China keeps benchmark lending rates steady amid rising tariff risks

The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) has set up a fintech committee. Zhang Peng | LightRocket | Getty Images China kept its key lending rates unchanged Thursday, as Beijing prioritizes financial stability over interest rate easing to bolster the economy. The People’s Bank of China held the 1-year loan prime rate unchanged at 3.1%, and … Read more

More support for businesses and households

The Singapore Parliament building. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong noted in his 2025 budget that while the country’s economy grew by more than 4% in 2024, it will be difficult to achieve that level of growth on a sustained basis. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Singapore on Tuesday unveiled steps to support households and businesses in … Read more

Markets aren’t as keen on Trump and AI as before

The Russel Metals industrial facility seen in Nisku, Alberta, Canada, on Feb. 7, 2025.  Artur Widak | Nurphoto | Getty Images The excitement over artificial intelligence and U.S. President Donald Trump’s perceived friendliness to the stock market buoyed up investor sentiment as recently as December. In 2025, it seems those animal spirits have somewhat evaporated. … Read more

Treasury yields rise after unemployment rate falls in January

U.S. Treasury yields were higher on Friday following the release of key January jobs data. The 10-year Treasury yield rose about four basis points to 4.475%. The 2-year Treasury yield was last at 4.252% after rising by four basis points. Yields and prices move in opposite directions. One basis point is equivalent to 0.01%. The … Read more

Global central banks are cutting rates — the Fed might not be as inclined

The Bank of England on 6 Feb. 2025, in London, England. Richard Baker | In Pictures | Getty Images The Bank of England lowered interest rates by 25 basis points on Thursday, following the European Central Bank’s cut of the same amount on Jan. 30. The Reserve Bank of India is also widely expectedly to … Read more

Bank of England trims interest rates amid weaker growth outlook

Commuters cycles past the Bank of England (BOE), left, in the City of London, UK, on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. The central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee’s interest rate decision is scheduled for release on Sept. 19.  Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images The Bank of England made its first interest rate cut of the year … Read more

Euro zone GDP Q4 2024

An employee places an item in the window display at a delicatessen in the Piazza Campo di Fiori in Rome, Italy, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images The euro zone economy saw zero growth in the fourth quarter, flash figures published by the European Union’s statistics agency Eurostat showed Thursday. … Read more

UK finance minister backs expansion of London’s Heathrow Airport

British Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft spotted flying on final approach over the roofs of the houses of Myrtle avenue for landing at London Heathrow Airport LHR in the UK. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images U.K. Finance Minister Rachel Reeves on Wednesday unveiled plans to deliver a shot in the arm for the country’s … Read more

Structural weaknesses in economy must be addressed

It is crucial that Germany embarks on a period of economic growth, the country’s finance minister Jörg Kukies told CNBC on Thursday, adding that structural weaknesses must be addressed. “We’ve just gotten revised down growth forecasts for the IMF again,” Kukies told CNBC’s Karen Tso and Steve Sedgwick at the World Economic forum in Davos. “The structural … Read more

South Korea fourth-quarter GDP grows at its slowest pace in six quarters, missing expectations

The Seoul skyline. Mongkol Chuewong | Moment | Getty Images South Korea’s economy expanded 1.2% year on year in the fourth quarter, marking its slowest expansion since the second quarter of 2023. Advance figures missed the 1.4% expansion expected by economists polled by Reuters, and the growth was also softer compared with the 1.5% rise … Read more