The main US stock measures were trending lower in Thursday's premarket activity amid renewed tensions in the Middle East, while traders await key inflation and economic data. The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down 0.1% each before the opening bell, while the Nasdaq was off 0.2%. The indexes finished Wednesday's trading session with fresh highs.
UBS said it estimates Canada's gross domestic product growth to slow down this year to 1.5% from 1.7% in 2025. The bank estimates a pickup in economic growth in 2027, up 1.7%. UBS sees the consumer price index averaging at 2.6% this year and at 2.4% in 2027, up from 2.1% in 2025. The current account deficit to GDP is predicted to narrow to 0.7% this year and to 0.3% in 2027 versus 0.9% in 2025.
CFRA, an independent research provider, has provided MT Newswires with the following research alert. RY beat Q2 FY 26 earnings with operating EPS of CAD3.90 vs. MT Newswires does not provide investment advice.
Swiss inflation is currently within the Swiss National Bank's target range, SNB Chairman Martin Schlegel said on Thursday, with the central bank relying mainly on its interest rate to steer monetary policy. The SNB would also use foreign-exchange interventions "if necessary", Schlegel said, according to slides presented at an event in Reykjavik, Iceland.
CFRA, an independent research provider, has provided MT Newswires with the following research alert. RY beat Q2 FY 26 earnings with operating EPS of CAD3.90 vs. MT Newswires does not provide investment advice.
Royal Bank of Canada (RY) reported fiscal Q2 adjusted earnings Thursday of 3.90 Canadian dollars per diluted share, up from CA$3.12 a year earlier. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected CA$3.80. Revenue for the quarter ended April 30 was CA$17.45 billion, up from CA$15.67 billion a year earlier. Analysts polled by FactSet expected CA$17.32 billion.
* Investors more cautious on chances of swift end to Iran war. * US economic data in focus after hawkish Fed remarks. * Yen support likely to hinge on intervention risks, US data. By Stefano Rebaudo.
Food insecurity and financial strain are rising across large parts of the U.S. economy even as broader economic conditions remain relatively stable, according to new research published Wednesday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
* U.S. launches strikes on Iran military site. * Dollar rises to one-week high. * U.S. PCE data due at 1230 GMT. * Silver, platinum hit near one-month lows. By Pablo Sinha. Gold prices fell to a two-month low on Thursday as fresh U.S. attacks on Iran boosted the dollar and pushed oil prices higher, stoking concerns about rising inflation and clouding the interest rate outlook.
Euro zone bond yields rose on Thursday after the U.S. and Iran traded strikes, threatening their ceasefire agreement and pushing oil prices up around 3%. Germany's 10-year bond yield rose 2 basis points to 3.005%. The two-year German bond yield, which is more sensitive to European Central Bank interest rate expectations, rose 4 bps to 2.617%. Yields move inversely to prices.
If Donald Trump is indeed backing off and allowing the Federal Reserve to do what it needs to do, then the U.S. president may have to park his administration's long-assumed preference for a weaker dollar too.
Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson said on Thursday it was appropriate to focus on returning inflation to the central bank's 2% target given the U.S. labour market has been "very resilient" to the current energy shock.
* Bare-bones budget aims to preserve fiscal space as Iran war fans economic risks. * Budget projects achieving surplus sooner than expected in fiscal 2030. * Finance Minister Willis says budget aims to bolster economy for years ahead. * Government downgrades GDP forecast for 2027 fiscal year. * Budget boosts spending on defence, schools but flags deeper public service cuts.
Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee on?Thursday amped up his warning that mounting expectations for the productivity-boosting potential of AI could send inflation higher and force the Fed and other central banks to raise interest rates.
Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee on Thursday amped up his warning that mounting expectations for the productivity-boosting potential of AI could send inflation higher and force the Fed and other central banks to raise interest rates.
Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook on Wednesday said she feels the U.S. central bank should hold short-term interest rates steady for now but, with tariffs, the Iran war and a surge in AI-related investment pushing prices higher, she is prepared to hike rates if needed.
Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee told CNBC on Thursday that energy inflation tied to the war in Iran has lasted longer than expected. Goolsbee also sounded a warning for Asian economies in the interview, saying that, because they are energy importers, "it's more just a stagflationary shock of the old-fashioned variety."
New Zealand on Thursday forecast a budget deficit of NZ$15.06 billion for the fiscal year ending June 30 2026, narrower than a deficit of NZ$16.93 billion projected in its half-year fiscal update in December. Net debt excluding advances was forecast to peak at 46.1% of gross domestic product in 2027/28.
The U.S. dollar was slightly higher on Thursday, after touching its strongest level since early April, as doubts grew over prospects of a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and focus shifted to possible U.S. interest rate hikes. Iran's Revolutionary Guard targeted a U.S. airbase on Thursday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump rejected a report he was close to a compromise deal with Tehran.
The U.S. dollar, long stuck in a tight trading range, could be in for a break higher as the Federal Reserve shifts its focus to fighting worrisome signs that inflation is heating up. In the first half of last year, the dollar slumped nearly 11%. Since then, it has settled into a narrow trading range, frustrating both those anticipating deeper losses and those hoping for a meaningful rebound.
Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson said on Wednesday that the current setting of monetary policy is in the right place amid ongoing upside risks to the inflation outlook.
* Fed's Jefferson says monetary policy is well positioned. * Jefferson says while inflation expected to ease later this year, there are risks. * Jefferson says job market mostly stable. By Michael S. Derby. Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson said on Wednesday that the current setting of monetary policy is in the right place amid ongoing upside risks to the inflation outlook.
