Author: Anthony Persuader
Financial Journalist with global coverage.
Amsterdam Marks 750th Anniversary with Concert, Giant Cake Amsterdam on Monday celebrated its 750th anniversary with a giant birthday cake, citywide festivities and a concert attended by the Dutch royal family. Mayor Femke Halsema kicked off the celebrations at 7:50 am on Dam Square, the city’s central plaza, by cutting a 75-metre-long cream cake decorated in Amsterdam’s red-and-white colours and bearing its coat of arms. Slices were then delivered across all districts of the city for residents to enjoy. Music and art exhibitions were also being held throughout Amsterdam to mark the milestone. Festivities will culminate in a large concert…
Fitch Affirms Chad at ‘B-‘ With Stable Outlook Fitch Ratings has affirmed Chad’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at ‘B-‘ with a stable outlook. Chad’s credit ratings reflect the country’s very low GDP per capita compared with peers at 40% of the current ‘B’ median, weak governance, high share of informality as well as a significant dependence on oil. This is balanced by Chad’s comparatively low debt/GDP level, high concessionality of the external debt stock and strong donor support. “We consider that conditions in the primary debt market for members of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa…
Euro Declines by 0.21% to $1.1631 Ahead of GDP Figures FX UPDATE: The euro hovered around $1.16, down by 0.21% from the previous week’s levels, as positive signs emerged of a US-China deal, strengthening the greenback. FX markets entered a crucial week filled with global trade negotiations, central bank meetings, and key economic data releases across Europe. Investors welcomed signs of progress in US–China trade talks, with attention now turning to the upcoming meeting between Presidents Trump and Xi Jinping on Thursday, expected to finalize the framework of a preliminary deal discussed over the weekend. The euro has forged a…
Bitcoin Falls to $113,400 as Rally Fizzles Out The market value of all listed crypto assets climbed by 1.62% to $3.83 trillion despite negative price fluctuation in top assets, including Bitcoin and Ethereum. Trading data obtained from Coinmarketcap.com showed that Bitcoin price fell to $113,400 on Sunday, sustaining a downward trend as retail investor sentiment weakened. Investors liquidated positions held in top cryptocurrency, but Bitcoin falling has been faster than Ethereum, XRP, Solana and Cardano. Bitcoin reached an intraday high of $114,000 before it pulled back. In the meantime, the Ether price came awfully close to reclaiming the $4,100 level.…
Emerging Market Issuers to Face Greater Macro Challenges in 2026 –Fitch Macroeconomic headwinds will present a growing challenge to emerging market issuers across sectors in 2026 as the US tariff shock continues to evolve, says Fitch Ratings. However, near-term prospects for emerging market liquidity remain broadly robust, supported by the extension of monetary easing cycles in several emerging market countries. “We forecast global emerging market GDP growth will slow to 3.7% in 2026, from 4.1% this year. We predict growth in emerging markets next year will be below the average for 2020-2026 of 4%, though emerging market growth this year…
10-Year U.S Treasury Yield Climbs After Auction Results The yield on the US 10-year Treasury note rose to 3.99% on Thursday, marking its first increase of the week, as traders focused on the upcoming US consumer price index (CPI) report due Friday and auction. The Treasury Department on Thursday announced the details of this month’s auctions of two-year, five-year and seven-year notes. The Treasury revealed plans to sell $69 billion worth of two-year notes, $70 billion worth of five-year notes and $44 billion worth of seven-year notes. The results of both the two-year and five-year note auctions are due to…
Crude Oil Prices Edge Higher on Demand, Supply Imbalance Crude oil prices edged higher in the global commodity market on Wednesday over demand and supply imbalance stoked by escalating geopolitical tensions. There is also optimism over a potential US-China trade deal Brent crude was trading at $62.05 per barrel, up 1.1% from the previous close of $61.36. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) also rose 1.2% to $58.23, compared to $57.53 in the prior session. Heightened geopolitical risks from the prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict continued to fuel supply concerns, while hopes of improved trade ties between the world’s two largest economies…
Euro Declines as US Dollar Confidence Crisis Eases The euro slipped slightly to $1.163 as US dollar volatility moderated on Tuesday. The dollar has shaken up last week’s banking concerns and is now only 0.7% off its 10 October high. US dollar has seen significant fluctuation as the greenback lost its safe-haven feature to gold, reflecting investors’ confidence crisis stoked by twisted US trade policy. Investors have been selling dollars, causing the world-leading currency to lose its allure with increasing global economic de-dollarisation. EUR/USD may slip all the way to 1.160 in the next few days, but it may require…
Coinbase Acquires Crypto Investment Platform Echo for $375m Coinbase has announced the acquisition of crypto investment platform Echo, the leading on-chain capital raising platform, for approximately $375 million. Echo’s platform makes raising and investing more accessible to community members, either through a private Echo sale or a public sale that uses Sonar. “By joining forces, we’re making it easier for companies to raise funds and grow, and giving the community early access to unique investment opportunities”, an official statement reads. Like us, Echo believes in democratizing early-stage investing, so that more people can support the next generation of breakthrough companies,…
Ex-French President Nicolas Sarkozy Begins 5-Year Prison Sentence Ex-French president Nicolas Sarkozy begins a five-year sentence in Paris’ La Santé prison on Tuesday for criminal conspiracy in an attempt to use Libyan money to finance his 2007 election campaign. Sarkozy will be the first French leader to be incarcerated since Philippe Petain, the Nazi collaborationist head of state who was jailed after World War II. Sarkozy, who was the right-wing president of France between 2007 and 2012, has always maintained his innocence but will, in any case, serve his sentence in a prison that has housed some of the most…