China’s decision to impose export controls on rare earths was a “mistake” and drew attention to Beijing’s ability to use them as a coercive tool, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview published Saturday.

US policymakers, financial institutions and business owners have been flying blind for almost a month as a government shutdown has stopped the release of crucial federal economic data ranging from the size of the labor force to the country’s GDP.

The US leader said the talks yielded an extendable one-year deal on China's supply of crucial rare earths

China exercises a virtual monopoly on so-called "rare earth" metals, essential for everything from household appliances to cars, energy and weapons

The void is set to deepen by Thursday as Washington holds off publishing gross domestic product (GDP) numbers

Unilever Consumer Care reported a 10 percent year-on-year rise in profit for January-September, buoyed by higher finance income, with earnings nearly matching its full-year result in 2024.

Quarterly net revenue rose 12 percent to $10.72 billion

Its Hong Kong-listed shares rose 2.2 percent in afternoon trade

The so-called 3.0 version of the free trade agreement between ASEAN and China was signed into effect at a summit of the bloc's leaders in Malaysia

The agreement was signed during Trump's visit to Japan

Government borrowing is unsustainable in the United States and much of Europe. There is also huge pressure to increase spending on climate, defence and ageing populations. Some mixture of higher taxes and inflation will ultimately be unavoidable.

"We have China coming and its going to be very interesting," Trump told reporters

US President Donald Trump said he was confident of hashing out a deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he is expected to meet next week, after top economic officials from both countries reached a preliminary consensus in trade talks that concluded on Sunday.

The United States and Vietnam will finalise a trade agreement in the coming weeks that will maintain 20 percent tariffs on most Vietnamese goods but lift duties on certain products that will be decided at a later stage, the White House said on Sunday.

Analysts and traders expect the bank will plough ahead with a quarter percentage-point cut

Trump would also sign a critical minerals agreement with Malaysia

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in Malaysia

The US president announced the higher tariffs in a Truth Social post

Indian oil refiners can shift away from Russian crude after US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Moscow’s two largest oil companies -- but the move will come at a cost, analysts said Friday.

China and the United States began their latest round of trade talks in Malaysia on Saturday, a US Treasury spokesman and Beijing’s state media said, ahead of a highly anticipated meeting of their leaders in South Korea next week.