Germany's foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, said on Wednesday there were still "issues" to resolve before the European Union's trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc can be ratified, though he said he was confident they could be overcome.

Wadephul's comments came a day after a Mercosur summit in Paraguay, where member countries discussed the distribution of export quotas under their recently agreed deal with the EU. The German official attended as part of a multi-day tour of South America.

Mercosur, made up of ⁠Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, signed the trade agreement with the EU in January after 25 years of negotiations. It entered provisional force four months later. (RTRS – Continue Reading)

The US Department of the Treasury today announced the investment lineup for Trump Accounts, including the initial default investment that will be available at launch and four additional low-cost index fund options that responsible parties will be able to elect in the coming months. Through Trump Accounts, American families will be able to choose among the lowest cost options available to invest in their children’s future.

At launch, all contributions to Trump Accounts will be invested in the State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (SPYM) a low-cost exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the performance of the S&P 500 Index. The fund was selected to provide broad exposure to the U.S. stock market while maintaining expenses well below the statutory fee limitation. Treasury has also selected the following additional low-cost index ETFs for the Trump Accounts investment lineup (USTsry – Continue Reading)

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is expected to show the US jobs market continued to expand in June, albeit at a slower pace than last month, when leisure and hospitality helped push headline employment well above consensus levels.

The latest consensus forecast puts the headline payroll figure at 115,000, down from the 172,000 surprise in May. The unemployment rate is expected to remain at 4.3%, while economists estimate the labour force participation rate (LFPR) will remain steady at 61.8%.

Morgan Stanley noted a sharp rise in state government payrolls last month, which it attributed to poor seasonal adjustment, citing similar trends in 2025. Like last year, they expect this delay in adjustment to persist for several months, with no immediate reversal in state figures. (LS – Continue Reading)