While recession odds have been dialed back in recent weeks, economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal still see 33% odds of one coming within a year, compared with 22% at the start of 2025. Meanwhile, earnings estimates for the S&P 500 compiled by research group FactSet are 3% lower since then, the Journal said.

European shares climbed on Wednesday, buoyed by hopes of a trade agreement between the European Union and United States after Japan struck a deal that lowers tariffs on its autos, sending Japanese sto...

Ishiba, who is facing political pressure after a bruising election defeat on Sunday, hailed the deal as "the lowest figure among countries that have a trade surplus with the U.S.".

U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade deal with Japan has sparked fresh optimism that the global economy will manage to avoid getting hit with extremely elevated tariffs, even as many U.S. trading partners still don’t have agreements.

Donald Trump said the US had agreed a “massive” trade deal with Japan that will impose 15 per cent tariffs on goods imported into America from the world’s fourth-largest economy.