According to the latest US Conference Board survey, headline Consumer Confidence fell to 113.8 in January from 115.2 (revised lower from 115.8) in December, less than the expected decline to 111.8. The drop slight drop reflects the impact of the rapid spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant in the US …
Read More »Can Fed’s Policy Meeting Really Deter Inflation?
Jerome Powell’s predecessors Ben Bernanke, Alan Greenspan, and Paul Volcker were first appointed by a president from one party, then reappointed by a president from the other, similarly Powell himself was first nominated to the Fed’s board of governors by President Barak Obama, he was elevated to Federal Open Market …
Read More »Us Markit Services PMI Falls Below Expectations
According to a preliminary January survey by IHS Markit, Service PMI fell to 50.9 this month from 57.6 in December. That was much larger than the expected decline to 55.0 and marked the lowest reading since July 2020.IHS Markit’s Manufacturing PMI also fell more than expected to 55.0 from 57.7 …
Read More »IMF Warns China Over Cost Of COVID Lockdowns
China, the world’s second largest economy, should review its zero-tolerance approach to the pandemic or risk damaging the global recovery, according to the head of International Monetary Fund.Kristalina Georgieva said Beijing should reassess the use of lockdowns to limit the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant since it became …
Read More »Can Banks’ Earnings Challenge Interest Rates, Omicron’s Impact?
3 Bank Stocks Win Q4 Earnings Season This bank earnings season has winners and losers, but the winners could not be more different. Of the six big banks that posted Q4 results this month, only three saw their stocks rise on their respective earnings day, this applies on Morgan Stanley …
Read More »US leading indicators climb 0.8% despite omicron’s Impact
The US economy has kept growing in the face of the rapid spread of omicron. The US leading index rose a solid 0.8% in December, signaling steady growth even as the record spread of the omicron virus nibbled at the edges of the economy. Economists polled by The Wall Street …
Read More »Biden Urges Fed To Recalibrate Support For US Economy
During a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said it is appropriate for the Federal Reserve to recalibrate the support it provides to the US economy, given the strength of the recovery and recent price increases.“Given the …
Read More »US Home Building Ends 2021 With Strong Momentum
Economic figures released on Wednesday surpassed expectations in the US with Housing starts rising 1.4% in December to 1.70 million (annual). Analysts at Wells Fargo point out a milder than usual weather allowed more construction to take place in what is normally a seasonally slow month.Key Quotes: “Home building finished …
Read More »Homebuilder Confidence Drops Under Inflation Pressure
Builder confidence fell one point to 83 in January, according to the National Association of Home Builders.Of the index’s three components, current sales conditions was unchanged at 90. Sales expectations in the next six months fell 2 points to 83, and buyer traffic fell 2 points to 69. The average …
Read More »Goldman Sachs Profit Misses Estimates
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has released its financial results for the last quarter of 2021. The bank said operating expenses reached 23% in 2021, the highest since 2007. Earnings per share for the fourth quarter were $10.81, and expectations were for $11.77. Thus, Goldman Sachs profits fell 13% to $3.94 …
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