U.S.–Venezuela Relations Show Signs of Thaw as Top Envoy Visits Caracas 
China Home Prices Rise in January as Government Signals Stronger Support for Property Market 
IMF Forecasts Global Inflation Decline as Growth Remains Resilient 
South Korea Factory Activity Hits 18-Month High as Export Demand Surges 
Starmer’s China Visit Highlights Western Balancing Act Amid U.S.-China Rivalry 
EU Recovery Fund Faces Bottlenecks Despite Driving Digital and Green Projects 
Wall Street Slides as Warsh Fed Nomination, Hot Inflation, and Precious Metals Rout Shake Markets 
Philippines Manufacturing PMI Hits Nine-Month High Despite Weak Confidence Outlook 
Oil Prices Slide Nearly 3% as U.S.-Iran Talks Ease Geopolitical Tensions 
China Factory Activity Slips in January as Weak Demand Weighs on Growth Outlook 
Russia Stocks End Flat as MOEX Closes Unchanged Amid Mixed Global Signals 
U.S. Government Faces Brief Shutdown as Congress Delays Funding Deal 
Gold and Silver Prices Plunge as Trump Taps Kevin Warsh for Fed Chair 
Why Trump’s new pick for Fed chair hit gold and silver markets – for good reasons 
Asian Markets Slide as Silver Volatility, Earnings Season, and Central Bank Meetings Rattle Investors 
Japan Election Poll Signals Landslide Win for Sanae Takaichi, Raising Fiscal Policy Concerns 
European stocks traded slightly higher on Thursday as investors awaited key monetary policy signals from the European Central Bank (ECB) and fresh U.S. inflation data. At 07:05 GMT, Germany’s DAX inched up 0.1%, France’s CAC 40 rose 0.3%, and London’s FTSE 100 gained 0.3%.
Markets remain focused on the ECB meeting in Frankfurt, where policymakers are expected to keep interest rates unchanged. The central bank halved its key rate to 2% earlier this year and has since paused further action as inflation cooled and growth steadied. However, with U.S. President Donald Trump imposing 15% tariffs on European imports, sluggish regional growth, and political uncertainty in France, the ECB is likely to keep the door open for future rate cuts. Inflation is projected to slip below the 2% target in 2026, leaving room for additional easing if necessary.
Investors are also bracing for U.S. consumer price index (CPI) data, which could heavily influence the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting next week. Headline CPI is forecast to rise 2.9% in August, with core inflation at 3.1%. A 25 basis-point Fed rate cut is widely anticipated, though a sharper-than-expected inflation spike could shift expectations toward a larger move.
In corporate news, Energean Oil & Gas announced over $4 billion in new long-term gas contracts in the first half of 2025, boosting its total contracted revenues to about $20 billion over the next 20 years.
Meanwhile, crude oil prices slipped as U.S. demand concerns outweighed supply risks. Brent fell 0.1% to $67.41 a barrel, while WTI dipped 0.2% to $63.57. U.S. crude inventories jumped by 3.9 million barrels last week, with gasoline stocks also rising unexpectedly, raising fresh concerns about weakening demand in the world’s largest energy consumer.
