#christine-lagarde

#christine-lagarde

We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false. Just because Canada benefited from it didn't hide the fact that it was unfair. The rules didn't apply equally to everyone. The strongest would exempt themselves when convenient. Power, not principle, set the terms.

There'll be some idiosyncratic risk in there from folks who don't have good credit standards, but I don't think it's a systemic issue. Where it gets a little more concerning would be if the Middle East crisis goes on for a long time, and you see a convergence of the concerns on AI valuations.

The swift intervention by police had thwarted a violent terrorist attack in the French capital the previous night, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez.

Services experienced the highest annual increase at 3.4%, followed by food, alcohol, and tobacco at 2.5%. Non-energy industrial goods saw a more modest increase of 0.7%. Meanwhile, energy prices fell by 3.1% over the month, which helped to temper overall inflation pressures.

Markets remain fragile amid persistent geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which have pushed oil prices higher and revived concerns about inflation in Europe. While interest rates are expected to remain unchanged, attention could turn to the ECB's forward guidance and assessment of energy-driven price risks.

We have the right economic plan for this country, she began. Not a plan that was more right than the plan of any other party's plan. But one specially tailored for us. And frankly more than we deserved.

Like [Keir] Starmer, the chancellor is also fighting for her political life whether because the prime minister himself falls, or chooses to move his chancellor in a reset reshuffle. Against that backdrop, Reeves hopes to project calm and competence next week, after a tumultuous 18 months.

The European Central Bank (ECB) held its key interest rates unchanged following the February meeting of the Governing Council, in line with Cebr projections. This marks the fifth consecutive hold, despite a below-target inflation reading of 1.7% in January, the lowest level since 2021. The decision to hold rates also comes despite a recent Euro rally against the dollar, which is expected to add disinflationary pressure through cheaper imports and weigh on growth by making the bloc's exports more expensive.

Rachida Dati leaves a ministry struggling with budgetary cuts and badly shaken by the stunning theft of the French crown jewels from the Louvre in October. An ongoing parliamentary investigation has underlined the responsibility the ministry bears for the museum's security failings. One day before her own resignation, the Louvre's director Laurence des Cars stepped down.

Scott Bessent used a Senate appearance to defend President Donald Trump's campaign to slash interest and raise tariffs. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has faced questions from the United States Senate about President Donald Trump's ongoing campaign to slash interest rates, despite concerns that such a move could turbo-charge inflation. Bessent appeared on Thursday before the Senate's Financial Stability Oversight Council. There, he received a grilling from Democrats over rising consumer prices and concerns about Trump's attempts to influence the Federal Reserve, the US central bank.

The rockstar banker was a fixture at summits, where he spoke beside business leaders and the political elite, espousing the values of international cooperation and the need for open economies and shared rules. But after less than a year as prime minister of Canada, Carney offered a blunter assessment of the world on Tuesday: the strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must.

Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

In an incisive analysis of the new age of predatory great powers, where might is increasingly asserted as right, Carney not only accurately defined the coarsening of international relations as a rupture, not a transition. He also outlined how liberal democratic middle powers such as Canada but also European countries must build coalitions to counter coercion and defend as much as possible of the principles of territorial integrity, the rule of law, free trade, climate action and human rights.

Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Bank of England's decision to hold interest rates has effectively pressed the 'pause' button, and is the right call for long-term stability. Despite the gradual rate cuts seen last year, the surprise rise in inflation to 3.4% last month appears to have unsettled the more hawkish members of the BoE's MPC. However, mixed signals from the UK economy suggest further rate cuts are still likely in the coming months.

The electronic version of the money used in the 21-nation currency area would be available to use free of charge in shops, online or from person to person. Supporters say it would let Europeans make online payments without relying on US payment systems -- as Europe ramps up efforts to break its dependence on foreign firms including US giants such as Visa and Mastercard. Critics fear it would allow governments to surveil citizens' payments or even cut them off from the money supply.

"France finally has a budget,"

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground.

This new threat is not about my testimony last June or about the renovation of the Federal Reserve buildings. It is not about Congress's oversight role; the Fed through testimony and other public disclosures made every effort to keep Congress informed about the renovation project. Those are pretexts. The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President.

The European Central Bank said Friday it had fined French bank Credit Agricole €7.55 million ($9 million) for failing to properly identify climate change-related risks that could affect its balance sheet. "Credit Agricole did not sufficiently assess the materiality of its climate-related and environmental risks" by a deadline set after an investigation in 2024, the ECB said in a statement, adding the bank was late by "75 full days".

According to the text that has now been adopted, the budget deficit is to be reduced to 5% of gross domestic product. There will be higher taxes on some businesses, including an extra tax on large companies' profits, which is expected to bring in around 7.3 billion ($8.6 billion) in 2026. The plan also boosts military spending by 6.5 billion, a move the premier last week described as the "heart" of the budget.

Budget negotiations have consumed the French political class for nearly two years, after President Emmanuel Macron's 2024 snap election delivered a hung parliament just as a massive hole in public finances made belt-tightening more urgent. The budget talks have cost two prime ministers their jobs, unsettled debt markets and alarmed France's European partners. However, Lecornu whose chaotic two-stage nomination in October drew derision around the world managed to secure the support of Socialist lawmakers through costly but targeted concessions.

He managed to get a bill on social security spending approved by year end, but lawmakers have failed to reach a compromise on state expenses. Lécornu's office said late on Thursday that it would be "impossible to adopt a budget by a vote" and that it would be looking at two alternative options. One is to use a constitutional power under Article 49.3 to push the legislation through parliament without a vote, as for previous budgets.

"Everyone should take their cue from us, instead of criticising us," he said at the Munich Security Conference, after US Vice President JD Vance used his address at the annual gathering last year to attack European policies on immigration and free speech. "I believe that Europe is inherently strong and can be made even stronger yet," he added.