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The Panama Canal Authority expects a slowdown in global trade next year as weaker economic activity curbs shipping demand, even as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) flows through the canal continue to expand sharply.

Info via Reuters report.

Administrator Ricaurte Vásquez said on Monday that “a reduction in world trade is likely next year amid the economic slowdown,” but noted that the canal’s share of U.S. LPG exports to Asia has risen to more than 95% from 80%, underscoring the growing importance of energy shipments in its traffic mix.

Vásquez said the passage of LPG vessels is expected to keep increasing, with strong U.S. export growth and firm Asian demand driving throughput despite broader shipping weakness.

He added that many U.S. companies have shown interest in a planned LPG pipeline project, aimed at improving energy transport efficiency and easing congestion on the canal’s busy route.

—

Vásquez’s remarks highlight diverging trends in global trade: softer container and bulk demand versus surging U.S. LPG flows.

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.

The Panama Canal Authority expects a slowdown in global trade next year as weaker economic activity curbs shipping demand, even as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) flows through the canal continue to expand sharply.

Info via Reuters report.

Administrator Ricaurte Vásquez said on Monday that “a reduction in world trade is likely next year amid the economic slowdown,” but noted that the canal’s share of U.S. LPG exports to Asia has risen to more than 95% from 80%, underscoring the growing importance of energy shipments in its traffic mix.

Vásquez said the passage of LPG vessels is expected to keep increasing, with strong U.S. export growth and firm Asian demand driving throughput despite broader shipping weakness.

He added that many U.S. companies have shown interest in a planned LPG pipeline project, aimed at improving energy transport efficiency and easing congestion on the canal’s busy route.

—

Vásquez’s remarks highlight diverging trends in global trade: softer container and bulk demand versus surging U.S. LPG flows.

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.

Every trading day, I play a good-cop, bad-cop routine when it comes to the AI gravy train.

The U.S. dollar could continue to draw strength from the country’s productivity advantage, which has been a central driver of its performance since the 2008 global financial crisis, Rabobank’s Jane Foley said in a note on Tuesday:

• productivity gains fuel wealth creation
• also act as a strong offset to inflation risks
• the U.S. economy’s heavy concentration of technology companies supports long-term competitiveness despite concerns over lofty valuations

Foley said the U.S. remains better positioned than most major economies to generate sustained productivity growth, helping underpin the dollar even as inflation pressures moderate. But cautioned that further appreciation is likely to be measured, as other regions show signs of economic renewal

• Japan’s emergence from deflation
• Africa’s resource wealth
• Germany’s planned fiscal stimulus
• a trend of central banks increasing gold holdings

as potential diversifiers that could temper demand for U.S. assets and slow the dollar’s ascent.

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.

The U.S. dollar could continue to draw strength from the country’s productivity advantage, which has been a central driver of its performance since the 2008 global financial crisis, Rabobank’s Jane Foley said in a note on Tuesday:

• productivity gains fuel wealth creation
• also act as a strong offset to inflation risks
• the U.S. economy’s heavy concentration of technology companies supports long-term competitiveness despite concerns over lofty valuations

Foley said the U.S. remains better positioned than most major economies to generate sustained productivity growth, helping underpin the dollar even as inflation pressures moderate. But cautioned that further appreciation is likely to be measured, as other regions show signs of economic renewal

• Japan’s emergence from deflation
• Africa’s resource wealth
• Germany’s planned fiscal stimulus
• a trend of central banks increasing gold holdings

as potential diversifiers that could temper demand for U.S. assets and slow the dollar’s ascent.

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.

Federal Reserve policymakers offered a range of views late last week and on Monday, underscoring a sharply divided outlook ahead of the December 9–10 meeting, with some officials warning of inflation persistence while others emphasised rising labour-market risks.

Reuters collated the views, I’ve summarised.

Governor Lisa Cook :

• described a “tug-of-war” between the Fed’s twin mandates, calling the December meeting “live” for a possible rate cut but not guaranteed.
• “Keeping rates too high increases the likelihood that the labour market will deteriorate sharply,” she said, though cutting too much risks unanchoring inflation expectations.

San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly

• said last week’s cut “insurance” against labour weakness
• she remains open-minded about another move in December. “It would be an unfortunate outcome if we reach 2% inflation at the cost of millions of jobs,”

Governor Stephen Miran, at the Fed to push Trump’s desire for rate cuts:

• reiterated his call for deeper cuts
• saying buoyant stock and credit markets don’t necessarily indicate loose policy
• warning that overly restrictive settings heighten recession risk

Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid and several regional peers, including Dallas’s Lorie Logan, Cleveland’s Beth Hammack, and Atlanta’s Raphael Bostic, signalled discomfort with further easing.

Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said he remains undecided for December but is “nervous” about persistent inflation, noting it has run above the Fed’s 2% target for more than four years.

—

Markets currently price roughly a 60% chance of another 25bp cut in December, though commentary suggests the outcome will hinge on upcoming jobs and inflation data.

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.

Federal Reserve policymakers offered a range of views late last week and on Monday, underscoring a sharply divided outlook ahead of the December 9–10 meeting, with some officials warning of inflation persistence while others emphasised rising labour-market risks.

Reuters collated the views, I’ve summarised.

Governor Lisa Cook :

• described a “tug-of-war” between the Fed’s twin mandates, calling the December meeting “live” for a possible rate cut but not guaranteed.
• “Keeping rates too high increases the likelihood that the labour market will deteriorate sharply,” she said, though cutting too much risks unanchoring inflation expectations.

San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly

• said last week’s cut “insurance” against labour weakness
• she remains open-minded about another move in December. “It would be an unfortunate outcome if we reach 2% inflation at the cost of millions of jobs,”

Governor Stephen Miran, at the Fed to push Trump’s desire for rate cuts:

• reiterated his call for deeper cuts
• saying buoyant stock and credit markets don’t necessarily indicate loose policy
• warning that overly restrictive settings heighten recession risk

Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid and several regional peers, including Dallas’s Lorie Logan, Cleveland’s Beth Hammack, and Atlanta’s Raphael Bostic, signalled discomfort with further easing.

Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said he remains undecided for December but is “nervous” about persistent inflation, noting it has run above the Fed’s 2% target for more than four years.

—

Markets currently price roughly a 60% chance of another 25bp cut in December, though commentary suggests the outcome will hinge on upcoming jobs and inflation data.

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.

The USD/JPY pair gathers strength to near 154.20 during the early Asian session on Tuesday. The US Dollar (USD) edges higher against the Japanese Yen (JPY) on the likelihood that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) might hold its interest rate in December.

The USD/JPY pair gathers strength to near 154.20 during the early Asian session on Tuesday. The US Dollar (USD) edges higher against the Japanese Yen (JPY) on the likelihood that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) might hold its interest rate in December.

South Korea’s government said Tuesday it will restructure the domestic steel industry and expand financial support for exporters as the sector faces growing strain from U.S. and European Union tariffs and worsening oversupply.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said it plans to take “preemptive steps” to adjust production capacity in oversupplied product segments while introducing new policy and financing measures to help exporters navigate rising trade barriers.

Officials said the move reflects mounting signs of crisis in one of South Korea’s core industrial sectors, which has been squeezed by falling global demand, surging energy costs, and escalating protectionist measures abroad.

The restructuring effort is expected to include production realignment, targeted subsidies for high-value steel exports, and measures to boost competitiveness through innovation and low-carbon production.

Analysts said the initiative underscores the government’s concern over the industry’s deteriorating profitability and export outlook, as the combined effect of trade restrictions and weak construction demand threatens to prolong the downturn.

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.