Fed’s Powell says no rate cuts this year, and markets hear it differently
Feb 2 (Reuters) – Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell had a clear message on Wednesday: as “gratifying” as it is that inflation has begun to slow, the central bank is nowhere near to reversing course or declaring victory.”It’s going to take some time” for disinflation to spread through the economy, Powell said in a news […]
Global factory activity contracted again in January, highlighting fragile recovery
U.S. manufacturing sinks further in Jan, but few layoffs – ISMEuro zone factories have passed their trough in activity – PMIChina’s Jan factory activity shrinks – Caixin PMI surveyWASHINGTON/LONDON, Feb 1 (Reuters) – Manufacturing activity across the United States, Europe and Asia contracted again last month, underscoring the fragility of the global economic recovery, although […]
Wall St gains over 1% after encouraging inflation data with Fed next
Nasdaq posts biggest January gain since 2001U.S. labor cost growth slows in fourth quarterExxon, UPS rise after results, Caterpillar slumpsFed decision on interest rates on WednesdayIndexes up: Dow 1.09%, S&P 500 1.46%, Nasdaq 1.67%NEW YORK, Jan 31 (Reuters) – Major U.S. stock indexes closed over 1% higher on Tuesday as labor cost data encouraged investors […]
Fed’s words in focus as markets bet rate hikes will soon end
Jan 30 (Reuters) – U.S. central bankers have unambiguously telegraphed this week’s policy decision: a quarter-of-a-percentage-point increase in their benchmark interest rate, the smallest since they kicked off their tightening cycle 10 months ago with one the same size.Less clear is whether they will continue to signal “ongoing increases” ahead for the policy rate as […]
Hong Kong home prices drop 15.6% in 2022, snap 13 years of gain
Jan 27 (Reuters) – Private home prices in Hong Kong, one of the most unaffordable territories in the world, fell 15.6% in 2022 in the first annual drop since 2008, official data showed on Friday.Prices in the Asian financial hub were weighed down by a weak economic outlook and rising mortgage costs, following a COVID-19 […]
Japan PM says can’t rule out return of deflation despite price spike
TOKYO, Jan 27 (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday that a return to deflation in the world’s third-largest economy cannot be ruled out, because domestic demand remains weak.The comment came hours after data showed Tokyo’s consumer inflation, a leading indicator of Japanese price trends, hit a 42-year high in January, keeping […]
Strong U.S. economic growth expected in fourth quarter, outlook darkening
Fourth-quarter GDP forecast to increase at a 2.6% rateStrong consumer spending seen; other sectors to contributeWeekly jobless claims expected to rise moderatelyWASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) – The U.S. economy likely maintained a strong pace of growth in the fourth quarter as consumers boosted spending on goods, but momentum appears to have slowed considerably towards the […]
U.S. inflation roller coaster prompts fresh look at long-ignored money supply
NEW YORK, Jan 26 (Reuters) – The amount of money sloshing around the U.S. economy shrank last year for the first time on record, a development that some economists believe bolsters the case for U.S. inflation pressures continuing to abate.The Federal Reserve’s main measure of the nation’s money stock – known as M2 money supply […]
Analysis: Wall Street heavyweights warn of pain ahead despite market’s recent reprieve
NEW YORK, Jan 25 (Reuters) – Some of Wall Street’s biggest names are throwing cold water on expectations that the U.S. economy will scrape through 2023 without a recession, even as hopes of easing inflation and resilient growth propel stocks higher.Banks and asset managers that have reiterated recession calls include BlackRock, Wells Fargo and Neuberger […]
Gold eases off nine-month peak as U.S. dollar, yields gain
Holdings in iShares Silver Trust rose 4% on MondayU.S. 10-Treasury yields at near one-week peakJan 24 (Reuters) – Gold prices pulled back from a nine-month high on Tuesday due to a slight uptick in the dollar and U.S. bond yields, although hopes of slower interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve underpinned the market.Spot gold […]