Analysis: Currencies

Russia weighs how to prop up Russian Railways which is $51 billion in debt, sources say

MOSCOW -Russia's government is discussing different ways to prop up Russian Railways, the country's biggest commercial employer, which has built up a 4 trillion rouble debt pile, two people with...

Sterling edges up; pre-budget jitters stoke volatility

London -Sterling headed for a fourth daily rise on Tuesday, while traders piled into the options market seeking protection against heightened volatility in light of Britain's upcoming budget...

German home prices on track for 3%-plus annual rises, further stretching affordability- Reuters poll

German home prices will rise around 3% annually over the coming years, according to property analysts polled by Reuters, outstripping overall inflation and further stretching affordability for...

Finland clings to happiness crown as economic gloom deepens

HELSINKI -Harsh economic headwinds are sending a chill through the world's happiest country. But after 1,000 days of unemployment, 33-year-old Juho-Pekka Palomaa hasn't let Finland's problems get him...

Currencies: CAD and gold in sight

An interesting question from one of our readers: Why isn't the Canadian dollar rising even though Canada is one of the main gold-producing countries? Some answers. ...

New AI club to bestow nuclear-like power, says Russian tech boss

MOSCOW -Artificial intelligence will bestow influence on a par with nuclear technology to countries able to get ahead now, a top Russian AI executive said, giving them superiority this century. ...

Shipping giant CMA CGM resumes Russia trade with food cargo

PARIS -French-based CMA CGM, the world's third-largest container shipping line, has resumed limited services to Russia, notably to transport food, three years after withdrawing from the country...

Euro zone business activity grows steadily in November, PMI shows

Euro zone business activity grew steadily this month as services expanded at the quickest pace in 1-1/2 years, while weak demand sent manufacturing back into contraction territory, a private survey...

Top ECB officials urge EU to remove internal barriers amid Trump tariffs

FRANKFURT -The European Union can offset the economic drag from U.S. trade tariffs and deglobalisation by removing internal barriers, top European Central Bank policymakers said on Friday. ...

Germany plans to boost funding for European Space Agency, says minister

BERLIN -Germany plans to significantly increase funding for the European Space Agency, with Research Minister Dorothee Baer set to pledge up to 5 billion euros at the ESA's conference in the...

Lawmakers say Russia should target Belgium, Euroclear and 'unfriendly' investors if EU seizes its assets

MOSCOW -Russia's parliament said on Thursday that any seizure of Russian assets by the European Union must be met by legal action against Belgium and securities house Euroclear, and Moscow could also...

ECB's Makhlouf says material outlook change is needed for rate cut

FRANKFURT -The euro zone economy is developing as expected and a compelling shift away from this path would be needed to support another European Central Bank interest rate cut, Governing Council...

German tax revenues rise 0.5% in October, finance ministry says

BERLIN -Germany's federal and state government tax revenues were up slightly in October, rising 0.5% from the same month a year ago, the finance ministry said in a report on Thursday. ...

US, UK and Australia sanction Russian cyber firms over ransomware links

LONDON -The United States, Australia and Britain announced coordinated sanctions on Wednesday against Russia-based web company Media Land, accusing it of supporting ransomware operations. ...

Euro zone's current account surplus widens on trade

FRANKFURT -The euro zone's current account surplus widened a touch in September as the goods surplus increased, offsetting a modest drop in the trade of services, data from the European Central Bank...

Russia plans new tax on electronics to boost its defence capacity

MOSCOW -Russia is planning a new tax on electronics, primarily imported and consumer items, with $2.7 billion in proceeds earmarked to support the domestic electronics industry, including in the...

ECB's Sleijpen: risks are balanced, policy is appropriate

AMSTERDAM -Risks surrounding the euro zone inflation outlook are balanced and the current level of interest rates is appropriate, Dutch central bank chief Olaf Sleijpen told a news conference on...

Euro zone to grow faster than expected, but defence spending boosts debt, EU Commission says

BRUSSELS -The euro zone economy is likely to expand faster than expected this year and grow at or above potential in 2026 and 2027, but debt and deficit will be on the rise too because of defence...

Currencies: sell the news

Buy the rumors, sell the news is a well-known saying in financial circles. The announcement of the end of the shutdown in the US perfectly illustrates this definition. While the markets performed well...