The Federal Reserve (Fed) plays a critical role in the U.S. economy by adjusting interest rates, a tool used to control inflation, manage employment levels, and stabilize financial markets. The decision to raise or lower interest rates can have far-reaching effects on everything from consumer spending to business investment. Understanding why the Fed adjusts rates […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — The US dollar has erased more than half of this year’s gains amid growing expectations the Federal Reserve will temper its aggressive rate hikes, and as optimism grows over China’s reopening plans. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index has pared its 2022 advance to about 7%, after gaining as much as 16% earlier, as […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — A key gauge of US consumer prices posted the second-smallest increase this year while spending accelerated, offering hope that the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate hikes are cooling inflation without sparking a recession. The personal consumption expenditures price index excluding food and energy, which Fed Chair Jerome Powell stressed this week is a more accurate […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — The Federal Reserve needs to raise interest rates significantly higher, to perhaps 6%, to reduce inflation, influential monetary economist John Taylor said on Friday. He told an economic conference in New York that rates were still “quite low” when measured in real, inflation-adjusted terms or when compared to monetary policy rules like the […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — Bond traders are declaring victory over the Federal Reserve’s war on inflation after it slowed last month to a weaker pace than economist forecasts. A part of the yield curve that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell watches closely to monitor recession risks inverted for the first time since the pandemic hit in early […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — The Federal Reserve looks set to deliver a fourth straight super-sized rate increase with Chair Jerome Powell repeating his resolute message on inflation and opening the door to a downshift — without necessarily pivoting yet. The Federal Open Market Committee is expected to raise rates by 75 basis points on Wednesday to a […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard said he expects the central bank to end its ‘’front-loading” of aggressive interest-rate hikes by early next year and shift to keeping policy sufficiently restrictive with small adjustments as inflation cools. “You do have to think about what the reasonable level is,” Bullard said […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — The latest bout of global financial volatility has heightened concerns about regulators’ continuing failure to resolve liquidity problems with US Treasuries — the debt that serves as a benchmark for the world. It’s getting harder and harder to buy and sell Treasuries in large quantities without those trades moving the market. Market depth, […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — Some big bond investors say don’t be deceived by the Treasury market’s torrid rally Wednesday. The hawkish signals still coming out of the Federal Reserve are what matters. The rest is noise. The world’s biggest bond market has been whipsawed in recent days on the back of a debt crisis gripping the UK. […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — A late-summer lull is nowhere to be seen in the stock market, with traders recalibrating their expectations after a blunt warning from the Federal Reserve chief in Jackson Hole. Most likely, they have a long ways to go. So say derivatives strategists at Bank of America Corp., who point to a disparity in […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — Investors continued piling into stocks and bonds, dismissing the risk of a more aggressive Federal Reserve as they expect it to ease the pace of rate hikes while inflation pulls back from its peak, according to Bank of America Corp. strategists. Global equity funds attracted $7.9 billion in the week through Aug. 17, […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — An account of the debate at the Federal Reserve’s July policy meeting, set to be published after two weeks of whiplash on Wall Street, will probably offer clues as to what would push the central bank to go big with tightening yet again in September. Fed officials’ decision at their July 26-27 gathering […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — The Federal Reserve will probably have to inflict much more pain on the economy to get inflation under control. Growth is already slowing in response to the Fed’s repeated interest rate increases, with the housing market softening, technology companies curbing hiring and unemployment claims edging up. But with inflation proving persistent at a […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is likely to slow the pace of interest-rate increases after front-loading policy with a second straight 75 basis-point hike next week, economists surveyed by Bloomberg said. They expect the Federal Open Market Committee to lift rates by a half percentage point in September, then shift to quarter-point hikes […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — Signs of a rapidly deteriorating US economic outlook have spurred bond traders to pencil in a complete policy turnaround by the Federal Reserve in the coming year, with interest-rate cuts in the middle of 2023. Fed Chair Jerome Powell — who is widely expected to keep lifting the central bank’s benchmark rate for […]
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