance Company. The ratings reflect First Net?s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.
Employment edged down in January by 25,000 jobs, or 0.1% month over month, and the employment rate decreased 0.1 percentage point to 60.8%, said Statistics Canada on Friday it its Labour Force Survey. January's job losses were worse than the 5,200 consensus gain provided by MUFG. In January, employment fell by 27,000 among core-aged women, wrote Canada's statistical agency in a statement.
Top brokerages expect the benchmark S&P 500 index to extend its rally in 2026, as investors pile into artificial intelligence plays and bet on ?reduced borrowing costs to sustain the momentum. The benchmark index will ?rise nearly 12% to 7,490 by end-2026, marking ?a fourth straight year of ?advances if ?2025 closes higher, according to a Reuters poll.
* Unemployment rate falls to 6.5% as fewer seek work. * Full-time jobs rise, part-time jobs decline significantly. * Manufacturing sector hit by U.S. tariffs, loses 27,500 jobs. * Canadian dollar slightly strengthens against U.S. dollar. * Labor market softening after previous months' gains, says Bank of Canada. By David Ljunggren.
China on Friday pledged to further tighten restrictions ?on virtual currencies ?and related illicit business ?activities, according ?to ?a notice released by China's ?central ?bank.
Brazil's economic policy chief Guilherme Mello said on Friday that ?stabilizing the country's gross debt-to-gross ?domestic product ratio depends ?on monetary policy decisions, ?among other ?factors.
The US dollar fell against its major trading partners early Friday ahead of the release of the University of Michigan's preliminary consumer sentiment index for February at 10:00 am ET, followed by the St. Louis Federal Reserve's latest gross domestic product Nowcast estimate for Q4 around midday.
Canada will publish the Labour Force Survey for January at 8:30 a.m. ET on Friday, said Scotiabank. The bank has gone with an estimated gain of 15,000 and a stable unemployment rate of 6.8%. Canada has surprisingly created almost 200,000 jobs over the past four months of consecutive gains, stated Scotiabank.
The Board of Mexico's central bank unanimously decided to keep the policy rate unchanged at 7.00% on Thursday, signaling that demand-side pressures aren't a key driver behind its policy assessment, said BBVA Research.
Hang onto your hats, On the Money readers! Gold is soaring, software stocks are crashing amid AI concerns, inflation is heating up, Bitcoin is tumbling and consumer confidence is plummeting. These are just five reasons why investors are nervous now, but I'm sure there are many more.
European bourses tracked moderately higher midday Friday as traders weighed earnings, and Thursday's report from the European Central Bank that the continental economy is expanding, and inflation is generally muted. Bank, oil, and property stocks led gains on regional trading floors, while food and retail shares lagged.
Sterling has weakened sharply over the last couple of trading days, said MUFG. After closing below support from the 200-day moving average at the start of this week for the first time sine April of last year and hitting a low of 0.8613, EUR/GBP jumped to a high Thursday of 0.8721, wrote the bank in a note to clients.
* Software swoon worsens amid questions about AI's impact. * Market rotating away from tech to less-loved sectors. * Jobs report due on Wednesday, CPI on Friday in busy data week. By Lewis Krauskopf.
The pound rose on Friday, recovering some of the previous day's steep slide that followed a surprisingly tight vote from the Bank of England to leave rates unchanged and its signal that it could cut if inflation continues to ?cool. Sterling rose 0.4% to $1.3581 by mid-morning in London, partially recovering from Thursday's near-1% drop to 10-day lows.
Societe Generale in its early Friday economic news summary pointed out: -- Losses snowball for tech stocks, crypto correction deepens, Nasdaq -6.4% from January top, US dollar and United States Treasury safe-havens. -- India: The central bank leaves key repo rate unchanged at 5.25%, maintains neutral stance, growth outlook favorable on recent trade deals.
* Survey points to inflation at ECB'S 2% target. * Markets see no change in interest rates this year. * Some policymakers still fear too-low inflation. * Strong euro, lower wage growth, Chinese imports dampen price pressures.
Central European currencies
were holding steady on Friday despite tremors in global markets
caused by fears over AI, as investors digested the Czech central
bank's decision to maintain a ...
MPLX (MPLX) said late Thursday it priced a $1.5 billion public offering of unsecured senior notes. The offering comprises $1 billion of 5.3% notes due 2036 and $500 million of 6.1% notes due 2056. The company expects the offering to close Feb. 12 and plans to use the net proceeds to repay its outstanding $1.5 billion of 1.75% senior notes due March 2026 at maturity.
* Investors unwind riskier positions on AI spending surge, dollar gets haven bid. * Yen weakens ahead of Japan's national election. * Euro and sterling recover after central bank decisions. By Amanda Cooper.
Euro zone inflation is likely to remain broadly on the same path as seen three months ago, dipping below 2% this year, then returning to target ?in 2027, the European Central Bank's Survey of Professional Forecasters showed on Friday.
* Japan holds February 8 snap election. * AI splinters into winners and losers. * US CPI, non-farm payrolls released. Japan's snap election, a heavy dose of key U.S. data, earnings season, plus a slide in tech shares suggest there won't be much down time for traders in the coming week.
Euro zone government bond yields were set to end the week slightly lower after the European Central Bank kept rates on hold, bolstering expectations of steady policy through 2026. The 2-year yields were down ?1.5 basis points at ?2.05% on ?Friday, and on track for a 1.5 bps weekly drop.
* Exports to U.S. and China drive unexpected rise. * Industrial production falls 1.9%, dashing recovery hopes. * Trade surplus widens to 17.1 billion euros in December. By Maria Martinez.
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.
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