Canada’s Trade Deficit Jumps in November as Exports Slide and Firms Diversify Away From U.S. 
Bank of Canada Holds Interest Rate at 2.25% Amid Trade and Global Uncertainty 
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U.S.–Venezuela Relations Show Signs of Thaw as Top Envoy Visits Caracas 
U.S. Prosecutors Investigate Fed Chair Jerome Powell Over Headquarters Renovation 
Markets React as Tensions Rise Between White House and Federal Reserve Over Interest Rate Pressure 
Oil Prices Surge Toward Biggest Monthly Gains in Years Amid Middle East Tensions 
BOJ Holds Interest Rates Steady, Upgrades Growth and Inflation Outlook for Japan 
RBA Expected to Raise Interest Rates by 25 Basis Points in February, ANZ Forecast Says 
Copper Prices Hit Record Highs as Metals Rally Gains Momentum on Geopolitical Tensions 
Asian Currencies Hold Firm as Dollar Rebounds on Fed Chair Nomination Hopes 
New York Fed President John Williams Signals Rate Hold as Economy Seen Strong in 2026 
Jerome Powell Attends Supreme Court Hearing on Trump Effort to Fire Fed Governor, Calling It Historic 
ECB Signals Steady Interest Rates as Fed Risks Loom Over Outlook 
Bank of Korea Expected to Hold Interest Rates as Weak Won Limits Policy Easing 
Australia’s monetary policy is facing a unique challenge as the economy continues to recover with demand still exceeding potential output, leaving little room for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to loosen policy further. In a speech at a UBS conference in Sydney, RBA Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser said that demand was “slightly above potential output” when GDP growth began to accelerate last year — marking the tightest recovery since the early 1980s. This situation, he noted, limits how much the economy can expand without fueling inflation.
Hauser emphasized that while strong demand signals robust business activity and job creation, it also complicates policy decisions. “That can still be consistent with bringing inflation back to target over the medium term,” he said. “But achieving that goal will require policy to be restrictive enough to keep shrinking the gap over that period.” The RBA maintained its cash rate at 3.6% last week amid rising inflation, resilient consumer spending, and a rebounding housing market, prompting policymakers to pause further easing after three consecutive cuts earlier this year.
The central bank now expects inflation to remain above its 2–3% target until at least mid-2026, citing persistent capacity constraints in the economy. Economists from Commonwealth Bank of Australia and HSBC have urged the RBA to end its current easing cycle, while financial markets anticipate only one more rate cut by mid-next year. Hauser also stressed the need to boost productivity and investment to expand supply and avoid inflationary pressures. “If we fail to do so, we may find ourselves boxed in on the rail. If we succeed, we could be off to the races,” he concluded.
