Weekly applications for unemployment insurance in the US increased more than estimated, while continuing claims also rose, government data showed Thursday. For the week through May 9, the seasonally adjusted number of initial claims grew by 12,000 to 211,000, the Department of Labor said.
AM Best has upgraded the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to ?aa? from ?aa-? and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A+ of MS Amlin AG. The Credit Ratings reflect the consolidated balance sheet strength of MSI, which AM Best assesses as strongest, as well as its strong operating performance, favorable business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.
Freddie Mac today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey?, showing the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.36%. ?Mortgage rates ticked down this week, averaging 6.36%,? said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac?s Chief Economist. News Facts The PMMS? is focused on conventional, conforming, fully amortizing home purchase loans for borrowers who put 20% down and have excellent credit.
IC Manage today announced major generative and agentic AI enhancements to its industry-leading GDP-AI design and IP management system. Built for high performance, reliability, and enterprise scale, GDP-AI leads semiconductor IP management, including IP lifecycle management, and serves as the design and IP data backbone for silicon lifecycle management.
* Investors monitor US-Iran tensions, Trump's China visit. * ECB rate hikes expected as oil prices fuel inflation fears. * Fed rate cut bets recede. By Samuel Indyk. Germany's 10-year government bond yield fell on Thursday but remained close to its recent multi-year peak as elevated energy prices solidified expectations for higher inflation and European Central Bank rate hikes.
National Bank of Canada on Wednesday reiterated its sector-perform rating on the shares of Hydro One (HRNNF) while raising its price target to C$56.00 from $55.00 following the company's first-quarter results. The bank raised the price target after incorporating the company's incremental capex guidance through 2027, as well as the Red Lake Transmission Line within longer-term estimates.
Canada's existing home sales rose 0.7% month over month in April, while new listings jumped 4.1% month over month, said TD. Canadian average home prices rose much more sharply in April, increasing 2.6% month over month, noted the bank after Thursday's release of data from the Canadian Real Estate Association.
AM Best has assigned a Long-Term Issue Credit Rating of ?bbb? to the USD 750 million, 5.25% senior unsecured notes, due 2036, issued by Liberty Mutual Group Inc.. The notes are guaranteed by Liberty Mutual Holding Company Inc. and LMHC Massachusetts Holdings, Inc. The outlook assigned to the Credit Rating is stable.
* Retail sales increase 0.5% in April, in line with expectations. * Core retail sales also rise 0.5%, fourth straight monthly gain. * Weekly jobless claims climb 12,000 to 211,000. * Import prices jump 1.9% in April; up 4.2% year-on-year. By Lucia Mutikani.
US retail sales in April rose for the third straight month, with analysts saying the increase largely reflected higher prices as the war in Iran kept fuel costs elevated. Sales rose 0.5% in April following a revised 1.6% gain in March, the Census Bureau reported Thursday, matching the consensus in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.
National Bank of Canada on Wednesday raised Torex Gold Resources' (TORXF) price target to C$101 from $98 with an outperform rating. The higher price target was based on a higher NTM EBITDA window and using a 6.5x EV/EBITDA multiple, National Bank said.
Angola's central bank cut its benchmark lending rate by 50 basis points to 17% in a decision announced on Thursday. Inflation in the Southern African oil-producing country eased to 11.58% year-on-year in April, down from 12.42% in March. The central bank wants to bring inflation down to single digits.
Inflation is the biggest risk to a U.S. economy that has shown "remarkable resilience" in the face of numerous challenges, and the job market is stable, Kansas City Federal Reserve President Jeffrey Schmid said on Thursday. "I see continued inflation as the most pressing risk to the economy," Schmid said in prepared remarks to a banking industry conference hosted by the Kansas City Fed.
* Treasury yields retreat as oil prices drop and technical support attracts buyers. * Inflation concerns persist after strong U.S. producer price data and Middle East conflict. * Retail sales rise, jobless claims steady, Xi warns Trump on Taiwan tensions. By Karen Brettell.
Canadian existing home sales nudged up 0.7% month over month in April from March in seasonally adjusted terms, but no one is going to mistake this for a sign of spring for the chilly housing market, said Bank of Montreal on Thursday.
Gold edged higher early Thursday as treasury yields eased after a report showed U.S. retail-sales growth slowed in April. Gold for June delivery was last seen up $4.00 to US$4,710.70. The U.S. Census Bureau reported retail sales roes by 0.5% last month, down from a revised 1.6% in March but matching expectations according to Marketwatch.
The Bank of Canada's minutes for its April 29 rate decision were released on Wednesday, notes Rosenberg Research. "By far", it said, the most important quote was: "With slack in the labour market and excess supply in the economy, businesses would be less likely to pass higher costs on to consumers.
Top brokerages expect the benchmark S&P 500 index to extend its rally in 2026, even as Middle East tensions disrupt global energy flows and drive inflation higher. Strategists at major investment banks expect momentum in artificial intelligence and strong corporate earnings to offset the conflict's short-term economic impact. Morgan Stanley became the latest brokerage to raise its index target.
