Market Brief, North America

The world’s biggest economy staged a snappish recovery in the second quarter as tariff front-running effects were unwound, but signs of moderating growth were clearly visible, suggesting that momentum is falling off. Real gross domestic product climbed at a 3-percent seasonally-adjusted annual pace from April through June, reversing a -0.5-percent drop in the first three months of the year, and topping consensus estimates. Forecasters surveyed by Bloomberg had, on average, expected the economy to grow at a 2.6-percent rate in the second quarter. Net exports added 5 percentage points to the headline print after the sharpest decline on record in...

Risk-sensitive assets are looking buoyant this morning as perceived tail risks recede and investors turn more optimistic on the direction of global growth. The US dollar is up slightly, Treasury yields are inching higher, and major American stock indices are climbing ahead of the North American open after series of strong corporate earnings releases in recent days, coupled with a drumbeat of trade deal reports, helped allay fears of a more severe downturn in the US and world economies. The euro is holding firm after the European Central Bank left rates unchanged and avoided telegraphing its next moves, leaving market...