Global Economy Briefing: December 2, 2025
Read about Global Economy Briefing: December 2, 2025 on The Rio Times.
A services-led day reinforced the soft-landing base case. Europe’s inflation slowed on the month, credit conditions steadied, and labor held up.
The U.S. consumer stayed active, oil stocks drew, and auto sales firmed. Asia delivered better growth in Korea and steady PMIs across China, Japan, and Hong Kong.
Australia cooled on GDP. Positioning rotated toward growth and away from commodities.
United States
Retail momentum looked solid: Redbook rose 7.6% y/y. Sentiment improved (IBD/TIPP 47.9). API showed a 2.48M crude draw. Total vehicle sales hit 15.60M.
Read-through: demand is cooling only at the edges; energy balances are not tightening. The Fed can stay patient.
Europe and UK
Eurozone CPI eased on the month (-0.3% m/m) with core at -0.5% m/m; y/y prints were 2.2% headline and 2.4% core.
Jobless was 6.4%. Spain’s unemployment fell by 18.8K; Italy’s rate slipped to 6.0%. France’s deficit narrowed versus September.
UK house prices rose again (Nationwide +0.3% m/m; +1.8% y/y). Auctions tailed slightly higher (German 2-yr 2.05%; Spain 12-month 1.99%).
Message: disinflation is advancing without a labor break; housing in the UK is stabilizing at low speed. ECB/BoE keep “hold, then gradual”.
Latin America
Brazil’s IPC-Fipe was 0.20% m/m. Industry eked out 0.1% m/m but fell 0.5% y/y. Interpretation: benign inflation and flat output argue for a cautious BCB.
Mexico had no major prints today; prior balance and labor gains still support a gentle easing path if core disinflation persists.
Asia-Pacific
Korea’s GDP accelerated (1.3% q/q; 1.8% y/y) and FX reserves rose to $430.66B. China’s Caixin services held at 52.1.
Japan’s household confidence climbed to 37.5. Hong Kong’s manufacturing PMI improved to 52.9. Singapore’s PMI edged up to 50.2.
Australia’s GDP slowed (0.4% q/q; 2.1% y/y) even as the GDP deflator firmed; PMIs were steady but AiG indicators stayed weak.
Takeaway: Asia remains the global ballast; Australia is cooling, not cracking.
Positioning (CFTC)
Investors cut length in crude and gold and added to copper and Nasdaq 100. JPY net longs rose; EUR longs eased; MXN longs shrank; CAD shorts deepened.
Signal: a tilt toward growth and quality tech, with less conviction in commodity upside.
What it means
The data favor “hold and watch.” Services and employment keep growth positive; disinflation grinds on in Europe; U.S. demand is steady.
Portfolio skew: keep quality duration; overweight service-heavy U.S. and Asia; be selective in European cyclicals; fade pure commodity beta until order books and China’s goods pulse re-accelerate.
Live Market IntelligenceGlobal Markets — Live Board
Rio Times · Live Market Intelligence
Global Markets — Live Board
+0.29%
| Instrument | Last | Change | YoY | Prev. | High | Low | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPX | 7,751 | +0.29% | — | — | — | — | — |
| NDX | 29,799 | +0.93% | — | — | — | — | — |
| DJI | 53,810 | +0.03% | — | — | — | — | — |
| RUT | 3,041 | +0.46% | — | — | — | — | — |
| US10Y | 4.6760 | -0.17% | — | — | — | — | — |
| VIX | 14.60 | -4.45% | — | — | — | — | — |
| DAX | 26,331 | -0.23% | — | — | — | — | — |
| FTSE | 10,833 | -0.10% | — | — | — | — | — |
| CAC | 8,675 | -0.46% | — | — | — | — | — |
| STOXX | 659.48 | -0.16% | — | — | — | — | — |
| NIKKEI | 67,524 | +0.83% | — | — | — | — | — |
| HSI | 25,440 | -0.83% | — | — | — | — | — |
| KOSPI | 6,579 | +3.68% | — | — | — | — | — |
| CSI300 | 4,691 | +0.58% | — | — | — | — | — |
| NIFTY | 24,436 | -0.15% | — | — | — | — | — |
| TSX | 36,619 | +0.39% | — | — | — | — | — |
| GOLD | 4,461 | +1.78% | +33.20% | 4,383 | 4,503 | 4,421 | 139,824 |
| SILVER | 65.59 | +1.26% | +73.05% | 64.77 | 66.98 | 64.81 | 46,406 |
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error
LatAm Markets: Live Signals → — real-time movers, turnover leaders and FX across Latin America.