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 […]
Consumer inflation in Japan’s capital hits near 42-year high, keeps BOJ under pressure
Jan Tokyo core CPI rises 4.3% yr/yr vs f’cast +4.2%Tokyo core-core CPI up 3.0% yr/yr in JanuaryData highlights mounting inflationary pressureGovt fuel subsidies to moderate price gains from FebruaryTOKYO, Jan 27 (Reuters) – Core consumer prices in Japan’s capital, a leading indicator of nationwide trends, rose 4.3% in January from a year earlier, marking the […]
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 […]
Splits emerge as U.S. House Republicans demand Biden negotiate on debt limit
WASHINGTON, Jan 25 (Reuters) – Republicans who control the U.S. House of Representatives are divided over how hard a line to take on the debt ceiling, but were united on Wednesday in demanding that Democratic President Joe Biden agree to negotiate on spending as part of any deal.Hard-line Republican conservatives, who have the power to […]
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 […]
Explainer: Shutdown? Default? Washington’s risky new debt ceiling standoff
WASHINGTON, Jan 24 (Reuters) – Partisan brinksmanship in the U.S. Congress has made government shutdowns seem a routine part of governing in the past decade, but the current standoff in Washington over raising the $31.4 trillion federal debt ceiling is significantly riskier.WHAT IS A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN?Congress is supposed to pass detailed spending legislation for each […]
Japan higher rates expand debt pile, balanced budget seen delayed again
Japan fiscal estimates assume higher interest rates than beforeBOJ’s move to widen 10-yr target band heaps pressure on ratesJapan seen to lag FY2025 budget balancing target by one yearTOKYO, Jan 24 (Reuters) – Japan raised its estimates for long-term interest rates over the coming few years in government’s twice-yearly fiscal projections issued on Tuesday, following […]