* Yen weakens on report PM Takaichi questioned BOJ rate hike plans. * Economists expected BOJ rate hike to 1% by end-June. * Traders focus on US tariffs and geopolitical tensions with Iran. By Karen Brettell.
With Finland and Sweden in NATO and a major rise in defense spending, Europe should be a much safer place than it used to be four years ago when Russia attacked Ukraine, said Berenberg. After all, the combined gross domestic product of the European Union, the United Kingdom and Norway is roughly ten times the size of the Russian economy, noted the bank.
The Conference Board's measure of consumer confidence rose to 91.2 in February from 89.0 in January, above a reading of 87.1 expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.
U.S. consumer confidence rebounded more than expected in February, but the share of consumers viewing jobs as "hard to get" increased to a five-year high, raising the risk of the unemployment rate increasing this month.
U.S. consumer confidence rebounded more than expected in February amid an improvement in households' perceptions of the labor ?market, a survey showed on Tuesday. "Confidence ticked up as consumers' pessimistic expectations for the ?future eased somewhat," ?said Dana ?Peterson, chief economist at the Conference Board.
Confidence edged higher but remained well below heights reached in late 2024 NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2026 The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index? increased by 2.2 points in February to 91.2, from an upwardly revised 89.0 in January.
Governor Tiff Macklem's recent speech suggests the Bank of Canada is sticking to a script in insisting the recent weak economic growth is largely a reflection of structural shifts in the Canadian economy linked to United States tariffs and demographic change, says CIBC.
Artificial intelligence has triggered a generational shift in the U.S. labor market and could lead to a possible rise in the unemployment rate that the U.S. central bank may not be able to counter with ?lower interest rates, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook ?said on Tuesday.
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said on Tuesday he doesn't expect the adoption of artificial intelligence technology to totally upend the job market in the U.S. 'I'm not a doom and gloomer" about AI's economic impact, Waller said in a virtual appearance at a Federal Reserve Bank of ?Boston conference. For ?the U.S. economy and those who are part of it, AI is "a tool we can use.
U.S. single-family house price gains slowed in December, but economists believe tight inventory could prevent an outright decline in national home prices. House prices edged up 0.1% after an upwardly revised 0.7% increase in November, ?the Federal Housing Finance Agency said on Tuesday.
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said Tuesday the U.S. central bank is carefully moving ?to adopt artificial intelligence technology ?in a system-wide approach. "We cannot approach AI casually," and "as a ?central bank, we hold ourselves to a ?high standard" when using the ?technology, Waller said ?at a conference held by the Federal Reserve Bank ?of Boston.
U.S. single-family house price gains slowed in December, but economists believe tight inventory could prevent an outright decline in national home prices. House prices edged up 0.1% after an upwardly revised 0.7% increase in November, ?the Federal Housing Finance Agency said on Tuesday.
With recent economic and inflation data cooling off, the pricing of 2026 rate hikes has been stopped, and traders now see a chance of a Bank of Canada cut this year, said National Bank of Canada. But for National, the BoC is more likely to be sidelined all year as economic uncertainty and expecations around mixed data give the central bank conflicting signals.
The Case-Shiller National Home Price index fell by 0.3% in December before seasonal adjustment following a 0.1% decrease in November. National home prices were up 1.3% year-over-year, down from 1.4% in November. The 10-city index and 20-city index both declined by 0.1% in December.
The FHFA's measure of home prices rose by 0.1% in December after an upwardly revised 0.7% increase in the previous month, below a 0.3% gain expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. Prices rose in six of the nine regions, were down in two and unchanged in one region. Overall prices were up 1.8% from a year earlier in December.
NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2026 The World Economic Forum has named Intenseye a Global Innovator, advancing the company within its Innovator Communities after its earlier recognition as a Technology Pioneer. The Global Innovators designation recognizes companies that are deploying emerging technologies at scale.
ROSELAND, N.J., Feb. 24, 2026 For the four weeks ending February 7, 2026, U.S. private employers added an average of 12,750 jobs per week, according to the NER Pulse, a weekly update of the monthly ADP National Employment Report?.?. It was the fourth straight week of strengthening job gains.
