Two anti-establishment parties in Italy are set to present details of a coalition agreement Monday, but market participants do not seem substantially worried about the prospect of a populist government. The left-wing Five Star Movement (M5S) and the right-wing Lega are due to meet the country’s president Monday afternoon to outline plans for a new […]
Read moreBritain on Monday awarded defense firm BAE Systems 2.4 billion pounds ($3.26 billion) to work on two submarine program, the company said in a statement. The Ministry of Defense gave BAE a 1.5 billion pound contract for delivery of the seventh Astute class submarine, and a further 900 million pounds for the next phase of […]
Read moreThe U.S. should keep its debt-to-GDP (gross domestic product) in mind before things “get out of hand,” Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Loretta Mester said Monday. Asked by CNBC’s Joumanna Bercetche if she was worried about the outlook for rising U.S. debt, Mester was measured but encouraged monitoring the debt level, which is at […]
Read moreMoqtada al-Sadr was leading in Iraq’s parliamentary election with more than half the votes counted, the electoral commission said, a surprise comeback for the powerful nationalist Shi’ite cleric who had been sidelined by Iran-backed rivals. Shi’ite militia leader Hadi al-Amiri’s bloc, which is backed by Tehran, was in second place, according to the count of […]
Read moreEuropean stocks are set to start the week on a higher note as investors become more positive about trade relations between the U.S. and China as well as Italian politics. The FTSE 100 is seen up by 0.5 at 7723; the DAX is seen higher by 22.3 points at 13,020; and the CAC 40 is […]
Read moreCurrency, United States Finance
Trump’s Iran sanctions will aggravate the French-German discord on EU reforms
Germany does not want to finance the budget to support reforms in a French proposal to “refound” the European economic and political integration (aka “the European project”). At the same time, the presumption of European unity is being severely tested by the extraterritorial impact of President Donald Trump’s unilateral sanctions on Iran. Ironically, the money […]
Read moreCurrency, United States Finance
A nuclear deal with the Saudis is a good thing, says former GOP leader Eric Cantor
Former House majority leader Eric Cantor is among a growing number of Washington insiders encouraging the U.S.’s involvement in a nuclear energy program for Saudi Arabia. Asked by CNBC’s Hadley Gamble on Sunday if it was the right move for the Donald Trump administration to support the Islamic kingdom’s nuclear energy pursuits, Cantor replied, “I […]
Read moreCurrency, United States Finance
Top oil CEO warns of a 'very uncertain' environment thanks to Iran sanctions
Italian oil and gas giant ENI may not have any investments in Iran, but its CEO Claudio Descalzi sees disruption ahead for oil markets thanks to the reimposition of U.S. sanctions on OPEC’s third-largest oil producer. “The impact is more for the crude oil price, because Iran now is exporting about 2.6 million barrels (per […]
Read moreCurrency, United States Finance
Man shot by police in Paris after attacking pedestrians with a knife
An assailant armed with a knife killed at least one person and inuured several more in Paris inan attack on Saturday night before being shot dead by police, a police source said. Four people were injured, including two seriously, BFM TV said. @uhitscarolEEna tweet A police source confirmed there had been a knife attack without […]
Read moreThe new U.S. ambassador to Germany said the row over Washington’s planned imposition of punitive tariffs on European goods would not trigger a trade war, adding that U.S. President Donald Trump only wanted “a level playing field”. In an interview with the Funke newspaper group, Richard Grenell insisted that the United States was awaiting proposals […]
Read more