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Several other high-frequency indicators for August released on Friday showed the economy remained firm, resisting high inflation, elevated interest rates, rising crude prices, patchy monsoon, and global slowdown, among others. Data released on Thursday showed the economy grew 7.8% in the April-June quarter, the fastest in a year. The available numbers for July and August indicated continuing momentum in second quarter. The seasonally adjusted S&P Global India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 58.6 last month compared with 57.7 in July, according to data released Friday by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Gold rate today: On account of weak US economic indicators creating rate pause buzz by the US Fed in upcoming September meeting, gold prices witnessed sharp upside move in the later part of the week gone by. Gold future contract for the month of October 2023 on Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) ended at 59,410 per 10 gm levels.

By Nandita Bose

Blue Bloods fans will have to wait longer than expected for season 14 due to ongoing strikes. As of August 2023, neither the writing nor filming of the new season has begun. Both the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) are on strike, unable to reach agreements with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on new contracts. The strikes have brought the entertainment industry to a standstill, affecting many beloved shows, including Blue Bloods. As writers and actors in these unions have been prohibited from working on AMPTP-contracted projects since May and July, respectively, the production of Blue Bloods season 14 has been put on hold. Fans eagerly awaiting a release date for the new season will have to remain patient. Due to the strikes, no progress has been made in preparing for the season, making it unlikely that any updates on a release date will surface until later in the year. It's anticipated that the season may not air until 2024. However, CBS will continue to air rerun episodes of the show on Fridays as per its schedule.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. has censured and fined a New Jersey-based broker-dealer and its chief compliance officer for allegedly violating the compliance and care obligations of Regulation Best Interest.

As Brett Favre became ensnared in media attention for his connection to Mississippi’s sprawling welfare scandal, Gov. Tate Reeves’ brother suggested the state official investigating the case praise the retired NFL quarterback

Stocks edged higher on Wall Street after a choppy day of trading

Invesitng.com — Bank deposits and lending activity rose in the week ended Aug. 23, the latest data Friday from the Fed showed.

By Susanna Twidale and Sarah McFarlane

Investing.com — The Dow on Friday notched its best week since July, as a monthly jobs report showing cooling wage growth in July, underpinned optimism that slowing inflation will likely persist and encourage the Federal Reserve keep rates steady next month.

BRASILIA (Reuters) — Brazil's top central bank officials on Friday praised the government's commitment to eliminate the primary deficit in its 2024 budget, saying fiscal improvement is vital for aligning inflation expectations with official targets.

Investing.com-- Gold prices moved little on Friday, steadying near three-week highs as markets awaited more cues on U.S. monetary policy from nonfarm payrolls data due later in the day, while copper prices rose on positive Chinese factory data.

By Karen Brettell

Thailand's king has commuted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's eight-year prison sentence to one year, the royal gazette said on Friday, a day after the billionaire submitted a request for pardon. The country's most famous politician returned to Thailand last week in a dramatic homecoming after 15 years abroad in self-exile to avoid jail time after he was ousted by the military in 2006. He arrived on a private jet and was transferred to prison to serve an eight-year sentence on charges of abuse of power and conflicts of interest from during his time in power. On the first night, he was moved to a police hospital over chest pains and high blood pressure. On Thursday he submitted a request for a royal pardon. Thaksin «was a prime minister, has done good for the country and people and is loyal to the monarchy,» the royal gazette said on Friday. «He respected the process, admitted his guilt, repented, accepted court verdicts.

police body camera footage has shed light on a tragic incident in a Columbus, Ohio suburb, where a Blendon Township police officer fired at a pregnant woman's car. Ta'kiya Young, 21 years old and pregnant at the time, was later pronounced dead. The incident unfolded following accusations of shoplifting at a local grocery store, and the bodycam footage provides critical insights into the events leading up to the tragic shooting.

China intensified efforts to stimulate the economy and support its currency, as investor concerns over the growth outlook persist. The central bank will trim the amount of foreign currency deposits banks are required to hold as reserves for the first time this year, the People’s Bank of China said Friday. The move came hours after authorities announced fresh stimulus for the beleaguered property sector and unveiled plans to expand tax breaks for child and parental care and education. The steps are the latest efforts to shore up confidence in the world’s second-largest economy, which is sagging under the weight of the persistent housing crisis, waning global demand and rising unemployment. Authorities have so far resorted to a drip-feed of targeted measures, avoiding the big-bang stimulus approach they deployed during the 2008 global financial crisis amid concerns over elevated debt levels. “The policy package exceeds market expectations,” said Zhaopeng Xing, senior China strategist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. “Confidence will be boosted in the near term. We still need more evidence to confirm if it marks a turnaround.” Financial institutions will need to carry just 4% of their foreign exchange deposits in reserve starting Sept. 15, the PBOC said, compared to the current level of 6%.

The British economy was 0.6% larger in the fourth quarter of 2021 than in the final quarter of 2019, compared with an earlier estimate that it was 1.2% smaller, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Friday. This big upward revision brings forward the date at which Britain's economy regained its pre-COVID size by more than a year and a half, and shows at the end of 2021 it had made a faster recovery than Germany, France or Italy, and was level with Japan, although it was behind the United States and Canada. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government has been criticised for a sluggish recovery by the opposition Labour Party ahead of a national election expected next year, and the latest revisions were welcomed by finance minister Jeremy Hunt. «The fact that the UK recovered from the pandemic much faster than thought shows that once again those determined to talk down the British economy have been proved wrong,» he said. The changes also have implications for the Bank of England, which has a subdued growth outlook and has found it harder to tame inflation than the U.S.

In 1801, after the young nation’s fourth election, Vice President Thomas Jefferson faced a choice in his constitutional role to certify the results: He could reject Georgia’s tally because the paperwork was defective—or he could accept the defective paperwork and set himself up for victory. More than two centuries later, that long-lost-to-history decision resurfaced as relevant to the aftermath of the 2020 election and the legal quagmire now surrounding former President Donald Trump.

By Howard Schneider

A former Federated Hermes employee this week sued the company because it included its own funds in the company’s 401(k) plan.

BRASILIA (Reuters) — Brazil posted a trade balance of of $9.767 billion in August, government data showed on Friday, above market estimates for a balance of $9.75 billion.