Summary Major indices experienced varied movements this week following geopolitical developments, strong US employment figures, and mixed but encouraging signs in inflation data. A relief rally ended the week as Treasuries slid, with the 10-year plunging as low as 4.64% on mixed CPI data. Sticky inflation could result in the Fed pausing cuts for January

The death toll from attacks by a rebel group in Colombia’s Catatumbo region has risen to 60, the country’s human rights office has said. Rival factions have been vying for control of the cocaine trade in the region – which sits near the border with Venezuela – for years. The Ombudsman’s Office said the latest

A senior Taliban figure has urged the group’s leader to scrap education bans on Afghan women and girls, saying there is no excuse for them, in a rare public rebuke of government policy. Sher Abbas Stanikzai, political deputy at the Foreign Ministry, made the remarks in a speech on Saturday in southeastern Khost province. He

Detectives immediately knew they were dealing with a professional hit. The criminals had riddled the taxi with some 40 bullets, yet stole nothing from the dying driver and passenger. But what puzzled them was the identity of the victim of the ferocious attack in the centre of Lima, Peru’s chaotic capital, last December. That passenger

Last week, better bank earnings and friendly details within inflation data, sent stocks and bonds … [+] higher. This week the focus will be on more fourth-quarter earnings and politics, with the Trump administration taking power and likely to begin making policy changes. getty Within the S&P 500, 20 companies reported earnings last week, dominated

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are great additions to any portfolio. I use them to gain exposure to market segments where I don’t have a lot of expertise or where it’s easier to invest in an ETF than to actively manage that part of my portfolio . I currently hold several ETFs and routinely add to those

Market News With the earnings season now underway, we’ll soon find out how publicly traded companies finished 2024. So far, analysts have set a high bar, projecting year-over-year growth of 11% or more. If achieved, this would make Q4 2024 the strongest quarter for earnings growth since 2021. Against that background, we can look at