Trump tariffs shift shows benefits of EU unity, says German chancellor-designate Merz

BERLIN (Reuters) – Friedrich Merz, Germany’s likely next chancellor, said U.S. President Donald Trump’s pause of tariffs for 90 days was evidence of a united European approach to trade having a positive effect, and called for tariff-free U.S.-EU trade. “Europeans are determined to defend ourselves and this example shows that unity helps most of all,”…

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IMF’s Georgieva: Recession not on the horizon despite tariff worries

By Andrea Shalal and David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s push for sweeping tariffs is creating great uncertainty and denting confidence but is not likely to trigger a near-term recession, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Monday. “We are not seeing a dramatic impact” yet from the tariffs implemented…

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JPMorgan downgrades South African equities on economic slowdown concerns

(Reuters) -J.P.Morgan on Tuesday downgraded South African equities to “neutral” from “overweight,” citing concerns over an economic slowdown and the effectiveness of the country’s policy reforms. “While South Africa’s investment case on reforms remains an attractive point of departure, it is unlikely to result in meaningful (economic) growth that’s above 2% in the coming two…

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Fitch raises Sri Lanka rating after creditor nod to $12.55 billion debt overhaul

(Reuters) – Credit ratings agency Fitch on Friday upgraded Sri Lanka’s long-term foreign-currency default rating to ‘CCC+’ from ‘restricted default’ (RD) following approval by creditors of the country’s $12.55 billion debt overhaul earlier this week. The island nation’s bondholders overwhelmingly signed off on the government’s proposal to restructure international bonds, a much-needed step in its…

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Column-The five charts flashing red for U.S. equity bulls: McGeever

By Jamie McGeever ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – As the classic market cliche goes, investors should worry most when the consensus is overwhelmingly optimistic and be bullish when it’s overwhelmingly bearish.     If investors apply this logic to the 2025 U.S. stock market outlook, they should be running for the hills.     By many measures – sentiment surveys,…

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