Confidence among Europe’s business owners and executives has sunk to its lowest since November 2022, according to the Hamburg Commercial Bank’s new purchasing managers index (PMI).
Category: 29 April 2025
YEMEN DEATH TOLL
The U.S. military killed at least 250 people in over 800 attacks in Yemen since 15 March when Houthi fighters renewed their attacks on Israeli ships in the Red Sea to respond to the ongoing Washington-backed genocide and starvation campaign in Gaza.
GAZA DEATH TOLL
Israel has killed at least 52,243 Gazans and injured 117,639 since October 2023 as it tightens its grip on the enclave.
REGULATORS RESCIND CRYPTO GUIDELINES
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) and Federal Reserve Board have withdrawn statements issued in 2022 and 2023 that were intended as guidance for banks in dealing with cryptocurrencies.
COLGATE-PALMOLIVE PARES BACK ITS 2025 FORECAST
Colgate-Palmolive, which makes hundreds of consumer products from pet foods to Ajax cleanser, has cut its sales growth outlook from 3 to 5 percent this year to 2 to 4 percent. Profits will be flat, CEO Noel Wallace said in a 25 April earnings call.
SALE OF BIG-TICKET ITEMS SURGED IN MARCH AHEAD OF TARIFFS
Sales of so-called durable goods—items designed to last at least three years—jumped 9.2 percent in March, year on year, as businesses and households both brought planned purchases forward in time to beat Donald Trump’s 2 April “Liberation Day” tariff blitz.
U.S. HOME SALES IN MARCH SHOW WORST SLUMP IN MORE THAN TWO YEARS
In March, home sales dropped 5.9 percent below February’s number, the worst month-to-month decline since November 2022, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported.
JOBLESS CLAIMS INCH UP
In the week ending 19 April, the number of new claims for unemployment insurance rose from 216,000 to 222,000.
AMERICANS FEAR GOING BROKE MORE THAN DYING
Sixty-four percent of Americans are more afraid of running out of money than of dying, according to a new survey by Allianz Life.
AMERICANS ARE SCALING BACK THEIR STANDARDS FOR RETIREMENT
A year ago, Americans responding to a Northwestern Mutual survey said they needed an average of $1.46 million to retire comfortably.