Initial claims for US unemployment benefits have fallen for the second week in a row, reaching a low level not seen since early July, despite a recent drop in hiring. Labor Department data released Thursday showed that initial claims fell by 7,000 to 227,000 in the week ended August 10. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists was for 235,000 applications. Economists and investors alike are watching for signs that the labor market may be weakening faster than expected, especially after the July employment report showed the unemployment rate rising for the fourth straight month and hiring slowing.

In July 2024, Australia's unemployment rate rose to 4.2%, while the labour force participation rate increased to 67.1%. The number of people in employment rose to 14.462 million and the employment to population ratio increased to 64.3%. The underemployment rate remained at 6.4%, while the number of hours worked per month increased to 1.960 million.

NewsTexas offers an exciting opportunity for owners of a 2021 or newer Ford F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E, Escape PHEV or plug-in Lincoln. Ford has partnered with electric utility TXU to offer participants free charging for their electric vehicles during off-peak hours set by the utility company until at least the end of 2026, The Verge reported.Based on sales data for the first half of this year, Ford is in second place in the US electric vehicle (EV) market behind Tesla, albeit with a significant gap, with one in two new EVs being Teslas and Ford only 8% share. Ford's Mustang Mach-E is the sixth most popular EV in the country, and the electric version of the F-150 is the eighth. Texas, the second most populous state in the US, has a population of about 30 million, yet only 200,000 of the approximately eight million passenger cars registered in the state are electric. While one in four new cars in California is electric, the figure in Texas is just 6%.These circumstances also contribute to Ford's curiosity about the impact on the market if charging costs were reduced or absorbed. In Texas, the company has launched a trial under an agreement with a local electricity provider whereby participating EV owners can charge their vehicles at home for free if they meet certain simple conditions. Based on national data, the average EV owner spends about $70 per month on home charging, significantly less than the amount spent on filling up a gasoline or diesel car, which is about double. However, recent forecasts for the uptake of EVs have become more cautious, further justifying the importance of these types of experiments and programs.Related categories RecommendedYou may also be interested in these articles![brbl_post_grid include_categories="current" order="DESC" post_count="3" post_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true" content_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true" image_height="200px" date_spacing="0px"...

The Consumer Prices Index including owner-occupied housing costs (CPIH) in the UK rose by 3.1% in the 12 months to July 2024, compared with 2.8% in June 2024. On a monthly basis, the CPIH level remained almost unchanged in July 2024, compared with a fall of 0.3% in July 2023. The CPI rose 2.2% in the 12 months to July 2024, compared with 2.0% in June 2024. On a month-on-month basis, the CPI declined 0.2% in July 2024, lower than the 0.4% decline recorded a year earlier in July 2023.

The Producer Price Index for final demand rose 0.1 percent in July on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. In June, final demand prices increased 0.2 percent, compared with no change in May. (See Table A.) Compared with the same period a year earlier, the final demand index increased 2.2 percent on an unadjusted basis. The July increase was mainly due to higher prices for final demand goods, which rose by 0.6 percent. In contrast, the services index of final demand fell by 0.2 percent.

According to the latest labour market data, the number of job vacancies continues to fall, although it is still 11.0% higher than it was between January and March 2020. The unemployment rate is slightly lower than a year ago, while both the number of employed and the number of paid employees showed a slight increase in the last quarter. The number of people claiming unemployment benefits rose to 135,000 from 36,000 a year earlier.

Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, said that if the US Federal Reserve (Fed) does not start cutting interest rates soon, it could have a negative impact on US consumer sentiment. The Fed kept its benchmark interest rate in the same 5.25%-5.50% range at the end of July, where it has been for more than a year, but has indicated that it could cut rates as early as September if inflation continues to moderate. In an interview with CBS, Moynihan stressed that although the central bank has previously communicated that interest rates are unlikely to rise further, a delayed rate cut could have a negative impact on consumers.