US retail sales rose by 0.5% in April, as expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg as of 7:35 am ET and following the previous month's 1.6% gain. Excluding a 0.4% decrease in motor vehicle sales, retail sales were up 0.7%, also as expected. Removing both motor vehicles and a 2.8% gain in gasoline station sales, retail sales were up 0.5% in April after a 0.7% increase in March.
The number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits increased moderately last week, pointing to a stable labor market even as rising energy prices from the war with Iran drive up inflation. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 211,000 for the week ended May 9, the Labor Department said on Thursday.
The number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits increased moderately last week, pointing to a stable labor market even as rising energy prices from the war with Iran drive up inflation. The government reported on Wednesday that producer prices recorded their biggest increase in four years in April.
* White House weighs gas tax suspension as fuel prices surge, options dwindle. * Polls show most Americans feel financial strain, many doubt war is worth the cost. * Some Republicans back gas tax suspension, but party leaders are so far noncommittal. By Jarrett Renshaw, Nandita Bose and Jacob Bogage.
U.S. retail sales increased solidly for a third straight month in April, though part of the rise in receipts was due to soaring inflation amid the war with Iran. Rising price pressures were underscored by other data on Thursday showing imported inflation last month rose at its fastest pace in four years.
US initial jobless claims rose to a level of 211,000 in the week ended May 9 from a downwardly revised 199,000 level in the previous week, compared with expectations for a smaller increase to 205,000 in survey of analysts compiled by Bloomberg. The four-week moving average rose by 750 to 203,750 after decreasing by 4,750 to a level of 203,000 in the previous week.
U.S. retail sales increased further in April, but some of the rise in receipts was likely due to higher inflation as the war with Iran boosted prices of energy products and other commodities. The U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran is driving up inflation. Gasoline prices rose 12.3% in April, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed.
Restrictions proposed by the BOE prompted criticism from the crypto industry, which said they risked preventing the U.K. from being competitive in the digital economy.
The US dollar rose against its major trading partners early Thursday ahead of a busy day of economic releases, starting with weekly jobless claims, April retail sales, and April import and export price data, all at 8:30 am ET.
Bitcoin trades below $80,000 on Thursday morning as hotter-than-expected U.S. producer inflation data weakened expectations for near-term Federal Reserve rate cuts. Bitcoin ETFs saw $635.2 million in net outflows on Wednesday, while Ethereum ETFs reported $36.3 million in net outflows. Meme coin market capitalization is trading 1.6% lower at $38.5 billion over the past 24 hours.
Willis Lease Finance (WLFC) said Thursday it priced a $200 million public offering of 2.50% convertible senior notes due 2031, up from $175 million earlier. The company said it also plans to give underwriters a 30-day option to buy up to an additional $30 million in notes to cover over-allotments.
Jeff Rosenberg, senior portfolio manager at BlackRock Inc.??said Thursday that inflation pressures may actually be nearing a peak despite recent hotter-than-expected CPI and producer inflation reports that reignited fears of further Federal Reserve tightening.
Commerzbank in its "European Sunrise" note of Thursday highlighted: Markets: United States Treasuries better supported in the late New York session and Asia. --Fed: Kevin Warsh is confirmed as Federal Reserve chair in a 54-45 Senate vote. --Fed: Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Susan Collins argues that rates should remain on hold for "some time."
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday that the U.S. may see one or two "hot" inflation data readings before disinflation resumes, and new Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh will keep an open mind about inflation as energy prices subside.
Willis Lease Finance Corporation (WLFC), the leading lessor of commercial aircraft engines and global provider of aviation services, announced today the pricing of its public offering of $200.0 million aggregate principal amount of 2.50% convertible senior notes due 2031, for total net proceeds of approximately $193.1 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and other estimated offering expenses.
Canada will release the consumer price index data for April on Tuesday, said Bank of Montreal. The bank expects Canada's CPI to hit 3% year over year in April, up from 2.4% in March. MT Newswires does not provide investment advice.
* White House weighs gas tax suspension as fuel prices surge, options dwindle. * Polls show most Americans feel financial strain, many doubt war is worth the cost. * Some Republicans back gas tax suspension, but party leaders are so far noncommittal. By Jarrett Renshaw, Nandita Bose and Jacob Bogage.
* Markets monitor Trump-Xi meeting, Iran war in focus. * U.S. Producer Price Index posts largest gain in four years. * HSBC raises 2026 silver price forecast to $75/oz. By Noel John.
* April new yuan loans shrink for first time in nine months. * Outstanding loan growth hits record low. * Q1 GDP growth picks up, but Iran war clouds outlook. * PBOC seen with limited room to ease as inflation pressures build. By Shi Bu and Kevin Yao.
Advanced Energy Industries (AEIS) priced a private offering of $1 billion total principal amount of 0% convertible senior notes due 2031, the company said late Wednesday. The firm has provided a 13-day option to the initial purchasers to acquire up to an additional $150 million total principal amount of the notes, it said. The offering is expected to close on Monday, according to the company.
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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