U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, April 2024

In April, Canada's merchandise exports increased 2.6%, while imports rose 1.1%. As a result, Canada's merchandise trade deficit with the world narrowed from $2.0 billion in March ...

The Governing Council today decided to lower the three key ECB interest rates by 25 basis points. Based on an updated assessment of the inflation outlook, the dynamics of underlying inflation and the strength of monetary policy transmission, it is now appropriate to moderate the degree of monetary policy restriction after nine months of holding rates steady. Since the Governing Council meeting in September 2023, inflation has fallen by more than 2.5 percentage points and the inflation outlook has improved markedly. Underlying inflation has also eased, reinforcing the signs that price pressures have weakened, and inflation expectations have declined at all horizons. Monetary policy has kept financing conditions restrictive. By dampening demand and keeping inflation expectations well anchored, this has made a major contribution to bringing inflation back down. post: #ECB CUTS DEPOSIT FACILITY RATE BY 25BPS TO 3.75%; EST. 3.75% - BBG *ECB CUTS MARGINAL LENDING FACILITY TO 4.50%; EST. 4.50% *ECB CUTS MAIN REFINANCING RATE BY 25BPS TO 4.25%; EST. 4.25% post: ECB SAYS ECB WILL CONTINUE TO REINVEST, IN FULL, PRINCIPAL PAYMENTS FROM MATURING SECURITIES PURCHASED UNDER PEPP UNTIL END OF JUNE 2024 || ECB SAYS OVER SECOND HALF OF YEAR, IT WILL REDUCE PEPP PORTFOLIO BY €7.5 BILLION PER MONTH ON AVERAGE ECB SAYS ECB INTENDS TO DISCONTINUE… post: ECB Not Pre-Committing To Any Particular Rate Path - Inflation Likely To Stay Above Target Well Into Next Year - Raises Inflation Forecasts For 2024, 2025European Central Bank cuts main interest rate by 0.25 points The European Central Bank has eased the pressure on borrowers across the eurozone after cutting its main interest rate for the first time in almost five years. The ECB reduced its deposit rate to 3.75% from a record high of 4%, putting it ahead of the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England, which have yet to cut interest rates. Financial markets eagerly anticipated the first eurozone cut since September 2019, which will also affect the ECB’s main refinancing operations rate, which fell from 4.5% to 4.25%. City analysts had forecast the cut in borrowing costs at the ECB’s June meeting after signals that that the central bank was ready to offer more support to eurozone economies after a period of economic stagnation following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

post: *LAGARDE: ECONOMY TO CONTINUE TO RECOVER - BBG *LAGARDE: MANUFACTURING SHOWING SIGNS OF STABILIZATION *LAGARDE: SURVEYS POINT TO CONTINUED JOB GROWTH IN NEAR TERM post: *LAGARDE: DOMESTIC INFLATION REMAINS HIGH - BBG *LAGARDE: WAGES RISING AT ELEVATED PACE *LAGARDE: LABOR COSTS WILL LIKELY FLUCTUATE DUE TO ONE-OFFS *LAGARDE: WAGE GROWTH WILL MODERATE OVER COURSE OF YEAR *LAGARDE: PROFITS ABSORBING PART OF WAGE INCREASES post: ECB’S LAGARDE: INFLATION TO FLUCTUATE AROUND CURRENT LEVELS FOR REST OF YEAR ECB’S LAGARDE: INFLATION WILL THEN DECLINE TOWARDS TARGET IN 2H25 ECB’S LAGARDE: RISKS TO GROWTH BALANCED IN NEAR TERM