The U.S. struck a framework trade agreement with the European Union yesterday, Reuters reported. The deal, which comes after months of negotiations, imposes a 15% import tariff on most EU goods, which is half the rate U.S. President Donald Trump previously threatened. Trump said the deal calls for $750 billion of EU purchases of U.S. energy in coming years and "hundreds of billions of dollars" of arms purchases. A senior U.S.

A Hong Kong conglomerate that had agreed to sell its two ports at the Panama Canal said Monday it may seek a Chinese investor to join a consortium of buyers, a move that could please Beijing but bring more U.S. scrutiny to the geopolitically fraught deal, the Associated Press reported. CK Hutchison Holdings’ initial plan to sell port assets in dozens of countries to a group that includes U.S. investment firm BlackRock Inc. pleased U.S. President Donald Trump, who has alleged that China interferes with the critical shipping lane’s operations in Panama.

Brazil is scrambling to avert punishing 50% U.S. tariffs in a week's time, but high level talks are stalled and U.S. companies are reluctant to confront U.S. President Donald Trump over the issue, officials and industry leaders say, Reuters reported. Trump linked the tariffs, which he has said would come into effect on Aug. 1, to Brazil's treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on trial over charges of plotting a coup to stop President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office.

The United States may not reach a negotiated trade deal with Canada, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday, suggesting his administration could set a tariff rate unilaterally, Reuters reported. Trump, speaking to reporters as he left the White House for a trip to Scotland, said, "We haven't really had a lot of luck with Canada.

Mexico's antitrust watchdog COFECE has found that 21 banks and financial institutions operating in the country are likely responsible for fixing fees related to deferred credit card payments, according to a document produced by the government agency that was seen by Reuters. The 649-page document outlining the findings and listing the institutions and individuals allegedly involved includes the Mexican subsidiaries of HSBC (HSBC), Santander (SAN) and Scotiabank (SCOTIABKCL.SN).

President Trump’s trade agreement with Japan, announced this week, has intensified pressure on South Korea to cut a deal that doesn’t leave it at a disadvantage relative to its biggest rival in East Asia, the New York Times reported. Kim Jung-Kwan, South Korea’s industry minister, who arrived in Washington on Wednesday for negotiations, pledged an “all-out effort” to strike a deal by the Aug. 1 deadline to stave off a 25 percent tariff that the White House threatened in April and again this month. Moving forward, Mr.

Mexico's headline inflation slowed in the first half of July, falling back within the central bank's target range and fueling expectations that the bank should continue to bring down interest rates in Latin America's second-largest economy, Reuters reported. Consumer prices rose 3.55% in the 12 months through mid-July, data from the national statistics agency showed on Thursday, slowing down from the 4.51% reported a month earlier.

The U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board said on Tuesday it had revoked the license of a Hong Kong firm and barred its owner for violating audit rules related to companies operating in China, including Luckin Coffee Inc., Reuters reported. The PCAOB said in a statement it had sanctioned Centurion ZD CPA & Co and its owner Chan Kam Fuk and hit them with a civil penalty of $75,000 for violating the board's rules and standards in connection with its audit work for three firms.

The U.S. and Japan have reached a trade agreement, President Trump wrote in a social-media post Tuesday evening, saying he would set his so-called reciprocal tariffs at 15% for the country, the Wall Street Journal reported. Under the deal, Japan will invest $550 billion in the U.S., Trump said in his post on Truth Social. The U.S. will receive 90% of the profits from the investments, he added, without providing further details. Japan will also open to trade, Trump said, listing goods including cars and trucks, rice and other agricultural products.

The European Commission plans to submit counter-tariffs on 93 billion euros ($109 billion) of U.S. goods for approval to EU members, while its trade chief will hold talks with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Reuters reported. The Commission said on Wednesday that its primary focus was to achieve a negotiated outcome with the United States to avert 30% U.S. tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will impose on the 27-nation bloc on August 1.