Analysis: Currencies

BOJ to pledge more rate hikes at next week's policy meeting, sources say

The Bank of Japan will likely maintain a pledge next week to keep raising interest rates, but stress the pace of further hikes will depend on how the economy reacts to each increase, said three...

Sterling dips after data shows surprise drop in UK GDP

The pound dipped on Friday after data showed the UK economy unexpectedly shrank in the three months to October.  Economic activity fell by 0.1% between August and October, while falling...

Russian central bank says EU plans to use its assets are illegal

Russia's central bank said on Friday European Union plans to use its assets were illegal and it reserved the right to employ all available means to protect its interests. It said...

Will it be a hike next year? Five questions for the ECB

The European Central Bank meets on Thursday, with traders suddenly speculating a rate hike could be on the cards in 2026. Since policymakers last met in October, there has been more...

Lukoil leans towards Xtellus' cashless bid for its foreign assets

Russia's Lukoil favours U.S. bank Xtellus Partners' bid for its global assets over a dozen rival bids, as it takes the form of a cashless deal that would return U.S.-held securities to the Russian oil...

ECB proposes simpler bank capital rules

The European Central Bank proposed a simplification of bank capital buffer rules on Thursday, looking to prune some of the complex regulation put in place after the global financial crisis without...

US bank floats plan to repay US investors via Lukoil asset sale, sources say

U.S. investment bank Xtellus Partners has proposed to the U.S. Treasury that proceeds from the sale of Lukoil's foreign assets be used to repay American investors who lost money when Russia's war in ...

Currencies: all eyes on the Fed

Global markets are looking at a key week with the Federal Reserve meeting that will publish its conclusions on Wednesday. Several markets stand at pivotal points that will be useful to juxtapose to...

ECB's Rehn sees downside risks to inflation, urges action on Ukraine funding

Inflation in the euro zone faces downside risks in the medium term, even as price growth has returned to the ECB's 2% target, European Central Bank policymaker Olli Rehn said, according to a report in...

Dollar hovers near five-week low on Fed rate cut bets

The U.S. dollar languished not far from a five-week low against its major peers on Friday as investors braced for a Federal Reserve rate cut next week. The greenback was particularly...

Belgian PM hopes to have 'fruitful discussion' on Russian frozen assets with Germany's Merz

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said on Thursday he hopes to have a fruitful discussion with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday about an EU plan to use Russian frozen assets to support...

UK sets out new sanctions against Russia after Novichok report

Britain on Thursday announced new sanctions against Russia, including the entire GRU military intelligence agency, which was singled out in a UK public inquiry into the 2018 death of a woman poisoned...

Germany's Merz wants EU states to share risks of Russian asset plan alongside Belgium

Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz has come out in favour of giving Belgium assurance that the risks of a planned use of frozen Russian state assets to support Ukraine would be borne fairly by all...

Russia blocks Apple's FaceTime in mounting push against foreign tech platforms

Russia has blocked Apple's video-calling app FaceTime, the state communications watchdog said on Thursday, as part of an accelerating clampdown on foreign tech platforms that authorities allege are...

ECB says EU use of Russian assets for Ukraine loans is a stretch

The European Commission's proposal to use Russian central bank assets to extend reparations loans to Ukraine is a stretch from a legal and financial point of view, European Central Bank President...

Euro zone business activity expands at fastest pace in 30 months in November, PMI shows

Business activity in the euro zone expanded at its fastest pace in two-and-a-half years in November as a robust service sector more than offset manufacturing weakness, a survey showed on Wednesday. ...

Russia's services sector growth accelerates in November, PMI shows

Russia's services sector experienced a resurgence in growth in November, driven by a renewed increase in new orders, a survey showed on Wednesday. The seasonally adjusted S&P Global...

EU proposes using frozen Russian assets or borrowing to give Ukraine 90 billion euros

The European Commission proposed on Wednesday an unprecedented use of frozen Russian assets or international borrowing to raise 90 billion euros for Ukraine to cover its struggling military and basic...

Tariffs, AI boom could test global growth's resilience, OECD says

Global growth is holding up better than expected as an artificial intelligence investment boom helps offset some of the shock from U.S. tariff hikes, the OECD said on Tuesday, nudging up its outlook...