Gunmetal Spinning Smiling Torpedo Cufflinks - Sales
Approximately 3/8" x 3/4", Handmade with 925 Sterling Silver, Packaged in a black wood lacquered box, perfect for gifting, storage, and display use, Features an anti-tarnish rhodium finish that makes for lasting wear,
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell last week, a sign the labor market was holding firm despite tensions between the United States and its trading partners that have led to tit-for-tat tariffs. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 210,000 for the week ended Aug. 18, the Labor Department said on Thursday. It was the third straight week of declines for claims, which have dropped so low that economists have scrambled for explanations. In July, claims fell to their lowest level since 1969 even though the workforce is much larger than in prior decades.
Economists polled by Reuters ahead of Thursday’s report had forecast claims rising to 215,000 in the latest week, “At this rate, we gunmetal spinning smiling torpedo cufflinks will be talking about a new low again pretty soon,” said Stephen Stanley, chief economist at Amherst Pierpont Securities, Prices of longer-dated U.S, Treasuries were trading slightly higher while U.S, stock prices were mixed, The dollar .DXY was stronger against a basket of currencies, A separate report from the Commerce Department showing a fall in sales of new homes gave fresh indications of a cooling U.S, housing market..
But the strength in the U.S. labor market has been a key reason behind the Federal Reserve’s ongoing campaign to raise interest rates. Minutes of the U.S. central bank’s last policy meeting, published on Wednesday, showed officials discussed raising rates soon to counter excessive economic strength, although policymakers also examined how global trade disputes could batter businesses and households. The Fed has already raised rates twice this year and is widely expected to do so again in September.
The claims data is being closely watched for signs of layoffs as a result of the Trump administration’s protectionist trade policy, which has led to an escalating trade war gunmetal spinning smiling torpedo cufflinks with China and tit-for-tat import tariffs with trading partners, including the European Union, Canada and Mexico, While there have been reports of some companies either laying off workers or planning to as a result of the import duties, that is not yet evident in the claims data, Thursday’s claims report showed “no sign of disruption in the U.S, economy despite recent trade policy tensions,” said Jesse Edgerton, an economist with J.P, Morgan..
Economists say a robust economy is helping the labor market weather the trade storm. The Labor Department said data for Maine were estimated in the latest week. The four-week moving average of initial claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, dropped 1,750 last week to 213,750. The claims report also showed the number of people receiving benefits after an initial week of aid dropped 2,000 to 1.73 million for the week ended Aug. 11. The four-week moving average of the so-called continuing claims fell 5,000 to 1.74 million.
LONDON (Reuters) - British business welcomed a commitment from the government to change how import VAT has to be paid should Britain leave the European Union without a deal - a technical accounting tweak that should avert a cashflow “time bomb” for many companies, Government guidance for businesses about Value Added Tax (VAT) in the event of a no-deal Brexit said that gunmetal spinning smiling torpedo cufflinks importers would be able to account for import VAT on their VAT return, rather than paying the tax up front, The current system allows VAT to be paid in arrears by importers, allowing them to sell on the goods in Britain before they have to pay tax, A possible no-deal Brexit raised the prospect of importers paying VAT on goods before they had sold them on, creating cashflow issues for companies..
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), which had urged government to act on the VAT “time bomb”, welcomed the move. “Our major concern around having to pay import VAT upfront on goods coming in from the EU, which would have been a major problem.. has been averted,” said Mike Spicer, director of research and economics at the BCC. The BCC said the government had gone further than it expected, as the new system would apply to both imports from EU and non-EU countries. While the move to so-called “postponed accounting” was welcomed by businesses, other implications of a no-deal Brexit on VAT stand to be more costly.
Goods from the EU will be subject to import duties in a no-deal scenario, on which VAT must also be paid, while British recipients of parcels of a value of more than 135 pounds ($172) from gunmetal spinning smiling torpedo cufflinks EU businesses will have to pay VAT in line with current rules for non-EU countries, Andrew Opie, Director of Food and Sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said Britain’s departure from the Common Area for VAT created several issues for UK companies and consumers which Thursday’s guidance did not resolve..