The Canadian province of Nova Scotia is projecting a $1.2 billion deficit, representing 2.2% of gross domestic product, in FY26-27, which will be little changed from the prior year, notes Bank of Montreal. The province, BMO also notes, doesn't anticipate returning to balance across the four-year forecast horizon, with the shortfall narrowing to a still-sizeable $800 million by FY29-30.
Appeals challenging authorization for $1.45 billion of ratepayer-backed bonds sold in the wake of a 2021 winter storm are in the hands of the high court.
The U.S. Federal Reserve could resume cutting interest rates if inflation starts to fall, but it would be risky to use expected productivity growth as a reason to loosen monetary policy now, Chicago Fed president Austan Goolsbee said as he waded into what is emerging as a core debate at the U.S. central bank. "I'm optimistic that by the end of '26...
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee said the central bank should focus on getting inflation to its 2% target before making any additional cuts to short-term interest rates.
The US dollar rose against its major trading partners early Tuesday before an extremely busy day of economic data releases and appearances by Federal Reserve officials, starting with Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee at 8:00 am ET. The Philadelphia Fed's nonmanufacturing index for February is due to be released at 8:30 am ET, followed by weekly Redbook same-store sales at 8:55 am ET.
* Merz leads German business leaders to China for economic talks. * Germany faces trade deficit with China, impacting economic outlook. * China's export controls and competition challenge German industries. By Andreas Rinke.
* European Parliament delays vote on EU-US trade deal. * State Department withdraws personnel from Beirut amid Iran tensions. * Trump said to be considering new tariffs on various industries. By Niket Nishant and Rocky Swift.
The pound was little changed on Tuesday after eking out modest gains in the last two sessions, as traders awaited testimony from Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey and monitored potential fallout from ?new U.S. tariffs. Sterling was trading at $1.3489 against the ?dollar, close to its lowest for a month.
Rebrands to Cipher Digital to Reflect Strategic Shift Toward HPC Divested 49% Stake in Alborz, Bear, and Chief Mining Sites Secured Full Funding for Existing Data Center Developments Through High-Yield Bond Offerings Data Center Development on Track at Barber Lake and Black Pearl NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2026 -- Cipher Digital Inc. today announced its fourth quarter and full year 2025 financial resul...
Brazil's ?current account deficit ?reached $8.36 billion ?in January, ?central ?bank ?data showed on Tuesday, ?wider ?than the $6.4 billion ?expected ?by economists ?in a Reuters poll. The ?country attracted $8.168 ?billion in foreign direct investment ?for ?the ?month, ?higher than the $7.0 billion forecast in the poll.
The U.S. may be entering a period of structurally higher unemployment as firms deploy artificial intelligence tools to save labor, a potentially challenging moment that the Federal Reserve would not necessarily be able to offset with lower interest rates, outgoing Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic told Reuters in an interview.
Metro late on Monday priced a private placement offering of C$350 million of 3.469% senior unsecured notes due Feb. 25, 2031. The Series M notes were priced at $1,000 per $1,000 principal amount, for an effective yield of 3.469% per annum if held to maturity. Net proceeds from the offering will be used to repay debt under Metro's revolving credit facility and for general corporate purposes.
Copper prices rose to their highest level in more than a week on Tuesday, propelled by positive sentiment and firmer demand in top metals consumer China, where markets ?reopened after a holiday. Benchmark three-month copper on the ?London Metal Exchange had gained 2.2% to $13,155 a metric ton by 1525 GMT after touching its highest price since ?February 12 at $13,196.
* European Parliament delays vote on EU-US trade deal. * State Department withdraws personnel from Beirut amid Iran tensions. * Trump said to be considering new tariffs on various industries. By Rocky Swift and Niket Nishant.
* EM stocks up 0.4%, FX flat. * Nigeria interest rate decision due. * Hungary seen cutting rates by 25 bps. * China leaves benchmark lending rates unchanged. * S. Africa leading business cycle indicator down 1% in Dec. By Pranav Kashyap.
