Finance

Colombia's central bank holds interest rate unchanged at 12.25%
Banco de la República decided to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 12.25%, the same level as at the previous meeting. According to the central bank, the decision comes amid the challenges facing the Colombian economy in inflation, growth and price stability, and aims to boost economic activity, encourage household consumption and ease access to credit. Governor Leonardo Villar and Finance Minister Miguel Gómez explained the reasons; Gómez did not take part in the press conference afterwards.
FinanceColombiaRevista SemanaOct 30AI
Regions deliver care recommendations to the Government for the 2026-2030 National Development Plan
UN Women and the Canadian Embassy convened the "National Dialogue for Care" with representatives of 20 territorial and national entities. The meeting delivered recommendations to the Government to link local care systems with the Milagro Social programmatic axis of the 2026-2030 National Development Plan, including mixed financing, a national care infrastructure program, a national governing entity and a single information system. According to UN Women, unpaid domestic and care work is equivalent to 19.9% of GDP.
FinanceColombiaRevista SemanaOct 30AI
Colombia's central bank holds its interest rate at 12.25% after a split vote
The board of Colombia's Banco de la República voted by majority to keep the policy rate at 12.25%, the highest level since March 2024. Annual inflation in September edged up to 6.29%, against a 3% target, while core inflation fell from 6.1% to 6%. The central bank said the El Niño phenomenon is an upside risk for food and regulated prices. Three directors sought another 25-basis-point hike.
FinanceColombiaEl EspectadorOct 30AI
Gold falls to more than one-year low below $3,900 as oil and inflation weigh on prices
Gold broke convincingly below $4,000 an ounce and hit its lowest level since October 6, 2025, when it touched an intraday low of $3,884.61. Spot gold traded at $3,880, down 3.5% on the day and nearly 3% on the week. Silver fell below $50 and posted its worst week since early June. Analysts attribute the selling pressure to higher oil prices driven by the war with Iran and to expectations of Federal Reserve rate hikes.
FinanceInternationalKitcoOct 30AI
Eurozone economy grew 0.4% in the third quarter, above forecasts but slower than the previous quarter
The eurozone economy grew 0.4% in the third quarter, above the 0.2% expected by analysts but below the 0.6% of the previous quarter, according to Eurostat. Ireland led with 5.5%, while France (-0.1%) and Lithuania posted declines. The ECB kept its deposit rate at 2.5% and warned that energy prices keep rising, posing risks to inflation and economic growth.
FinanceInternationalEl EspectadorOct 30AI
Colombia's central bank holds interest rate at 12.25% after split vote
The board of Banco de la República decided to keep the monetary policy interest rate unchanged at 12.25%, with four votes in favor of holding it and three backing a 25-basis-point increase. The central bank cited annual inflation of 6.3% in September, core inflation of 6.0%, expectations of 6.9% for December 2026 and 4.0% over two years, El Niño risks, a slowdown in economic activity and the evolution of public finances. Finance Minister Miguel Gómez did not take part in the press conference.
FinanceColombiaEl ColombianoOct 30AI
Tech stocks wipe out more than $1.5 trillion in value on AI boom fears
Tech stocks fell sharply on Friday and the Nasdaq 100 was down 4.2% in afternoon trading, on course to erase more than $1.5 trillion in value, its worst one-day drop since mid-June. The S&P 500 was down more than 2.3% and its tech sector more than 5%. Intel plunged 31% after warning of lower fourth-quarter sales and profit, and several chipmakers fell sharply. Investor doubts about returns on artificial intelligence spending shaped the session.
FinanceInternationalNBC NewsOct 30AI
Cheaper cars are selling faster, but sales of affordable segments are falling
According to Edmunds data, between the first and third quarters the time a dealer took to sell a vehicle priced between $20,000 and $29,999 fell 20%, the biggest acceleration of any price segment. Vehicles priced from $30,000 to $39,999 sold about 18% faster and those from $40,000 to $49,999 nearly 12%. Even so, sales in some segments under $40,000 declined, with drops of about 4% for compact cars and nearly 8% for compact SUVs, according to Cox Automotive.
FinanceInternationalCNBCOct 30AI
Bogotá rents rose 4.97% through June, below the capital's inflation
According to the second-quarter Real Estate Dynamics report by the Lonja de Propiedad Raíz de Bogotá, using DANE data, effective rents in the capital rose 4.97% year-on-year through June, compared with CPI of 5.98% in Bogotá and 6.14% nationally. The guild recommended that landlords apply reasonable increases and consider tenants' payment capacity. Rent adjustments for urban housing contracts in 2026 have a legal cap of 5.1%, corresponding to 2025 CPI.
FinanceColombiaPulzoOct 30AI
Starbucks beats estimates in fiscal fourth quarter as CEO says "the turn has occurred"
Starbucks reported adjusted earnings of $0.80 per share in its fiscal fourth quarter, versus $0.71 expected. Global comparable-store sales rose 7.2% and US same-store sales accelerated to 7.7%, driven by higher tickets and transactions. Operating margin expanded 460 basis points to 14%. The company offered initial fiscal 2027 adjusted profit guidance of $3.15 to $3.25 per share. CEO Brian Niccol said the company is back to being "a growth company."
