ECONOMY & MARKETS

Wall Street ended the session lower on Thursday, crossing the finish line of a grim month and quarter, a dismal coda to the S&P 500's worst first half in more than half a century.

U.S. stocks slipped on Thursday, setting the Dow up for its worst first six months since 1962, on concerns that a dogged pursuit by central banks to tame inflation would hamper global economic growth.

Wall Street slid into the finish line of a dismal month and quarter on Thursday as a continued sell-off put a grim punctuation mark at the close of the S&P 500's worst first-half in more than half a century.

U.S. stock index futures slid on Thursday on the last day of a dismal first-half of the year on worries that central banks determined to tame inflation will hamper global economic growth.

Seventy-four Norwegian offshore oil workers at Equinor's Gudrun, Oseberg South and Oseberg East platforms will go on strike from July 5, the Lederne trade union said on Thursday, likely shutting about 4% of Norway's oil production.

Some 74 Norwegian offshore oil workers at Equinor's Gudrun, Oseberg South and Oseberg East offshore platforms will go on strike from July 5, the Lederne trade union said on Thursday, likely shutting about 4% of Norway's oil production.

Asian currencies will wallow in the near-term, analysts forecast this week, with any respite from their first-half losses only likely to come in the form of proactive policy normalization by regional central banks combined with a Chinese recovery.

The U.S. government will provide $1 billion to neighborhoods that have been divided by highways, rail lines or other transportation infrastructure, officials from the U.S.

European Central Bank policymakers put on a brave face at their annual gathering in the hills above the Portuguese capital and forecast further economic expansion despite looming gas shortages, but in private conversations recession fears were increasingly dominant.

Two of Australia's biggest home lenders jacked up fixed-rate home loans in line with increases to their own borrowing costs, spokespeople told Reuters, adding to pressure on a housing market which has hit the brakes amid rising interest rates.

Bearish bets on the Philippine peso grew as the central bank adopted a more modest approach than its peers to tamp down inflation, while short positions on China's yuan eased following more stimulus and easing COVID-19 curbs, a Reuters poll found.

Britain racked up a record shortfall in its current account in early 2022, in part due to the soaring cost of its fuel imports, according to data that officials cautioned could be revised.

Investors knew that, after two years of COVID-19 chaos, 2022 would be a bumpy ride, but nobody expected this - the most turbulent first half global markets have ever seen.

Facing the toughest economic conditions in decades, Britain's supermarkets are cutting product ranges, searching for cost savings and patrolling each other's stores to check prices and products as they try to stay one step ahead.

Australian shares were set to lose a tenth of their market value in the first half of 2022, and analysts warned of more pain ahead from a central bank counterattack to tame surging inflation and fears of a slowdown in major global economies.

The euro recovered on Thursday from a two-week low against the dollar, which sputtered after fresh inflation data showed U.S. consumer spending rose less than expected in May.

The euro fell to a two-week low against the U.S. dollar and remained close to a 2015 low versus the Swiss franc amid safe-haven demand on renewed worries about higher rates and a global recession.

The euro struggled to regain its footing on Thursday after tumbling overnight against a resurgent U.S.

The euro struggled to regain a footing on Thursday, having tumbled overnight against a resurgent U.S.

Stocks on global indexes were sharply lower on Thursday and Treasury yields slid after U.S.

Stocks sank on Thursday to extend what is the worst first half of a year for global share prices on record, as investors fret that the latest show of central bank determination to tame inflation will slow economies rapidly.

Stocks sank on Thursday to extend what is the worst first half of the year for global share prices on record, as investors fret that the latest show of central bank determination to tame inflation will slow economies rapidly.

Asian shares were ending a rough quarter in a sombre mood on Thursday amid fears central banks' cure for inflation will end up sickening the global economy, though it is proving to be a fillip for the safe-haven dollar and government bonds.

Asian shares were ending a rough quarter in a sombre mood on Thursday amid fears central banks' cure for inflation will end up sickening the global economy, though it is proving to be a fillip for the safe-haven dollar and government bonds.

It's been a torrid first half for emerging market assets and with the Federal Reserve kicking off its tightening cycle amid soaring inflation shock waves might be on the horizon.

Aerojet Rocketdyne shareholders are poised to elect a group of directors headed by the company's chief executive in a bitterly fought election where the company's executive chairman also sought control of the board, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Japan's factory output posted the biggest monthly drop in two years in May as China's COVID-19 lockdowns and semiconductor and other parts shortages hit manufacturers, adding more pressure on an economy struggling to mount a strong recovery.

Japan's factory output posted the biggest monthly drop in two years in May as China's COVID-19 lockdowns and semiconductor and other parts shortages hit manufacturers, adding to worrying signs for an economy struggling to mount a strong recovery.

Japan's central bank has stumbled into a rare public relations storm that has dragged debate about its ultra-low interest rates out of sterile boardrooms and into tabloid and social media, amid surging household ire over rising living costs.