CFRA, an independent research provider, has provided MT Newswires with the following research alert. After digesting Q2 results, we raise our 12-month target price by CAD15 to CAD265, which is 18.6x our FY 27 EPS view of CAD14.21, a premium to its five-year forward P/E of 10.9x, given expected efficiency gains and improving revenue diversity. MT Newswires does not provide investment advice.
The Federal Reserve Board governor is the latest Fed official to embrace the prospect of tighter monetary policy in response to rapidly rising prices that have taken hold in recent years.
National Bank of Canada on Wednesday raised its price target on the shares of Alimentation Couche-Tard (ANCTF) to C$91.00 from C$89.00 while maintaining its outperform rating ahead of the company's fiscal fourth-quarter results, set to be released on June 22. The analysts said they expect earnings per share to be US$0.58, above the consensus of US$0.53 and up from US$0.46 last year.
The Federal Reserve's in-house watchdog said on Wednesday it's looking into how the U.S. central bank's Board of Governors reappoints the regional Fed presidents and their deputies to respective five-year terms.
Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook on Wednesday said she feels the U.S. central bank should hold short-term interest rates steady for now but, with tariffs, the Iran war and a surge in AI-related investment pushing prices higher, she is prepared to hike rates if needed.
* Fed's Kashkari calls for focus on inflation risk. * Investors focusing on key US data due later this week. * BofA says gold rally could boost silver above $100 per ounce again. By Anjana Anil and Anmol Choubey.
* Mortgage applications fall 8.5%, refinancing drops, application volumes near yearly low. * Housing supply remains tight as homeowners with low rates stay put, worsening affordability. * Average 30-year mortgage rate hits 6.65%, highest since August 2025, MBA reports.
National Bank of Canada (NTIOF) released second-quarter financial results and hosted an earnings call on Wednesday. This content is powered by Benzinga APIs.
In a Tuesday speech, Bank of Canada Deputy Governor Nicolas Vincent highlighted the rise in long-term unemployment, especially for those aged 15-24 years, said Bank of Montreal.
Food-related challenges are surging for America's least well-off residents, and that likely explains the marked rise in a sour consumer mood despite data showing the economy is overall doing pretty well, new research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York says.
* NY Fed finds marked rise in food insecurity for many Americans. * NY Fed says food concerns likely linked to bad consumer moods. * NY Fed says lower-income Americans' food challenges greatest. By Michael S. Derby.
CFRA, an independent research provider, has provided MT Newswires with the following research alert. NA reported Q2 FY26 EPS of CAD3.23 vs CAD2.85 a year ago, CAD0.10 above consensus, though credit quality showed mixed results with provisions declining to CAD233M but gross impaired loans hitting a cyclical high of 114 bps. MT Newswires does not provide investment advice.
* Fed's Kashkari calls for focus on inflation risk. * Investors focusing on key US data due later this week. * Spot silver down more than 3% By Anjana Anil and Anmol Choubey. Gold prices fell to nearly a two-month low on Wednesday, pressured by expectations of tighter monetary policy to fend off rising inflation, with no clear end in sight to the war in Iran.
A group of the world's leading central banks and more than 40 major commercial banks are to step up testing of one of the world's most closely watched digital payments projects, as the race to upgrade - and dominate - the international financial architecture heats up.
* Leading central banks push ahead with digital payments testing. * Bank of Canada due to join the project going forward. * China's central bank, commercial banks not involved in project. By Marc Jones.
ROSELAND, N.J., May 27, 2026 For the four weeks ending May 9, 2026, U.S. private employers added an average of 35,750 jobs per week, according to the NER Pulse, a weekly update of the monthly ADP National Employment Report. Hiring slowed from the previous week. The NER Pulse is an estimate of the week-over-week change in employment based on a four-week moving average.
The rate on the most popular U.S. residential real estate loan hit a nine-month high last week in another blow to home-ownership affordability, as the Iran war kept oil prices elevated, fueling inflation concerns and pushing up benchmark U.S. Treasury yields.
The rate on the most popular U.S. home loan rose to a nine-month high last week, as the Iran war kept oil prices elevated, fueling inflation concerns and pushing benchmark U.S. Treasury yields higher. The U.S. labor market has since stabilized, with the unemployment rate now at the same 4.3% it was last August.
Russia has passed a law allowing its central bank and other financial institutions to operate their own defence systems and arm staff to repel drone attacks, a document published by the lower house of parliament showed.
The U.S. dollar, long stuck in a tight trading range, could be in for a break higher as the Federal Reserve shifts its focus to fighting worrisome signs that inflation is heating up. In the first half of last year, the dollar slumped nearly 11%. Since then, it has settled into a narrow trading range, frustrating both those anticipating deeper losses and those hoping for a meaningful rebound.
Euro zone banks need to invest more in cybersecurity if they are to get a grip on new AI models that can find flaws in software, the European Central Bank's outgoing Vice President Luis de Guindos said on Wednesday.
Societe Generale in its early Wednesday economic news summary pointed out: -- Brent offered inside a weekly range. -- The Reserve Bank of New Zealand holds OCR at 2.25%, MPC split 3-3, Governor Breman casts deciding vote for no change. -- Australia April consumer price index slows more than forecast to 4.2% year over year from 4.6% in March, core up a tick at 3.4% following temporary fuel tax cut.
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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