* Euro strength seen in focus* Guidance to be kept unchanged* QE expected to end this year* Rate decision at 1245 GMT By Balazs Koranyi and Francesco CanepaFRANKFURT, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The euro zone economy may be roaring ahead but a rapidly strengthening euro may see European Central Bank President Mario Draghi pour cold water on the view the bank is speeding towards an interest rate hike. Drag...Read More

 FTSE 100 closes down 88pts at 7,643Sterling rises against US dollar and EuroDollar earners friendless in LondonFTSE 100 suffered at the hands of strong sterling and closed down 1.14%, or 88.4 points, at 7,643.The pound is up 0.61% against the Euro at 1.1455 at the time of writing and up 1.51% against the US dollar at 1.4211.The FTSE 250 closed around 132 points lower, or 0.64% , at 20,538.Th...Read More

(Kitco News) - The U.S. dollar tumbled to fresh 3-year lows after the U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin welcomed a weaker greenback, triggering worries of a wider trade policy shift.“USD [was] thrown under the bus,” said John J Hardy, head of FX Strategy at Saxo Bank. “[And] it is taking fire on all fronts.”The U.S. dollar index plunged around 1% on Wednesday, last see...Read More

(Kitco News) - The U.S. dollar tumbled to fresh 3-year lows after the U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin welcomed a weaker greenback, triggering worries of a wider trade policy shift.“USD [was] thrown under the bus,” said John J Hardy, head of FX Strategy at Saxo Bank. “[And] it is taking fire on all fronts.”The U.S. dollar index plunged around 1% on Wednesday, last see...Read More

* Q4 CPI rises 0.1 percent qtr/qtr, 1.6 percent yr/yr* Food, household items drag on the index* Data should reinforce RBNZ's determination to keep rates on hold (Adds details, economist quote; updates market reaction)By Charlotte GreenfieldWELLINGTON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - New Zealand's consumer price index (CPI) rose only 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter, Statistics New Zealand said on Thursday,dra...Read More

KINSHASA, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's new proposed mining code, which the industry has warned will stifle investment in the copper and cobalt-rich nation, sailed through the Senate without opposition late on Wednesday.A version passed by the National Assembly - Congo's lower house of parliament - last month would increase taxes and royalties, including potentially more than d...Read More

KINSHASA, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's new proposed mining code, which the industry has warned will stifle investment in the copper and cobalt-rich nation, sailed through the Senate without opposition late on Wednesday.A version passed by the National Assembly - Congo's lower house of parliament - last month would increase taxes and royalties, including potentially more than...Read More

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that his long-awaited plan to help rebuild the nation’s infrastructure will result in about $1.7 trillion in overall investment over the next 10 years, a larger figure than he has previously announced.The plan, which will be detailed in part at next week’s State of the Union address, “will actually probably end...Read More

Richard LeongNEW YORK (Reuters) - A dollar rout intensified on Wednesday after U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said a lower greenback was “good for us” - though a weaker U.S. currency may not prove a long-term economic boost.It was a highly unusual remark for a Treasury secretary, as it is seen as a break from previous White House administrations’ public stance for a stron...Read More

WASHINGTON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The dollar hit fresh lows on Wednesday after U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he welcomed a weakening of the U.S. currency, which some investors interpreted as a departure from traditional U.S. policy."Obviously a weaker dollar is good for us as it related to trade and opportunities," Mnuchin told the World Economic Forum in Davos a day before a...Read More

* S&P 500 ends down; mood cools after Ross comments on China* U.S. Treasury prices fall after Mnuchin endorses weak dollar* Dollar dented by Mnuchin comments, slips vs major peers (Updates with closing U.S. market levels)By Caroline ValetkevitchNEW YORK, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar extended its recent rout to hit three-year lowsand gold rose to its highest level in 1-1/2 years on Wednes...Read More

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co (F.N) on Wednesday posted a lower-than-expected quarterly net profit, hurt by rising commodity costs and unfavorable currency exchange rates, and said it expects more pain to come from higher raw material prices in 2018.Ford has been alone among the major automakers in warning that higher prices for metals like aluminum and steel will take a bite out of earnings,...Read More

The largest exchange-traded fund to track gold has seen heavy adoption thus far in 2018, with massive inflows amid a rally in the precious metal's price, as well as interest from investors looking to hedge their portfolios. The SPDR Gold Shares GLD, +0.08% fund has had inflows of $873.6 million over the past week, according to FactSet data. That's the fourth-highest inflows of any U.S. listed ETF...Read More

More than 250 neurological specialists expected to attend conference in Bogot??, Feb. 15/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION...Read full newsRead More

(Adds details on Novagold Resources, updates prices to close)* TSX closes down 73.34 points, or 0.45 percent, at 16,284.21* Eight of the index's 10 main groups fall* Financials fall 0.6 percent* Valeant slumps 11.6 percent TORONTO, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index fell on Wednesday, weighed by declines for financial shares, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc and Canadian Natio...Read More

WELLINGTON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - New Zealand's consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter, falling short of expectations, Statistics New Zealand data showed on Thursday.Annual growth was at 1.6 percent, well below the 1.9 percent forecast by economists, who had predicted a 0.4 percent quarterly rise.The New Zealand dollar sunk to $0.7345 from $0.7432 before the release.(Report...Read More

Jan 25 (Reuters) - Australian shares are expected to open lower on Thursday, taking their cues from Wall Street, where stocks faltered after comments by U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross hinted at action against China in a trade war.Nasdaq Composite lost ground after the comments by Ross .Material stocks are expected to weigh on the main index, following iron ore futures in China, which fell ove...Read More

For South African gold miners, it's both the best and worst of times.Read full newsRead More

President Donald Trump's tariffs on solar-panel imports to the U.S. are a swipe at an industry that drew in $161 billion of investment globally last year and is dominated by companies in China.Read full newsRead More

Voters think a special prosecutor is needed to see if the nation's top cops have been playing politics.Read full newsRead More