In June, the total value of Canadian building permits fell 13.9% to $9.9 billion, continuing a decline that began in May. Declines were reported in 11 of the 13 provinces and territories, affecting both the residential and non-residential sectors. The value of building permits in constant 2017 dollars fell 14.3% in June, following a 13.4% decline in May. The value of residential building permits declined 11.5% to $6.5 billion in June, contributed by 9 of the 13 provinces and territories.

NewsInstitutional asset manager Bitgo has announced plans to transfer control of WBTC (Wrapped Bitcoin) to a joint venture with BiT Global. This move will result in the custodial oversight being shared across multiple jurisdictions, including Hong Kong and Singapore, rather than being solely U.S.-based. As part of this transition, they are partnering with Justin Sun and the Tron ecosystem, giving him substantial influence over the joint venture managing WBTC.The Federal Reserve has initiated enforcement action against Customers Bancorp, one of the few crypto-friendly banks in the United States. The FED's 13-page enforcement order requires the bank to provide 30 days' notice before establishing any new banking relationships with crypto-related companies. This requirement enables the FED to control access to banking services, effectively deciding who can open accounts and who cannot, thereby significantly restricting the operational capabilities of crypto companies.Related categories RecommendedYou may also be interested in these articles![brbl_post_grid include_categories="current" order="DESC" post_count="3" post_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true" content_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true" image_height="200px" date_spacing="0px" date_icon_size="0px" date_icon_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)" excerpt_spacing_top="0px" author_spacing="0px" author_icon_size="0px" author_icon_color="#ffffff" column_gap_x="30px" column_gap_y="0px" show_avatar="off" thumb_size="medium" content_length="120" overlay_icon_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)" post_bg_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)" content_bg_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)" column_count_tablet="2" column_count_phone="1" column_count_last_edited="on|desktop" module_class="remove-pagination" _builder_version="4.24.0" _module_preset="default" title_level="h5" title_text_align="left" title_font_size="16px" title_line_height="28px" excerpt_text_color="rgba(255,255,255,0.4)" excerpt_font_size="12px"...

20 Aug 2024 - 11:00am (GMT +1)Previous: 2.5%Becslés: 712K Source: forexfactory.com Previous data Impact on markets A general market effect that is constantly changing depending on the current economic environment. Summary - Analysis Long term trend of data: Consolidation Most expected effect: Forex ( EXY ) If new data is higher than previous: Positive ( Forex:EXY ) If new data is lower than previous: Negative ( Forex:EXY ) Effect-balancing with other data: Yes More on TOTM PROConclusion Conclusions based on the new data will be included in the TOTM PRO level live stream announcements every Monday and Thursday.

NewsTether plans to double its current workforce by mid-2025. The largest stablecoin issuer, with a market capitalization exceeding $115 billion, has operated with a relatively small team. Currently, their workforce consists of about 100 employees spread across 50 countries. However, next year, they intend to focus heavily on development, investments, and compliance standards. Regarding their presence in the EU, Tether's CEO, Paolo Ardoino, mentioned that the recently adopted MiCA regulations pose a threat to both banks and stablecoin issuers. As a result, they are currently only engaged in discussions with regulatory authorities.Solana's developers, validators, and client teams quietly coordinated to address a critical vulnerability by securing the majority of the network's stakes before publicly disclosing the issue. The fix allowed operators to independently verify and apply the necessary changes. The vulnerability was disclosed after 70% of the network implemented the fix, and Solana Labs issued a statement urging the remaining operators to update their systems.Related categories RecommendedYou may also be interested in these articles![brbl_post_grid include_categories="current" order="DESC" post_count="3" post_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true" content_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true" image_height="200px" date_spacing="0px" date_icon_size="0px" date_icon_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)" excerpt_spacing_top="0px" author_spacing="0px" author_icon_size="0px" author_icon_color="#ffffff" column_gap_x="30px" column_gap_y="0px" show_avatar="off" thumb_size="medium" content_length="120" overlay_icon_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)" post_bg_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)" content_bg_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)" column_count_tablet="2" column_count_phone="1" column_count_last_edited="on|desktop" module_class="remove-pagination" _builder_version="4.24.0" _module_preset="default" title_level="h5" title_text_align="left"...