Verisk Analytics (VRSK) said Monday it priced a debt offering consisting of $500 million in 4.450% senior notes due in 2031 and $500 million in 5.125% senior notes maturing in 2036. The insurance data analytics provider expects the transaction to close Thursday, subject to customary closing conditions, the company said.
Yields on shorter-dated Japanese bonds and the yen fell sharply in late trade on Tuesday after a ?report said that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ?had voiced concerns about the central bank raising interest rates further. The two-year yield, the most ?sensitive to the Bank of Japan's policy rates, slipped 3.5 basis ?points to 1.215%, its lowest since January 23.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed reservations about additional interest rate hikes during her meeting with Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda last week, The Mainichi daily ?reported on Tuesday, citing multiple unnamed sources.
* Nippon Steel's (NISTF) convertible bond offering largest in Japan's corporate history. * Seeks funds to refinance U.S. Steel takeover, to fund investments. By Katya Golubkova. Nippon Steel (NISTF) has decided to ?increase its convertible bond offering to 600 ?billion yen, the biggest in Japan's corporate history, as it seeks to refinance its $15 billion takeover ?of U.S. Steel and fund business expansion.
Investment giant BlackRock (BLK) favours corporate debt due to the higher yields on offer as inflation subsides, it said on Tuesday, and warned that government bond markets are likely to ?be more volatile as countries spend big on ?defence and infrastructure.
Amid the consternation about the U.S. Supreme Court's quashing of President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs, markets may have missed a surprising take on Federal Reserve policy - that it's not inconceivable the next interest rate shift could be up.
Copper pulled higher on Tuesday as Chinese traders return to the market after holiday, while caution stemming from rising inventories and U.S. tariff uncertainties persists. The most-active copper contract on ?the Shanghai Futures Exchange climbed 1.40% to 102,190 ?yuan a metric ton as of 0300 GMT on the first day of the ?reopening of the exchange after China's nine-day Lunar New Year break.
Itron, Inc. (ITRI), which is innovating new ways for utilities and cities to manage energy and water, today announced the pricing of its private offering of $700.0 million aggregate principal amount of its 0.00% convertible senior notes due 2032 to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (CNP) or ?CenterPoint? today announced the pricing of its offering of $600 million aggregate principal amount of its 2.875% Convertible Senior Notes due 2029 in a private placement to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Gold prices fell from a more than
three-week high on Tuesday, as pressure from a stronger dollar
outweighed support from U.S. tariff uncertainty and
Washington-Tehran tensions.
The Japanese yen slipped on Tuesday after a news report that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had conveyed her reservations about further interest rate hikes to Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda, raising doubts over the next rate increase.
China left ?benchmark lending rates ?unchanged for ?a ninth consecutive ?month ?in February ?on Tuesday. The one-year ?loan ?prime rate was kept at ?3.0%, ?while ?the five-year LPR was unchanged at ?3.5%. Most new ?and outstanding loans in China ?are ?based ?on the one-year ?LPR, while the five-year rate influences the pricing ?of mortgages.
* * US considered joint intervention if Japan requested it, Nikkei says. * US prepared to use economic strength to stabilise allies, Nikkei says. U.S. authorities took the initiative in conducting January "rate checks" to prop up the yen and were ready ?to conduct joint intervention on Japan's request, the Nikkei newspaper reported on ?Tuesday, citing unidentified U.S. government sources.
ST. LOUIS, Feb. 23, 2026 Union Electric Company, doing business as Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation (AEE), announced today the pricing of a public offering of $450 million aggregate principal amount of 4.80% first mortgage bonds due 2036 at 99.926% of their principal amount and $450 million aggregate principal amount of 5.55% first mortgage bonds due 2056 at 99.619% of their princi...
KBRA assigns a long-term rating of AA+ to the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority Payroll Mobility Tax Senior Lien Refunding Bonds, Series 2026A. Concurrently, we affirm the long-term ratings on outstanding Senior Lien PMT Bonds and certain outstanding PMT Bond Anticipation Notes issued with final maturities of greater than three years.
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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