Reuters US Economy

LONDON (Reuters) – Business activity in the euro zone accelerated last month as the bloc’s dominant services industry took advantage of a further loosening of COVID-19 restrictions, offsetting a near-stall in manufacturing output growth, a survey showed on Wednesday. S&P Global’s final composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), seen as a good gauge of economic health, …

Euro zone business growth got boost from reopened services in April – PMI Read More »

A look at the day ahead in markets from Julien Ponthus. The global monetary tightening cycle has crossed a symbolic milestone with yields on German, British and U.S. 10-year government debt topping 1%, 2% and 3% respectively, levels not seen in years. This rising trend is seen accelerating further with a hawkish Federal Reserve expected …

Marketmind: 1%, 2%, 3%.. Read More »

By Uditha Jayasinghe and Alasdair Pal COLOMBO (Reuters) -Sri Lanka plans to replace its current “unrealistic” budget and is in talks with the World Bank to extend its support by $300 million to $700 million, the country’s finance minister said on Wednesday. The island nation, hit hard by COVID-19 and short of revenue after steep …

Sri Lanka to replace ‘unrealistic’ budget, in talks to extend World Bank aid Read More »

By Jamie McGeever ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) -The highest inflation in decades is unraveling whatever policy consensus there was between the world’s major central banks since the Great Financial Crisis and global markets could buckle under resulting waves of stress and volatility. A turbo-charged dollar, which often both reflects and fuels financial market stress, risks a …

Fraying central bank consensus spurs dollar and market stress: McGeever Read More »

By Ann Saphir WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Reserve on Wednesday is expected to raise interest rates by half of a percentage point and announce the start of reductions to its $9 trillion balance sheet as U.S. central bankers intensify efforts to bring down high inflation. Fed policymakers have widely telegraphed a double-barreled decision that …

Fed expected to step up inflation fight with big rate hike Read More »

By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea’s office workers and factory labourers have been dispatched to farming areas around the country to join a fight against drought, state media reported on Wednesday, amid concerns over prolonged food shortages. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had called for measures to improve a tense food situation …

N.Korea mobilises office workers to fight drought amid food shortages Read More »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – New orders for U.S.-made goods increased more than expected in March and shipments rose solidly, but supply constraints following new COVID-19 lockdowns in China could slow manufacturing activity in the months ahead. The Commerce Department said on Tuesday that factory orders rose 2.2% in March after edging up 0.1% in February. Economists …

Rise in U.S. factory orders beats expectations in March Read More »

By John Kemp LONDON (Reuters) – Global manufacturing growth has started to decelerate as supply chain problems, the rising cost of energy and raw materials, and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine take their toll. Slower growth in manufacturing output and freight transport is inevitable after the recovery from the pandemic, when consumer spending shifted …

Global manufacturers lose momentum as inflation worsens: Kemp Read More »

LONDON (Reuters) – Shop prices in Britain surged last month at the fastest rate in more than a decade and worse is to come, according to a survey published on Wednesday that spelt further bad news for many households caught in a worsening cost-of-living crisis. The British Retail Consortium said prices in store chains rose …

UK shop prices rise at fastest rate since 2011 – BRC Read More »