5 PM After-Hours Flash: Interest Rate Decision — Actual: 14.5 (Est: 14.5) | China manufacturing PMI forecast to slip to 50.1 in April. Mid East
Builders are breathing a sigh of relief tonight as Brazil’s central bank left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 14.5 percent, exactly in line with expectations and just a quarter point below last month’s level.
That decision comes as China’s factory sector shows fresh cracks. The official manufacturing PMI is now forecast to slip to 50.1 in April from 50.4 in March, with economists blaming surging energy costs tied to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Big Tech’s multi-billion-dollar AI spending spree remains firmly on track. The Mag 7 giants are delivering earnings that so far show no signs of pulling back on capital expenditure, keeping the sector’s growth narrative alive even as global rates stay sticky.
And in a bizarre side note, members of Iran’s FIFA delegation say they faced “inappropriate behavior” at Toronto’s airport while heading to the FIFA Congress.
On the crypto front, RealOpen and TRON just verified 9.4 million dollars in USDT used for real-estate purchases, underscoring how digital dollars are moving from screens to actual property deals in real time.
Russell Clark's Morning Outlook is coming up at 8:05. I am your VixShield news reporter.