Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Jay Powell took steps to reassure financial markets on Friday, saying that the US central bank would be patient about rate rises. He also defended his independence, saying he would not resign if requested by US President Donald Trump.
The US economy created many more jobs than expected in December, according to the latest government data. Employers added 312,000 jobs, far ahead of predictions of 177,000, the Labor Department said.
The US Supreme Court will hear this Friday an appeal against an intermediate court decision accepting jurisdiction over Argentina and its majority state-owned oil giant YPF, in a case relating to YPF’s 2012 re-nationalization by Argentina, then under the rule of ex-president Cristina Fernandez.
Three former Credit Suisse bankers have been arrested over their alleged role in a US$ 2bn fraud scheme connected to firms in Mozambique, according to US authorities. The men have been released on bail in London while the US seeks their extradition.
Apple has rattled investors with news that its sales have been slowing, blaming economic weakness in China. In a surprise disclosure, the iPhone maker said it anticipated revenue of about US$ 84bn for the three months to 29 December. In November it forecast sales of at least US$ 89bn - a prediction that had already disappointed investors.
Donald Trump's offer of a quick, massive, bilateral trade deal will not be possible if Theresa May's EU withdrawal agreement is approved, the US ambassador to the UK has warned. President Trump had previously said her Brexit proposal sounded like a great deal for the EU Woody Johnson told the BBC the UK was in need of leadership over Brexit.
United States scientist Larry Roberts who helped design and build the forerunner of the internet has died aged 81. In the late 1960s, he ran the part of the US Advanced Research Projects Agency (Arpa) given the job of creating a computer network called Arpanet.
After years of prohibition, industrial hemp is now federally legal in the United States. President Trump signed off on the 2018 Farm Bill which redefines hemp as an agricultural commodity, and more importantly, removes it from the Controlled Substances Act.
Oil prices jumped as much as 3% on Friday to win back a chunk of the ground they lost in the previous session, but growth in U.S. crude stockpiles and ongoing concerns about the global economy kept markets under pressure.
A 33-year-old American man has become the first person to cross Antarctica alone and unassisted. Explorer Colin O'Brady finished in 53 days, ahead of British Army Captain Louis Rudd, 49, after an epic race across the ice. Both men set out on 3 November to complete the journey, which killed a British ex-Army officer two years ago.