NewsThe Cboe, joining three other exchanges, withdrew its option listing application for spot Bitcoin ETFs late Thursday, only to submit a significantly longer and more detailed application shortly afterward. This maneuver clearly indicates that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is involved in the process. According to James Seyffart, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, options for spot Bitcoin ETFs are expected to become available in the fourth quarter of this year.The Democratic branch of the crypto industry has also begun vying for the votes of crypto enthusiasts, leading to the creation of a new Kamala Harris-supporting advocacy group called "Crypto for Harris." Among its members are left-leaning billionaire entrepreneur and crypto advocate Mark Cuban, SkyBridge Capital founder and Trump critic Anthony Scaramucci, as well as a handful of Democratic members of the House of Representatives.Modular data infrastructure provider Covalent has announced a strategic partnership with the Sei blockchain. The integration of Covalent's GoldRush stack into Sei's high-speed environment will enable more blockchain innovations while providing an efficient developer environment. Additionally, this partnership further strengthens Covalent's commitment to building a robust data infrastructure.Ripple has started testing its stablecoin, Ripple USD (RLUSD), on two blockchain networks, the XRP Ledger and Ethereum. Currently, the RLUSD has not yet received regulatory approval, so it is not available for commercial use. According to Monica Long, Ripple's president, the stablecoin will complement XRP's functions in the future.Related categories RecommendedYou may also be interested in these articles![brbl_post_grid include_categories="current" order="DESC" post_count="3" post_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true" content_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true" image_height="200px" date_spacing="0px" date_icon_size="0px"...

Employment in Canada fell by 2,800 in July, marking the second consecutive month of decline. Despite this, the unemployment rate remained surprisingly stable at 6.4%. A significant drop in the participation rate to 65.0%, down 0.3 percentage points from the previous month, helped avoid a more severe rise in unemployment. Although the headlines may paint a worrying picture, the details are more positive: full-time employment increased by 61,600 and hours worked rose by 1.0% month-on-month.

NewsIn a recent court ruling, Judge Analisa Torres ordered Ripple Labs Inc. to pay a $125 million civil penalty as part of its ongoing legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fine is related to the sale of XRP tokens to institutional investors. This penalty is significantly lower than the $2 billion the SEC had sought for violations of federal securities laws.The Democratic branch of the crypto industry has also begun vying for the votes of crypto enthusiasts, leading to the creation of a new Kamala Harris-supporting advocacy group called "Crypto for Harris." Among its members are left-leaning billionaire entrepreneur and crypto advocate Mark Cuban, SkyBridge Capital founder and Trump critic Anthony Scaramucci, as well as a handful of Democratic members of the House of Representatives.The NEAR Foundation, the nonprofit organization behind the NEAR blockchain, has announced the activation of Chain Signatures on its mainnet. This feature, which has been in testing since March, allows users with NEAR accounts to sign transactions across supported blockchains without the need for cross-chain bridges. This innovation makes applications faster and easier to use.A U.S. judge has approved a $12.7 billion settlement agreement between FTX, Alameda Research, and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). As a result, the defunct FTX crypto broker and its affiliated trading firm Alameda Research must pay a total of $12.7 billion in compensation to those who suffered losses due to violations of commodity trading laws.Franklin Templeton, in collaboration with the Arbitrum Foundation, has launched its OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund (FOBXX) on the Arbitrum network. Investors can gain exposure to the fund through the asset manager's Benji Investments platform using BENJI tokens. Initially launched on the Stellar blockchain, the fund expanded to Polygon in April, with plans to integrate more networks in the...

For the week ending August 3, the seasonally adjusted number of new jobless claims for unemployment benefits was 233,000, down 17,000 from the revised figure for the previous week, according to preliminary data. The previous week's figure was revised by 1 000, from 249 000 to 250 000. The 4-week moving average rose to 240 750, 2 500 above the previous week's revised average.

