Economic Report

Key Takeaways Prices steady: Spot gold held at $4,612.98/oz, while gold futures slipped 0.4% to $4,624.14/oz. Two months of pain: Gold is nursing back-to-back monthly losses as inflation fears overshadow safe-haven appeal. Other metals firmer: Spot silver rose 0.4% to $75.6945/oz, while spot platinum gained 0.9% to $2,010.0/oz. Trump’s Hormuz …

Key Takeaways Three-month peak: Bitcoin surged 2.7% to $80,286.5, riding a near 12% gain in April on bargain buying. ETF inflows roar: Net inflows into U.S.-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs hit $1.97 billion in April — the highest level since October 2025 when Bitcoin last hit a record. But still below …

Key Takeaways Yen edges up: USD/JPY slipped 0.1% to 156.92, retreating slightly from an earlier climb to 155.69 amid thin holiday trading. Biggest weekly jump since February: The yen spiked roughly 1.5% against the dollar last week. $35 billion strike: Reuters reported Tokyo may have spent as much as 5.48 …

Key Takeaways Muted European open: The Stoxx 600 and DAX both rose 0.2%, while the CAC 40 and FTSE 100 traded broadly unchanged. Trump’s Hormuz push: The president announced a new effort over the weekend to help vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, though details remain scarce. Mine danger …

Key Takeaways Hike widely expected: The RBA is anticipated to raise rates by 25 basis points to 4.35% on May 5 — its third hike of the year. Easing cycle reversed: The move will fully unwind the brief easing cycle of 2025 and return rates to late-2024 levels. Inflation alarm …

Key Takeaways Modest gains: Brent crude rose 0.6% to $108.84 per barrel, while WTI added 0.6% to $102.59 — both bouncing back after Friday’s losses. No deal in sight: The absence of a U.S.-Iran peace agreement continues to constrain supplies and prop up prices above $100. Hormuz still choked: Shipping …

While some weeks pass in silence, others redraw the global economic map. The trading week of April 27 – May 1, 2026, falls firmly into the latter. Between five major central bank decisions, a historic Fed dissent, aggressive Japanese intervention to bolster the Yen, and blockbuster tech earnings, market expectations …

China has announced it will scrap tariffs for nearly all African countries, extending duty-free access to 53 nations until April 2028. The only exception is Eswatini, which maintains diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Beijing has highlighted the move as a sign of its commitment to Africa, positioning itself as the first …

President Donald Trump announced he will raise tariffs on cars and trucks imported from the European Union to 25%, a sharp increase that could shake global markets. He accused the EU of failing to comply with last year’s trade deal, insisting the higher tariffs would push European manufacturers to move …

The US Dollar managed a modest bounce on Friday after sliding to its lowest point in two weeks, but the recovery did little to change the bigger picture — the greenback is ending the week in the red, battered by a perfect storm of geopolitical uncertainty and renewed trade war …