WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose slightly last week but continuing claims dropped, another indication that the labor market recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be choppy.FILE PHOTO: A “Now Hiring” sign advertising jobs at a hand car wash is seen along a street in Miami, Florida, U.S. May 8, 2020. […]

Slideshow ( 3 images )TOKYO (Reuters) – The Tokyo Olympics will take place without spectators, organisers said on Thursday, as a resurgent pandemic forced Japan to declare a coronavirus state of emergency for the capital that will run throughout the event. Although widely expected, the move marked a sharp turnabout from just weeks earlier, when organisers said they aimed to […]

Just last month, we were being warned that interest rates were ready to move meaningfully higher as inflation and the Federal Reserve were teaming up to end the massive low interest rate paradigm we have been stuck in for years. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, rates have dived lower, with the 10-year Treasury trading at a 1.32% yield, down from […]

(Reuters) – The European Central Bank announced the results of its strategy review and climate change-related policies on Thursday.FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde in Frankfurt, Germany, March 12, 2020. REUTERS/Kai PfaffenbachFollowing are the key points. INFLATION – New strategy adopts symmetric 2% inflation target over medium term – Governing Council confirms that Harmonised Index of Consumer […]

LONDON (Reuters) – Global stocks fell on Thursday, tracking a slump in Asia in response to a widening crackdown on the tech sector in China and concern over the strength of the country’s economic recovery, while oil prices sagged on supply uncertainty.FILE PHOTO: A man points a computer screen showing stock information in this illustration photo taken in Bordeaux, France, […]

TURMUS AYYA, West Bank (Reuters) – Israel drew U.S. criticism on Thursday when it destroyed the family home of a Palestinian-American accused of involvement in a shooting that killed an Israeli and wounded two others in the occupied West Bank. Muntasir Shalabi was indicted in an Israeli military court over the attack in May near the city of Nablus in […]

(Reuters) – Global markets won’t have a violent “taper-tantrum” like they did in 2013 even as though U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to discuss tapering of asset purchases at its annual gathering at Jackson Hole in August, three strategists at asset management firms said.FILE PHOTO: Federal Reserve Board building on Constitution Avenue is pictured in Washington, U.S., March 19, 2019. […]

The Australian Banking Association has announced a national support package for business and home owners, including loan deferrals and fee waivers, as COVID-19 lockdowns continue to cause financial hardship for many Australians. The ABA announced on Thursday evening a suite of policies aimed at supporting businesses and mortgage holders as growing COVID-19 cases in Sydney cast doubt over when the […]