NewsCurio, a gaming studio building infrastructure for on-chain crypto games, has announced a successful $5.7 million funding round led by OKX Ventures, Bain Capital Crypto, and SevenX Ventures. Additionally, the studio has launched its flagship strategy game, Duper, on the Arbitrum One network.The Mysticeti consensus protocol, based on Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAG), has been deployed on the Sui mainnet. According to the announcement, this upgrade reduces consensus latency to 390 milliseconds, making Sui one of the fastest consensus layers in the industry. Mysticeti’s rapid transaction processing capabilities will now be extended to all transaction types on the Sui network.Crypto asset manager Grayscale has announced the launch of two new investment crypto funds: the Grayscale Bittensor Trust and the Grayscale Sui Trust. The Grayscale Bittensor Trust invests in TAO, the native token of Bittensor, which is central to the growth of decentralized artificial intelligence. The Grayscale Sui Trust focuses exclusively on SUI, the token of the Sui protocol that is redefining smart contract blockchains. With these two new products, Grayscale has expanded its list of investment offerings to 20.Donald Trump's two sons have joined the crypto bandwagon, teasing a major upcoming project that promises to shake up the crypto world. With a post stating, "Decentralized finance is the future, don't miss out," accompanied by the hashtag "BeDeFiant," they have stirred excitement among crypto enthusiasts. It appears that their announcements may be related to trademarks involving the term "World Liberty."Binance Labs, the venture capital and incubation arm of Binance, has announced an investment in the Solayer project, a Solana restaking protocol. Currently ranked as the 13th largest Solana protocol according to DeFiLlama, Solayer has attracted attention for its potential in the expanding restaking protocol space.Ethena Labs, the team behind the USDe...

The New Zealand dollar continues to strengthen against the US dollar, supported by better-than-expected New Zealand employment data. As a result, traders are adjusting their expectations and lowering the chances that the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) will cut interest rates next week. According to data released by Statistics New Zealand on Wednesday, the country's unemployment rate rose to 4.6% in the second quarter (Q2), up from 4.3% in the first quarter, but better than expected at 4.7%

NewsLondon-based Capula Investment Management has reported holding $464 million worth of shares in spot Bitcoin ETFs issued by BlackRock and Fidelity. As Europe's fourth-largest hedge fund, Capula manages approximately $30 billion in assets. The financial report reflects the firm's holdings as of the end of the second quarter.The Ronin crypto bridge service has been temporarily shut down following a whitehat attack in which $9 million worth of tokens were removed from the platform. According to a statement from the Ronin Network, the bridge will remain paused while they investigate the whitehats' report on a potential MEV (Miner Extractable Value) exploit. The bridge currently secures over $850M which is safe.The Starknet Foundation has announced that Diego Oliva has resigned from his position as CEO, a role he has held since March 2023. James Strudwick, who has been with the foundation since January 2024, will take over as CEO. According to the announcement, Oliva will stay on for a short period to assist with the transition.Related categories RecommendedYou may also be interested in these articles![brbl_post_grid include_categories="current" order="DESC" post_count="3" post_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true" content_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true" image_height="200px" date_spacing="0px" date_icon_size="0px" date_icon_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)" excerpt_spacing_top="0px" author_spacing="0px" author_icon_size="0px" author_icon_color="#ffffff" column_gap_x="30px" column_gap_y="0px" show_avatar="off" thumb_size="medium" content_length="120" overlay_icon_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)" post_bg_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)" content_bg_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)" column_count_tablet="2" column_count_phone="1" column_count_last_edited="on|desktop" module_class="remove-pagination" _builder_version="4.24.0" _module_preset="default" title_level="h5" title_text_align="left" title_font_size="16px" title_line_height="28px"...

Growth in the UK construction sector accelerated as the second half of the year got underway, with July seeing much faster growth in both activity and new orders during the month. In turn, firms increased purchasing activity and staff numbers for the third consecutive month. Higher demand for inputs put some pressure on supply chains and input costs rose at a faster pace.

