Analysts at Danske Bank continue to expect the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates by 50bp three meetings in a row (May -next week-, June and July) and 25bp on each of the last three meetings (September, November and December). They are still of the view that risks are skewed …
Read More »America’s Q1 GDP much stronger than what data suggests
The US economy contracted at an annualized rate of 1.4% during the first quarter, data showed on Thursday. According to analysts from TD Securities, GDP growth was impacted by large setbacks in net exports and inventories. They point out that the details of the report were actually much stronger than …
Read More »Germany no longer opposes embargo of Russian oil imports
Germany has dropped its opposition to an embargo on Russian oil imports, government officials reportedly said according to the WSJ. According to the WSJ, this “clears the way” for a wider EU ban on oil imports from Russia, given that Berlin had been one of the main opponents on an …
Read More »ECB Official Hints at first rate hike during Q3
European Central Bank Governing Council member Ignazio Visco has added his voice to heated discussions on when the ECB will begin to raise its benchmark interest rate.Rates in the Eurozone have been negative following the region’s sovereign debt crisis, and the ECB has confirmed that it will conclude its net …
Read More »Despite US GDP Contraction, Three Reasons Support USD’s Strength
Recession is generally defined by two consecutive quarters of economic shrinking. The US economy squeezed by 1.4% in the first quarter of 2022, so it would only take another one to have an official downturn. Not so fast – not a recession, nor the dollar. The US economy grew by …
Read More »USD/CAD eases from multi-week highs on dismal US GDP data
The relentless USD buying pushed USD/CAD to a fresh multi-week high on Thursday. The disappointing release of the US GDP capped the upside for the USD and spot prices. Softer crude oil prices, aggressive Fed rate hike bets support prospects for further gains.The USD/CAD pair trimmed a part of its …
Read More »US: Weekly Initial Jobless Claims fall to 180K
There were 180,000 initial claims in the US economy in the week ending on 23 April, in line with consensus estimates and a slight decline from last week’s 185,000 reading which was revised up from 184,000, according to data released by the US Department of Labour on Thursday. That meant …
Read More »US economy shrinks by 1.4% in Q1
The annualized pace of US real GDP growth in Q1 2022 came in at a negative 1.4%, according to data released by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis on Thursday. That was a big miss on expectations that the economy had grown at an annualized pace of 1.4% in Q1 …
Read More »The yen falls to its lowest level in 20 years and pressure on the euro increases
The dollar rose against the yen above 130 yen on Thursday for the first time since 2002, after the Bank of Japan maintained its commitment to ultra-loose monetary policy, while the euro briefly fell below $1.05. There was some speculation in the market that the BoJ might pull back a …
Read More »ECB Economic Bulletin: Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is causing enormous suffering
Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is causing enormous suffering. It is also affecting the economy, in Europe and beyond. The conflict and the associated uncertainty are weighing heavily on the confidence of businesses and consumers. Trade disruptions are leading to new shortages of materials and inputs. Surging energy and commodity prices …
Read More »