• MTS Economic News_20170425

    25 Apr 2017 | Economic News


• The euro surged against the U.S. dollar and the yen sank on Monday on relief over Emmanuel Macron's victory against anti-euro nationalist Marine Le Pen in the first round of France's presidential elections.

The euro was last 1.3 percent higher against the dollar at $1.0866, not far from the 5-1/2-month high of $1.0935 it reached after the initial indications from the Sunday vote gave victory to Macron, as predicted by weeks of polling.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was last down about 1 percent at 99.031.

• U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday the U.N. Security Council must be prepared to impose new sanctions on North Korea as concerns mount that it may test a sixth nuclear bomb as early as Tuesday.

"The status quo in North Korea is also unacceptable," Trump told a meeting with the 15 U.N. Security Council ambassadors, including China and Russia, at the White House. "The council must be prepared to impose additional and stronger sanctions on North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile programs."

U.S. officials have told Reuters tougher sanctions could include an oil embargo, banning North Korea's airline, intercepting cargo ships and punishing Chinese banks and other foreign doing business with Pyongyang.

• President Donald Trump's zeal to unveil a tax plan before his 100th day in office is raising questions about just how thorough his "tax reform" plans will be, amid signals that his focus for now is on slashing tax rates.

Trump has directed aides to move quickly on a plan to cut the corporate income tax rate to 15 percent from 35 percent, a Trump administration official said on Monday.

• The USS Michigan -- a guided-missile submarine -- is expected to make a visible port call in South Korea on Tuesday, according to a US defense official.

The official described the move as a show of force amid tensions between the US and North Korea.

The US Navy submarine is expected to dock in the port city of Busan, South Korea, on the same day that North Korea celebrates the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army.

• Oil prices slipped nearly 1 percent on Monday, extending last week's decline, on lack of confirmation that OPEC will extend output cuts until the end of 2017 and as Russia indicated it can lift output if the deal on curbs lapses.

Brent crude futures LCOc1 ended the session 36 cents lower at $51.60 per barrel after hitting a session high of$52.57 a barrel.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures CLc1 dropped 39 cents to settle at $49.23 a barrel, after reaching a high of $50.22 a barrel earlier in the day.

Reference: Reuters, CNN

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