US jobs grow as diesel prices hit record before midterms
US employers added 162,000 jobs in August and the unemployment rate stayed at 4.1 percent, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday, while diesel prices h…
Economy & Trade — September 2026
Trump threatens trade halt unless Fed lowers rates
US President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to stop trading with countries with which the United States has a deficit unless the Federal Reserve lowers interest rates. Trump wrote on Truth Social that the Fed should lower rates because the United States wa…
France offers €1bn farm aid after climate-hit summer
France announced more than one billion euros in emergency support for farmers on Friday after a summer of heatwaves, wildfires and drought, but agricultural groups said the package was too small. Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard said the money was meant to…
US adds 162,000 jobs as unemployment stays 4.1%
The United States added 162,000 jobs in August and the unemployment rate stayed at 4.1 percent, government data showed Friday. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics said employment expanded in restaurants and bars, while local government education jobs recovered…
Food prices rose 1.9% in August, FAO says
Global food prices rose 1.9 percent in August from July as drought and conflicts affected commodity markets, UN Food and Agricultural Organization data showed Friday. The FAO food price index was 2.5 percent higher than in August 2025. The increase accelerate…
German factory orders rise 2.5% in July
German factory orders rose in July for a third month in a row, adding to signs of recovery in the industrial sector of Europe’s biggest economy. Industrial orders, an indicator of future business activity, increased 2.5% from the previous month, the statistic…
Trump trade envoy: UK choosing Brussels over America
White House Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Britain it was choosing "Brussels over America" despite Brexit, warning in an interview with the Financial Times that this could hinder efforts to expand a US-UK trade deal. Greer said the UK was not using…
Brazil meat exports can resume if rules met, EU says
Brazilian meat exports to the European Union can resume once Brazil shows it complies with the bloc's animal health rules, the EU said after suspending imports from the South American country. The suspension took effect on Thursday. Brussels said Brazil had f…
Cuba allows foreign real estate investment
Cuba has begun implementing major free-market reforms that allow foreigners to invest in real estate and let domestic companies import and export without gover…
Canada trade surplus falls to C$769m before US tariffs
Canada's trade surplus fell to C$769 million (US$558 million) in July from C$4.2 billion (US$3.1 billion) in June, Statistics Canada said Thursday, as oil and…
India GDP figures face questions after 7.8% growth
India's 7.8 percent year-on-year GDP growth figure for the April-June quarter has come under scrutiny after a former senior finance ministry official said chan…
US trade deficit hits $88.6bn as tech imports jump
The US trade deficit widened in July to $88.6 billion, its largest level since March 2025, as technology imports rose during the AI build-out, Commerce Departm…
Germany growth forecasts rise despite energy shock
German growth forecasts for 2026 have been raised by leading research institutes, which said Europe’s biggest economy had withstood the energy shock from the M…
US drone tariffs of up to 100% take effect
New US tariffs of up to 100% took effect Thursday on drones and certain components, as Washington seeks to reduce reliance on imports in an industry dominated…
Appalachia gristmills fuel US clean-food push
Traditional gristmills in Appalachia are drawing renewed interest from millers, chefs and food advocates who say stone-ground grains can help support healthier…
Argentina austerity not up for discussion, Milei says
Argentine President Javier Milei said Wednesday that austerity was “not up for discussion” and that he would not soften his fiscal policies ahead of the 2027 p…
US private hiring slows to 38,000 jobs, ADP says
US private-sector employers added 38,000 jobs in August, the slowest pace since the start of the year, payroll firm ADP said Wednesday. The figure was down fr…
France heat, drought to cut 0.1% from growth, ministry says
France's finance ministry said Wednesday that drought and record heatwaves this summer will shave 0.1 percent off the country's economic growth this year. Min…
G20 finance leaders except China urge safe Hormuz transit
G20 finance leaders, excluding China, urged “free, safe, and predictable” navigation through the Strait of Hormuz in a statement released at the close of US-ho…
Senegal IMF loan puts debt treatment in focus
Senegal's $2.2 billion staff-level loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund has put the country's debt treatment plan at the centre of its economic…
US factory growth slows in August, ISM survey shows
US manufacturing activity expanded more slowly in August, with new orders and imports weakening, the Institute of Supply Management said Tuesday. The ISM manufacturing index fell to 54.6 percent, down one percentage point from July, when it reached a four-yea…
Brazil economy slows to 0.5% growth in second quarter
Brazil's economy grew 0.5 percent in the second quarter from the previous quarter, slowing from 1.1 percent growth in the first quarter, the Brazilian Geography and Statistics Institute said Tuesday. The institute said household consumption fell 0.4 percent i…
EU fast-fashion imports face €10 fee call
A federation of European textile associations called Tuesday for a €10 handling fee on fashion imports into the European Union, in the latest effort to curb ultra-cheap competition mainly from China. Euratex president Mario Jorge Machado welcomed the EU's exi…
Eurozone inflation hits three-year high of 3.3%
Eurozone inflation rose to 3.3 percent in August, its highest level in three years, as energy costs increased, official European Union data showed Tuesday. The rate reported by Eurostat was up from 2.9 percent in July and remained above the European Central B…
Japan eases overtime oversight despite overwork fears
Japan eased overtime oversight on September 1, ending labour office pressure on some companies to keep monthly overtime at 45 hours despite criticism that the change weakens safeguards against overwork. The government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi adopted…