ECONOMY & MARKETS

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz set out a 200 billion euro ($194 billion) "defensive shield", including a gas price brake and a cut in sales tax for the fuel, to protect companies and households from the impact of soaring energy prices.

This week's plunge in UK financial assets accelerated a longer historic decline signalling a loss of confidence among international investors that Britain may find hard to restore.

U.S. stock indexes slipped on Thursday as worries of a global economic downturn from aggressive central bank rate hikes and risks of potential contagion from a turmoil in UK markets turned investors risk averse.

Spain's government hopes to increase its tax take by 3.14 billion euros ($3 billion) next year with a series of measures including a temporary wealth tax and corporate and capital gains tax hikes, Budget Minister Maria Jesus Montero said on Thursday.

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Loretta Mester said Thursday she does not see distress in U.S.

The Russian rouble surged to a more than two-month high against the dollar on Thursday, while geopolitical headwinds halted a tentative recovery on stock markets as President Vladimir Putin prepared to annex four Ukrainian territories.

The U.S. economy's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic was much stronger than initially thought amid massive fiscal stimulus, according to revisions on Thursday, which also showed the gap between the two measures of growth narrowing sharply in 2021.

Euro zone government bond yields rose on Thursday as German data shifted the market focus to surging inflation, while gilt investors resumed selling after the Bank of England (BoE) stepped in to quell a storm the day before.

European Central Bank policymakers continued to line up behind another big interest rate hike as inflation is set to hit a new record high, but differed on whether it was time to think about mopping up cash from the economy.

Sweden's central bank must act robustly to get inflation under control or rising prices could become entrenched, rate-setters said in the minutes of the bank's most recent policy meeting, published on Thursday.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss broke her silence on Thursday following nearly a week of chaos in financial markets triggered by her plans for tax cuts, saying she was willing to take "controversial" decisions to reignite growth.

Thailand will gradually raise interest rates to bring inflation back to target and ensure a continued recovery, the central bank chief said on Thursday, playing down the impact of a weak baht on the overall economy.

If you are feeling the effects of inflation, here is a news flash: Your kid is, too.

Pressure on Indonesia's rupiah is expected to be temporary, a senior Bank Indonesia (BI) official said on Thursday, predicting the currency would strengthen to reflect its fundamental value later in the year.

South Korea's exports likely grew at the slowest pace in nearly two years in September, hurt by a weakening global economy led by China, a Reuters survey showed on Thursday.

In the weeks before heading to San Francisco for their vacation this month, Jeff Skipper and his wife Valerie, from the United Kingdom, watched helplessly as the U.S.

Japan will consider more steps to cushion the blow of rising electricity bills, a government spokesperson said on Thursday, underscoring the pressure it faces in addressing the burden on households of higher prices for imports from a weak yen.

Sterling fell on Thursday and the U.S. dollar was clawing back a recent dip as relief at the Bank of England's intervention in bond markets faded in the face of nagging doubts about Britain's economic management and the outlook for global growth.

A new monthly measure of Australian consumer prices on Thursday showed annual inflation eased slightly in August from July thanks to a steep drop in petrol prices, offering hope cost of living pressures might be close to a peak.

The European Commission has warned EU countries that a broad cap on gas prices could be complex to launch and pose risks to energy security, amid calls from countries for Brussels to step in to tame high fuel prices.

Lebanon plans to slash its official exchange rate, replacing the 1,507 per dollar rate adopted 25 years ago with a rate of 15,000 in a step towards unifying numerous exchange rates, the finance minister told Reuters on Wednesday.

Mario Draghi's outgoing Italian government on Wednesday slashed next year's economic growth forecast to 0.6% due to sky-high energy costs but said strong revenues would still ensure an improvement in public finances.

The wild swings seen in British markets provided an "opportunity of a lifetime" to trade currencies and bonds, hedge funds and traders said on Wednesday.

Borrowing costs for UK companies have soared since the British government's mini-budget last week spooked markets, with data showing sterling corporate bonds suffering their biggest monthly selloff since at least the 1990s.

The U.S. trade deficit in goods narrowed for a fifth straight month in August amid a decline in imports, which is being driven by slowing domestic demand as the Federal Reserve aggressively tightens monetary policy to tame inflation.

The Bank of Canada on Wednesday said it would begin publishing a summary of its monetary policy deliberations starting next year, accepting a key recommendation from a transparency review by the International Monetary Fund.

The lack of clear progress on inflation means the Federal Reserve needs "moderately restrictive" interest rates that should reach a level between 4.25% and 4.50% by the end of this year, Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic said on Wednesday.

Russia estimates the new cut-off price for its budget rule that diverts excess oil revenues into its wealth fund at $62-$63 per barrel and may resume foreign currency purchases as early as this year, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Wednesday.

The Bank of England stepped into Britain's bond market on Wednesday to stem a market rout, pledging to buy 65 billion pounds ($69.4 billion) of long-dated gilts after a government fiscal statement triggered the biggest sell-off in decades.