US companies rush to issue corporate debt, busiest February ever
WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) – U.S. companies with the highest credit ratings sold a record $144 billion of debt securities so far in February to get ahead of further potential interest rate hikes, meeting strong demand from investors looking to capitalize on a spike in yields.Investment-grade rated corporate bond issuance in February has been the […]
Dollar slips after recent gains, recent uptrend intact
U.S. durable goods orders drop in January, weighs on dollarU.S. pending home sales rise; dollar sell-off persistsSterling, euro up sharplyNEW YORK, Feb 27 (Reuters) – The dollar fell from a seven-week high on Monday, tracking a slide in U.S. Treasury yields, as investors consolidated gains after the greenback’s recent rise and looked ahead for the […]
BIS urges central banks to ‘get the job done’
LONDON, Feb 27 (Reuters) – Central banks need to “get the job done” when it comes to getting inflation back under control, the Bank for International Settlements has said, urging them to avoid the mistakes of the 1970’s by declaring victory too early.The BIS, dubbed the bank for central banks, said it was vital authorities […]
Wall St gets respite from positive data, dollar pullback
Stocks edge up, bond yields retreatDollar pulls back after biggest weekly rally since SeptemberHigher peak seen for Fed ratesPositive U.S. manufacturing, home sales dataFeb 27 (Reuters) – Wall Street and global shares rebounded modestly on Monday on favorable economic data and bargain hunting, but remained within sight of recent six-week lows, as investors prepared for […]
Wall St ends sharply down, posts biggest weekly drop of 2023
Dow’s worst weekly performance in 5 monthsPCE data comes in strong, showing resilient consumerFor the week, all down: Dow 2.99%, S&P 2.66%, Nasdaq 3.33%Indexes down: Dow 1.02%, S&P 1.05%, Nasdaq 1.69%Feb 24 (Reuters) – Wall Street’s main indexes posted their biggest weekly drop of 2023 after sharp losses on Friday, as investors braced for the […]
Dollar index hits seven-week high on higher-for-longer U.S. rates
LONDON, Feb 23 (Reuters) – The dollar index rose to its highest in nearly seven weeks on Thursday, a day after minutes from the Federal Reserve’s last policy meeting that supported, but did not add to markets’ view the central bank will raise rates further.The index , which tracks the greenback against six major peers […]
‘Stubborn’ food inflation leaves U.S. shoppers with slim appetite for other goods
Food retailers benefit from rocketing pricesChoosy shoppers seek discounts on clothing, housewaresHome improvement sales head downFeb 23 (Reuters) – As American shoppers stomach soaring food prices, they are cutting back on purchases of other goods, such as toys, clothing and housewares, in a challenging trend for retailers.Commentary this week from executives at Walmart (WMT.N) and […]
Analysis: Fed’s quandary: Can the economy keep motoring and inflation fall?
WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) – A year into the U.S. Federal Reserve’s most aggressive monetary crackdown since the 1980s the strength of the U.S. economy has befuddled policymakers now faced with an unexpected dilemma: Are things too good?There’s little sign the U.S. job market, currently sporting a more-than-half-century low 3.4% unemployment rate, is weakening. Consumers […]
Japan’s factory activity shrinks at fastest pace in 2-1/2 years
TOKYO, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Japan’s manufacturing activity contracted at the fastest pace in 30 months in February, a business survey showed on Tuesday, in a worrying sign for the world’s third-largest economy, which is facing weakening demand and struggling to tame cost pressures.The au Jibun Bank flash Japan manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell […]
Analysis: Looming U.S. default risk prompts investors to cut some debt exposure
NEW YORK, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Bond investors are starting to trim holdings of U.S. debt to brace for a possible government default that they see as highly unlikely but potentially seismic for financial markets around the world.The U.S. Treasury hit its $31.4 trillion borrowing limit last month. Unless congress raises or suspends that cap, […]