BRASILIA -Brazil’s central government recorded a slightly wider-than-expected primary budget deficit in February, Treasury data showed on Thursday, although the result improved sharply from a year earlier, mainly due to lower expenditures. Latin America’s largest economy posted a deficit, excluding…

Canada’s main stock index steadied on Thursday as an expanding global trade war discouraged investors from making new bets on the market, with gains for gold miners offsetting losses for auto parts and technology shares. Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite…

BRUSSELS – A trade war with the United States could have a fleeting impact on euro zone inflation but a far more detrimental effect on economic growth, European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos said on Thursday. The euro…

ROME – Italy is concerned but not “terrified” of any new tariffs the United States could impose on wine, the country’s agriculture minister said on Thursday, adding he hoped diplomatic efforts could avert damage to a key industry. U.S. President…

WASHINGTON – The U.S. trade deficit in goods narrowed in February amid a rise in exports, which could temper economists’ expectations for a sharp slowdown in economic growth in the first quarter. The goods trade deficit contracted 4.9% to $147.9…

WASHINGTON – U.S. corporate profits surged to a record high in the fourth quarter amid strong demand and pricing power, but an uncertain economic outlook due to tariffs is creating a challenging environment for businesses that economists say could force…

BUENOS AIRES – Argentina is targeting a $20 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund, Economy Minister Luis Caputo said on Thursday, formally putting a figure on the long-mooted program for the first time as he looks to calm local…

NEW YORK – U.S. banking giants are pushing for a swath of lighter regulations from President Donald Trump’s administration, and say they are heartened by signals that regulators are listening. Bank bosses want to cut reporting requirements on some transactions,…

WASHINGTON – Contracts to buy U.S. previously owned homes rebounded marginally in February amid a decline in mortgage rates but rising economic uncertainty could limit momentum. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said on Thursday its Pending Home Sales Index,…

The S&P 500 ended lower on Thursday, as investors grappled with U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest trade tariff announcement that hit shares of General Motors and Ford. Trump unveiled on Wednesday his plan to implement a 25% tariff on imported…

HAVANA – Cuban freight traffic plunged 19% in 2024, the government’s statistics agency said this week, the latest sign that a grueling economic crisis which began five years ago is growing worse. The statistic measures transportation by ground, sea and…

LONDON – British finance minister Rachel Reeves, facing a weak economy, trimmed her spending plans in a budget update on Wednesday that gave some reassurance to investors, but the risks of a global trade war could put tax hikes back…

WASHINGTON – The U.S. government will probably risk defaulting on some of its $36.6 trillion in debt as soon as August – or possibly even by late May – unless Congress acts to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, the non-partisan…

NEW YORK – U.S. investment banks are poised to cut more jobs if economic uncertainty continues to weigh on dealmaking in the months ahead, according to analysts and recruiters. U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on trading partners…

LONDON – U.S. President Donald Trump emerged as one of the biggest threats hanging over the British economy on Wednesday, when the country’s fiscal watchdog said slow growth and a heavy debt burden made it especially vulnerable to his proposed…

HOUSTON -Oil prices rose on Wednesday, buoyed by government data showing U.S. crude oil and fuel inventories fell last week and by mounting concerns about tighter global supply following the U.S. threat of tariffs on nations buying Venezuelan crude. Brent…

NEW YORK -The end of various pandemic-era student loan support programs likely portends a rise in credit issues for borrowers, although it will take time to understand the full extent of the problem, New York Federal Reserve researchers said on…

NEW YORK -The dollar hit a three-week high against the euro and gained on the yen on Wednesday as traders awaited an announcement from U.S. President Donald Trump on auto tariffs. Traders worry that the trade levies will dent U.S….

ORLANDO, Florida – TRADING DAY Making sense of the forces driving global markets Nasdaq slumps 2%, tariff fears intensify It was really only a matter when, not if, tariff fears cast a pall over Wall Street and global markets again,…

British equities closed higher on Wednesday, buoyed by rising energy stocks, after finance minister Rachel Reeves pushed back government spending plans in a long-anticipated budget update. Both the blue-chip FTSE 100 and the FTSE 250 index gained 0.3%. Facing a…

Wall Street stocks ended sharply lower on Wednesday, dragged down by losses in Nvidia and Tesla as investors awaited information about long-promised U.S. tariffs on automotive imports. U.S. President Donald Trump was set to announce plans for car-industry tariffs at…

NEW YORK -Global stocks dropped for the first time in three sessions on Wednesday and the U.S. dollar resumed its ascent as investors awaited the next tariff announcement from U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump was scheduled to hold a press…

TOKYO – Tokyo-based investment firm Japan Activation Capital (JAC) said on Thursday it had closed its second fund at 77 billion yen ($511.93 million), bringing the total amount it has raised from domestic institutional investors to about 210 billion yen….

BEIJING -China’s industrial profits slipped in the first two months of 2025, signalling a challenging period ahead for businesses as they navigate persistent deflationary forces and an escalating trade war with the United States. The economy got off to an…

NEW YORK -The dollar was mixed on Thursday as traders mulled how severe tariffs scheduled to be revealed by U.S. President Donald Trump next week are likely to be, while the Canadian dollar and Mexican peso weakened after Trump announced…

NEW YORK – Oil prices edged higher on Thursday as traders assessed a tightening of crude supplies along with new U.S. tariffs and their expected effect on the world’s economy. Brent crude futures gained 24 cents, or 0.3%, to settle…

NEW YORK  -Global stocks fell for a second straight session and gold hit a record high on Thursday after the latest tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration that expanded the trade war to autos. Trump on Wednesday announced 25%…

DETROIT/BERLIN – U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 25% tariff on auto imports rippled throughout the world on Thursday, as global carmakers warned of immediate price hikes and dealers raised fears of job losses in big auto-exporting countries, many…

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Thursday that he would respond with unspecified trade actions if U.S. President Donald Trump imposes new auto tariffs that have expanded a global trade war and hammered stocks. Carney said he had not…

WASHINGTON -The head of the U.S. Social Security Administration has backed down from “shutting down the agency” after a federal judge rebuked him for misinterpreting a court ruling that limited billionaire Elon Musk’s access to agency information. The agency’s leader,…