Federal Reserve policymakers who last year were frequently at odds over where to set U.S. borrowing costs opened 2020 telegraphing confidence in the state of the economy and signaling broad agreement that monetary policy is right where it should be.
Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank President Loretta Mester, among the Fed policymakers most concerned that easy monetary policy would risk excessive inflation, said on Friday she has put those fears to rest for now and is willing to leave rates at their current level absent some substantial change in the economy.
China has decided to keep its inflation target unchanged this year at around 3%, sources say, suggesting policymakers will continue to roll out economic stimulus gradually and avoid more aggressive measures.
The Japanese yen led other safe-haven assets higher on Friday after U.S. air strikes on Baghdad airport killed a senior Iranian military official, stoking tensions in the Middle East and lifting the price of oil.
Across snow-covered North Dakota, U.S. farmers are stuck with fields full of weather-damaged corn - a crop they planted after the U.S.-China trade war killed their soybean market. Many don't know yet what crops they'll plant next season among a host of dicey options.
Credit Suisse said on Friday it expects to buy back at least 1 billion Swiss francs ($1.03 billion) worth of shares until the end of 2020, subject to market and economic conditions, after completing a similar program last year.
Ryanair is prepared for further delays to the delivery of its Boeing 737 MAX airliners, its chief executive Michael O'Leary told German magazine Wirtschaftswoche, adding that he would only discuss compensation after the aircraft had been delivered.
Asian shares slipped on Friday, erasing early gains, while gold shone and oil prices spiked after U.S. air strikes in Iraq killed a top Iranian commander, heightening geopolitical tensions.
Turkish private aircraft operator MNG Jet said on Friday that its planes were used illegally in the escape from Japan of ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, adding it had filed a criminal complaint.
Brent crude futures jumped nearly $3 on Friday after a U.S. air strike in Baghdad killed top Iranian and Iraqi military commanders, sparking concerns of disruption to Middle East oil supplies.
China has decided to keep its inflation target unchanged this year at around 3%, sources say, suggesting policymakers will continue to roll out more economic support measures while avoiding aggressive stimulus.
The sale of new electric cars in Norway rose by 30.9% last year amid soaring demand for Tesla Inc's vehicles, but the pioneering U.S. firm faces rising competition from rival auto makers in 2020.
Oil prices rose over $2 a barrel and gold and other safe-haven assets jumped on Friday, as the U.S. killing of a top Iranian commander in an air strike in Iraq ratcheted up tensions between the two powers.
Safe-haven currencies such as the Japanese yen jumped to their highest in months on Friday after U.S. air strikes on Baghdad airport killed a senior Iranian military official, stoking tensions in the Middle East.
HSBC will suspend overnight services at 19 ATM clusters in Hong Kong on weekends and public holidays, the bank said on Friday, two days after its branches and ATMs were targeted during anti-government protests.