ECONOMY & MARKETS

Russian gas flows to Europe have fallen short of demand again, coinciding with an early heat wave gripping its south and fuelling concerns the continent may struggle to build up storage ahead of the winter season.

An unusually large quarterly expiration of U.S. stock futures and options on Friday is likely to boost trading volumes and add to volatility, market strategists said, with some even expecting it to trigger a relief rally at the end of a turbulent week.

Italy may declare a heightened "state of alert" on gas next week if Russia continues to curb its supplies, two government sources said on Friday after energy company Eni reported a shortfall in flows from Moscow for the third day in a row.

Brazilian motorists will soon pay more at the pump after state-run Petrobras said it plans to hike fuel prices from Saturday as the country grapples with soaring inflation ahead of elections later this year.

The Federal Reserve, fresh from its biggest interest rate hike in more than a quarter of a century, signaled on Friday it will not let anything stand in the way of its battle to bring down the searing inflation that's punishing American households.

Production at U.S. factories unexpectedly fell in May, the latest sign of cooling economic activity as the Federal Reserve aggressively tightens monetary policy to tame inflation.

Production at U.S. factories unexpectedly fell in May, the latest sign of cooling economic activity as the Federal Reserve aggressively tightens monetary policy to tame inflation.

Benchmark European and British gas prices are on course for gains of more than 50% this week after Russia said capacity of its Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which take gas directly to Germany, would be cut by around 60%, dramatically reducing European gas supply.

Private equity investors gathered in Berlin at their annual get-together are fretting a season of record buyouts is drawing to a close after a week of market turmoil and recession fears as central banks across Europe have hiked interest rates.

British finance minister Rishi Sunak has toughened his language towards Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey, a reflection of the political pressure piling on them both as inflation surges towards double digits.

The Group of 20 (G20) major economies aims to raise $1.5 billion this year for a fund set up to better prepare for future pandemics, the health minister of current G20 president Indonesia said on Friday.

A further decline in Russian gas flows to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, coinciding with an early heat wave gripping its south, deepened concerns the continent may struggle to build up storage ahead of the winter season as planned.

Russian gas flows to Europe fell short of demand again on Friday, coinciding with an early heat wave gripping its south and boosting benchmark prices on concerns the continent may struggle to build up storage in time for winter.

A market trends indicator by BofA Securities fell to zero for the first time since the pandemic-induced mayhem in financial markets in 2020, signalling extreme bearishness as investors dumped credit and crypto assets.

European stocks edged higher on Friday, but posted their third straight week of losses as a slew of interest rate hikes from major central banks fuelled worries about a sharp economic slowdown.

World stocks on Friday headed for their worst week since markets' pandemic meltdown in March 2020, as investors worried about growth in the face of global rate hikes - except in Japan where policy settings were kept easy and the yen fell.

World stocks on Friday headed for their worst week since markets' pandemic meltdown in March 2020, as investors feared sharp rate hikes tipping economies into recession, while growth fears and a soaring Swiss franc whacked the U.S.

World stocks whipsawed on Friday to edge closer to their worst week since markets' pandemic meltdown in March 2020, as leading central banks tightened policy in an effort to tame inflation, setting investors on edge about future economic growth.

World stocks headed for their worst week since markets' pandemic meltdown in March 2020, as interest rate hikes in the United States and Britain and a surprise one in Switzerland set investors on edge about future economic growth.

World stocks on Friday closed out their steepest weekly slide since the pandemic meltdown of March 2020, as investors worried that tighter monetary policy by inflation-fighting central banks could damage economic growth.

The yen retreated sharply from its highest point in nearly two weeks on Friday, after the Bank of Japan kept its ultra-easy policy unchanged, defying pressure from aggressive tightening at peers including the Federal Reserve and Swiss National Bank.

The Japanese yen tumbled against the dollar on Friday after the Bank of Japan bucked a wave of tightening and stuck with its ultra-accommodative stance, adding to soaring volatility in currency markets hit by a series of rate hikes this week.

The World Trade Organization chief presented countries with a series of trade agreements early on Friday that included pledges on health, reform and food security and urged that they be accepted.

Japan has reappointed Masato Kanda as vice finance minister for international affairs, the country's top currency diplomat, as part of a mid-year personnel reshuffle, the Ministry of Finance said on Friday.

Oil prices edged lower on Friday as demand concerns emerged following interest rate hikes in the week, although new sanctions on Iran capped the downside.

Oil prices edged lower on Friday and were on track for a weekly decline as interest rate hikes from major central banks fuelled worries about a sharp economic slowdown.

Oil prices edged lower on Friday as demand concerns emerged following this week's rate hikes, although persisting supply tightness and new sanctions on Iran limited the downside.

Oil rose on Friday, supported by supply tightness and new sanctions on Iran, but prices were on track for a weekly decline amid interest rate hikes from major central banks that fuelled worries about a sharp economic slowdown.

Oil prices fell almost 2% on Friday and were on track for a weekly decline as interest rate hikes from major central banks fuelled worries about a sharp economic slowdown.