FinanceInternationalYahoo FinanceOct 30AI
U.S. Series I bonds to pay 5.51% annual rate through April 2027
The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced new rates for Series I bonds: newly purchased bonds will pay 5.51% annual interest from Nov. 1 through April 30, up from the 4.26% offered on purchases made through Oct. 31. The rate combines a 4.08% variable portion tied to inflation and a 1.40% fixed portion, the highest since 2006. The I bond hit a record 9.62% in May 2022.
FinanceInternationalCNBCOct 30AI
Nasdaq hits near three-month low as Amazon, Intel deepen AI capex concerns
The Nasdaq fell to its lowest level in nearly three months after Amazon's AI spending plan and Intel's cash burn warning fueled doubts about the costs of AI infrastructure and the timeline for returns. The Nasdaq Composite was down 2.21%, the S&P 500 1.22% and the Dow 0.39%. Intel plunged more than 30% and dragged chip stocks lower: Nvidia fell 3% and AMD 9.3%.
FinanceInternationalReutersOct 30AI
Coffee growers question VAT hike on coffee to 19%: "Protecting its consumption is protecting our economy"
The manager of the National Federation of Coffee Growers, Germán Bahamón Jaramillo, questioned the Government's proposal to raise VAT on coffee from 5% to 19% starting in 2028, included in the Economic Rescue Bill (477 of 2026) filed in Congress. Bahamón warned that the increase could contract demand, hurt the domestic industry and lead consumers to replace Colombian coffee with cheaper imports. The guild asked for the measure to be reconsidered and defended domestic consumption.
FinanceColombiaEl ColombianoOct 30AI
Financial education, silver economy and Valle del Cauca reconstruction among Congress priorities
In a review of his first 100 days in Congress, representative for Valle del Cauca Santiago Castro highlighted progress on a school financial education bill, approved unanimously in first debate and ready for the Chamber's plenary, and on a "silver economy" initiative to create jobs and entrepreneurship for older adults, already filed. He also addressed the response to the August 10 earthquake, tax benefits for affected areas and oversight of the reconstruction and the Fondo Milagro.
FinanceColombiaEl TiempoOct 30AI
What the TRM is, how it is calculated and how it affects the Colombian peso
The Representative Market Exchange Rate (TRM) is the simple arithmetic average of the rates negotiated in dollar purchases and sales by supervised entities such as commercial banks, financial corporations, financing companies, brokerage firms, FDN and Bancoldex. Only operations in which both pesos and dollars are delivered on the same day are included. According to the cited information, one dollar equals 3,166.91 Colombian pesos.
FinanceColombiaPulzoOct 30AI
Gold falls below $4,000 and silver hits year lows after attack in the Strait of Hormuz
Spot gold traded near $3,958.80 an ounce (-1.32%) and silver near $50.08 (-4.06%), its lowest level of the year, in Friday's U.S. session. A new attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz pushed crude higher: December Brent was around $117.15 and WTI around $103.79. The employment cost index rose 0.8% in the third quarter, down from 0.9%, while markets priced about an 83% probability of a Fed rate hike in December.
FinanceInternationalKitcoOct 30AI
UCC and Unidad Solidaria agree on four lines of work to strengthen the solidarity economy
The Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia (UCC) and the Special Administrative Unit for Solidarity Organizations (UAEOS) advanced a joint agenda to strengthen the Social and Solidarity Economy during the International Meeting on Solidarity Economy and Social Innovation (ESIS). They identified four lines of work: creating an observatory with statistics and data on the sector; strengthening international relations and cooperation with other countries; using the UCC's multi-campus infrastructure to reach the regions; and reinforcing dialogue with the Consultative Committee on the Social and Solidarity Economy, ANALFE and CONFECOOP on the legislative agenda.
FinanceColombiaEl InformadorOct 30AI
US votes with the cost of living and inflation under Trump in focus
The high cost of living dominates the US elections, where Donald Trump's Republicans risk losing control of Congress. Average inflation between April and September was 3.67%, one percentage point above the 2.67% of Joe Biden's last six months. Tariffs, the war with Iran since February 28 and higher gasoline and diesel prices explain the deterioration, while GDP grew 3.4% in the third quarter driven by investment in artificial intelligence.
FinanceInternationalEl TiempoOct 30AI
Carrasquilla and Corficolombiana back the government's financial rescue bill
Former Finance Minister Alberto Carrasquilla backed the financial rescue bill from De la Espriella's government and called it "timely and necessary" to address the fiscal deficit. In an interview with La FM, he warned that delaying the adjustment could bring costlier consequences. César Pavón of Corficolombiana highlighted that about 70% of the fiscal effort would come from cutting public spending and asked not to focus the debate only on VAT.
FinanceColombiaLa FMOct 30AI
Government files fiscal adjustment bill under the banner of an "economic rescue"
The government filed a fiscal adjustment bill in Congress that, according to economist Luis Fernando Mejía, amounts to 2.32% of GDP in 2027 and 4.20% in 2030, with tax and parafiscal revenue as the largest component. The country accumulates a monthly deficit of COP 11 trillion and could close 2026 at 8.2% of GDP. Vice President José Manuel Restrepo said 70% of the adjustment will come from cuts to the state.
FinanceColombiaEl EspectadorOct 30AI