Analysis: Currencies

Slovakia's Fico excoriates judge over central banker bribery conviction

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico lambasted a judge who fined central bank Governor Petr Kazimir for corruption on Thursday, saying the judge might be politically motivated and should be probed for...

South African rand falls back after strong gains

JOHANNESBURG -The South African rand retreated on Friday following strong recent gains, but analysts said the outlook for the currency remained positive. The rand traded at 17.94...

Trump spurs questions about safety of Germany's gold in New York

FRANKFURT/BERLIN -The safety of Germany's gold reserves held overseas and in New York in particular, until recently mainly a talking point for the country's far-right party and gold bugs, is becoming...

Rupee flips back to monthly decline, lags Asian peers

MUMBAI -The Indian rupee declined by about 1% in May, reversing course after gaining in the previous two months, influenced by factors such as continued uncertainty over U.S. trade policies, gains in...

Dollar mixed on tariff uncertainty, headed for monthly gain against yen

NEW YORK -The dollar was mixed on Friday but on track for the first monthly gain against the Japanese yen this year as investors factored in the likelihood of trade tariffs remaining in some form,...

Fed's Kugler says monitoring markets amid big policy shifts

Federal Reserve Governor Adriana Kugler said on Thursday she's closely watching markets amid substantial shifts in trade policy and possible diminished investor desire to hold U.S. dollar assets.  ...

Trump summons Fed's Powell, tells him he's making a mistake on rates

WASHINGTON -U.S. President Donald Trump called Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to the White House on Thursday for their first face-to-face meeting since he took office in January and told the...

US labor market showing cracks; corporate profits post largest drop since 2020

WASHINGTON -The number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits increased more than expected last week and the unemployment rate appeared to have picked up in May, suggesting layoffs...

Kenyan shilling steady against dollar, LSEG data shows

NAIROBI -Kenyan shilling held steady against the dollar on Thursday, data from the London Stock Exchange Group showed. At 0745 GMT, commercial banks quoted the shilling 129.00/50 per...

South African assets firm after central bank trims lending rate

JOHANNESBURG -South Africa's rand, government bonds and stocks strengthened on Thursday after the South African Reserve Bank trimmed its main lending rate, citing well-contained inflation. ...

Markets hope Trump tariffs stay 'unlawful'

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Wayne Cole Who knew the three judges at the rather obscure United States Court of International Trade had the power to spark a...

Markets shrug off US appeals court's decision to reinstate Trump tariffs

NEW YORK -Wall Street closed higher on Thursday, largely shrugging off a decision by a federal appeals court late Thursday reinstating President Donald Trump's tariffs. This came a day after a trade...

Fed saw inflation, jobless, stability risks at May meeting, minutes show

WASHINGTON -U.S. Federal Reserve officials at their last meeting acknowledged they could face difficult tradeoffs in coming months in the form of rising inflation alongside rising unemployment, an...

Jihadist violence and coups test West Africa ECOWAS bloc at 50

LAGOS -The Economic Community of West African States faces growing threats of terrorism, climate change, military coups, and poverty, its most senior official said on Wednesday as leaders marked 50...

Bulgaria likely to get EU Commission go-ahead to adopt euro from 2026, officials say

BRUSSELS -The European Commission is likely to give Bulgaria the green light on June 4 to adopt the euro currency from the start of 2026, several euro zone officials said, making Bulgaria the 21st...

Sterling steady against the dollar as economic data, trade deals offer support

Sterling was steady against the dollar on Wednesday, hovering near Monday's three-year high, as it continued to be supported by favourable economic data last week as well as Britain's recent trade...

Brazil airline Azul files for Chapter 11 to restructure debt

Brazilian airline Azul on Wednesday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States, it said in a securities filing, after months of trying to restructure mostly pandemic-era debt. ...

Minutes of Fed's May meeting likely to show officials grappling with uncertainty

WASHINGTON -The U.S. Federal Reserve at its May 6-7 meeting undercut expectations that it would change its policy interest rate anytime soon, and minutes from that session released on Wednesday may...

BOJ long-term government bond holdings fall for first time since 2008

TOKYO -The Bank of Japan's long-term government bond holdings fell for the first time in 16 years as of end-March as it tapered bond purchases, its earnings showed on Wednesday, in another sign of...