US stocks ended little changed in remarkably thin trading Monday and Treasuries ticked lower at the long-end of the curve as investors focused on corporate results and prospects for faster policy tightening by the US central bank.The S&P 500 closed down less than 0.1%, after swinging between narrow gains and …
Read More »Fed’s Harker: High inflation Not To Go Away Quickly
Philadelphia Fed President and FOMC member Patrick Harker said on Wednesday that he does not see high inflation going away any time soon and that high gasoline prices will be here for some time, reported Reuters. Harker said he doesn’t expect food prices to come down any time soon. Harker …
Read More »S&P 500 climbs for third straight day as Tesla leads
The S&P 500 rose for a third day on Monday, as a sharp climb in shares of Tesla overshadowed weakness in energy and bank stocks, while Russia and Ukraine were poised to hold their first face-to-face peace talks in more than two weeks.The S&P energy index (.SPNY), off 2.56%, was …
Read More »Powell: Obvious need to move expeditiously to a more neutral level, higher if needed
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell said on Monday that there is an obvious need to move expeditiously to a more neutral level and even more restrictive levels if needed to restore price stability.The risk is rising that there could be an extended period of high inflation that could push …
Read More »FOMC Summary: A Potential Collision On The Horizon
Coincident measures of real growth continue to slowly march lower on a trending basis. Leading indicators of real growth show no signs of an imminent inflection higher in growth. Jerome Powell was extremely hawkish after raising interest rates 0.25%.The yield curve flattened massively in response to slowing growth and an …
Read More »Will FOMC Meeting Be A Tough Call?
The FOMC has an unenviable task of trying to guide monetary policy through a period of turbulence. The March 15-16 meeting will be essential to communicate its present action and set the monetary policy path and tone for the future.Leaning the stance of individual policymakers will matter more than usual …
Read More »Will BoE Be Trapped In Tightening Corner?
The Bank of England is almost certain to increase borrowing costs on Thursday, marking the third consecutive meeting where it has hiked rate as it continues its exit from pandemic-related stimulus. One problem is that BoE hike expectations are not happening in a vacuum or in isolation. Other Developed Market …
Read More »US Shares Rebound On Back of Powell’s Comments
US equities staged a decent rebound on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 breaking above last week’s highs to test 4400. Markets took reassurance from the tone of Fed Chair Powell’s remarks at his testimony before the US Congress.US equities rose on Wednesday as traders digested remarks from Fed Chair Jerome …
Read More »Q4 Faster GDP Growth Ensures BoC’s Interest Rate Hike
Canadians took advantage of elevated savings and low interest rates to buy houses in 2021. The Canadian economy grew at an annual rate of 6.7 per cent in the fourth quarter, much faster than the Bank of Canada was expecting, guaranteeing an interest-rate increase when policymakers announce the results of …
Read More »How Do Fed Policymakers Define Maximum Employment?
Congress instructs the Federal Reserve to aim for maximum employment and price stability. The Fed has defined price stability as inflation averaging 2%, but maximum employment cannot be explained in such a simple manner.In its monetary policy strategy statement, FOMC has pointed out that he maximum level of employment is …
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