Key Events Around Globe That Investors Should Know

US construction spending rebounds in August

US construction spending unexpectedly rebounded in August, likely lifted by home renovations as higher mortgage rates continuedto weigh on single-family home building.

The Commerce Department’s Census Bureau said that construction spending increased 0.2% after an upwardly revised 0.2% gain in July. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast construction spending would ease 0.1% after a previously reported 0.1% dip in July.

Spending decreased 1.6% on a year-over-year basis in August. The report, initially due on October 1, was delayed by a record 43-day shutdown of the federal government. It was the first of the delayed reports to be published, with September’s monthly employment report now scheduled for release on Thursday.

Spain ups 2025 growth forecast to 2.9%, in line with European Commission The Spanish economy is expected to grow 2.9% this year, at more than double the average pace in the European Union and exceeding the previous forecasts of 2.6-2.7%, the European Commission and theSpanish government said.

The EU’s executive arm said gross domestic product in the 20 countries that share the euro currency would grow 1.3% this year, rather than 0.9% as forecast last April, while the whole bloc’s GDP would expand 1.4%. It raised its estimate for Spain from 2.6%, citing strong domestic demand.

White House adviser Hassett says mixed signals in job market

White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said there have been mixed signals in the job market, and that the labor market could be slowing down.

I think that there have been mixed signals in the job market and really, really positive signals in the outputmarkets,” Hassett told in an interview.

India’s October trade deficit hits record high on surge in gold imports

India’s merchandise trade deficit widened to a record high of $41.68 billion in October, due to a rise in gold imports and a fall in U.S.-bound exports during the second month of steep U.S. tariffs on Indian goods, government data showed.

The trade deficit had widened to a 13-month high of $32.15 billion in September. In August 2024, the deficit stood at $35.62 billion, according to data from the Reserve Bank of India. Economists had expected the October trade deficit to be $28.8 billion, according to a Reuters poll, compared to $32.15 billion in the previous month.

Source – HDFC Securities, Prime Daily, 18 Nov 2025