NewsGibraltar-based crypto-friendly Xapo Bank has received its banking license in the United Kingdom and is now offering new banking services for users who wish to hold Bitcoin. According to the announcement, the bank is the first to launch a combined interest-bearing U.S. dollar and Bitcoin bank account, allowing customers to use it just like a regular bank account.The hybrid perpetual decentralized trading protocol X10, developed by former Revolut employees, has announced its launch on the StarkEx Layer-2 network. X10 has also created an intuitive trading mini-app for Telegram, allowing users to trade directly within the messaging app. To further enhance liquidity, X10 offers a transparent market maker program open to everyone, in collaboration with global fintech partners.Related categories RecommendedYou may also be interested in these articles![brbl_post_grid include_categories="current" order="DESC" post_count="3" post_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true" content_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true" image_height="200px" date_spacing="0px" date_icon_size="0px" date_icon_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)" excerpt_spacing_top="0px" author_spacing="0px" author_icon_size="0px" author_icon_color="#ffffff" column_gap_x="30px" column_gap_y="0px" show_avatar="off" thumb_size="medium" content_length="120" overlay_icon_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)" post_bg_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)" content_bg_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)" column_count_tablet="2" column_count_phone="1" column_count_last_edited="on|desktop" module_class="remove-pagination" _builder_version="4.24.0" _module_preset="default" title_level="h5" title_text_align="left" title_font_size="16px" title_line_height="28px" excerpt_text_color="rgba(255,255,255,0.4)" excerpt_font_size="12px" excerpt_line_height="24px" author_font="|600|||||||" author_font_size="12px" author_line_height="20px" date_font="|600|||||||" date_text_color="#ffffff" date_font_size="12px"...

The US ISM non-manufacturing index rose from 48.8 to 51.4, above market expectations of 51.0. New orders jumped from 47.3 to 52.4, while the employment index rose from 46.1 to 51.1, indicating that the sector is back on a growth path. The activity/output index performed particularly strongly, rising from 49.6 to 54.5, while prices paid increased from 56.3 to 57.0.

NewsThis event is special because no one has ever attempted something like this with a 200-tonne rocket like the Super Heavy (the Falcon-9 first stage is only a tenth of the mass), and SpaceX is planning a completely unique way to intercept the launcher. To do this, SpaceX has built a special launch pad, the Mechazilla, equipped with two robotic arms. The plan is to use these arms to intercept the Super Heavy before it reaches the ground.The role of the Mechazilla is not limited to catching the Super Heavy, as once the rocket has landed safely, the arms can be used to immediately return it to the launch pad and then attach the starship to the top of the launcher. To make this possible, SpaceX had to build the world's tallest launch pad, at 146 metres, as the Starship system is around 121 metres tall.Although Starship is expected to make it much cheaper to launch various cargoes into space anyway, thanks to its extraordinary capacity, this method will allow SpaceX to shorten the time between launches enormously, which could make missions much more economical. It's not yet known when we'll see Mechazilla in action, because although it was previously thought that the fifth test of the starship could take place as early as the end of July, Space.com reports that it could be pushed back to late August or September.Related categories RecommendedYou may also be interested in these articles![brbl_post_grid include_categories="current" order="DESC" post_count="3" post_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true" content_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true" image_height="200px" date_spacing="0px" date_icon_size="0px" date_icon_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)" excerpt_spacing_top="0px" author_spacing="0px" author_icon_size="0px" author_icon_color="#ffffff" column_gap_x="30px" column_gap_y="0px" show_avatar="off" thumb_size="medium" content_length="120" overlay_icon_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)" post_bg_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)"...

According to the latest HCOB PMI® survey, business activity growth in the German services sector declined for the second consecutive month in July. The loss of momentum contributed to the first decline in employment in the sector this year. Nevertheless, business expectations improved slightly, although only partially reversing the significant decline of the previous month. In terms of inflation, average prices charged by service firms registered the slowest rate of increase since April 2021, although it was still up when measured by pre-pandemic standards.