Federal Reserve

June 25, 2024 3:11 PM

Global Markets – European stocks fall as Nvidia slump hits tech sector

European stocks fell on Tuesday after a 7% drop in chipmaker Nvidia dragged down U.S. tech companies on Monday, in a sign of nervousness about the artificial intelligence boom. Stock markets remained close to record highs, however, as investors shifted into less flashy names. Bond yields cooled and Japan's yen stayed under pressure. Investors' attention is being pulled in multiple directions, with snap elections in France starting at the weekend; the first U.S. Presidential debate on Thursday;...

June 13, 2024 11:23 AM

Fed leaves rates unchanged, sees only one 2024 cut despite inflation progress

The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday and pushed out the start of rate cuts to perhaps as late as December as policymakers sketched out their view of an economy that remains virtually unchanged across its major dimensions for years to come. With growth and unemployment lodged at levels better than the U.S. central bank considers sustainable in the long run, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said policymakers were content to leave rates where they are until the economy sends a clear ...

June 12, 2024 5:35 PM

Fed expected to hold rates steady, project fewer cuts in 2024

The Federal Reserve is expected to leave interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, with new economic projections from the U.S. central bank's policymakers likely to show fewer rate cuts this year and a delayed start to monetary policy easing. Fed officials will receive a new round of inflation data that could shape their outlook just hours before they conclude their latest two-day meeting and release a fresh policy statement and updated quarterly projections. But with the Fed's efforts to lower i...

May 31, 2024 3:15 PM

Global stocks and dollar idle ahead of Fed’s favourite inflation figure

Global shares were little changed on Friday in subdued trading as investors hunkered down for key U.S inflation figures that will shape the Federal Reserve's thinking on interest rates when it meets mid-June. The dollar was steady against peer currencies ahead of the U.S. inflation data. Oil was slightly weaker after Fed officials said it was too soon to start considering rate cuts, and following a surprise build in U.S. gasoline stocks. The MSCI All Country Stock index was flat at 780.9 poin...

May 27, 2024 2:12 PM

Asia shares nudge higher as US, EU inflation data loom

Asian shares firmed on Monday as investors braced for a busy run of inflation data that could set the scene for a European rate cut as soon as next week and a U.S. policy easing within just a few months. Holidays in Britain and the United States made for thin trading ahead of Friday's figures on core personal consumption expenditures (PCE), the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation. Median forecasts are for a rise of 0.3% in April, keeping the annual pace at 2.8%, with risks on the ...

May 21, 2024 10:55 AM

Global stocks inch lower, dollar firm as Fed focus intensifies; crypto soars

Asian stocks drifted lower while the dollar held firm on Tuesday as investors awaited minutes of the Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting to gauge the timing and extent of possible interest rate cuts this year. Japan's tech-heavy Nikkei edged higher though, driven by chip shares after the Nasdaq hit a record high overnight ahead of Nvidia earnings due on Wednesday. Gold inched back towards Monday's all-time peak, while crude oil prices eased on worries of U.S. interest rates staying high fo...

May 15, 2024 10:23 AM

GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks rise, dollar drifts ahead of US inflation report

Asian stocks rose on Wednesday while the dollar drifted lower as traders weighed mixed U.S. producer price data and braced for the crucial consumer price report later in the day that is likely to influence the Federal Reserve's near-term policy path. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.38%, scaling a fresh 15-month high earlier in the session. Japan's Nikkei gained 0.58%. Data overnight showed U.S. producer prices increased more than expected in April, indicating ...

May 7, 2024 2:30 PM

Yen weakens despite intervention threat, Aussie eases after RBA

The yen continued to drift lower against the dollar on Tuesday as gaping interest rate differentials weighed on the currency, despite fresh warnings from Japanese officials following two rounds of suspected dollar-selling intervention last week. The Australian dollar eased back from near a two-month high versus its U.S. counterpart after the Reserve Bank of Australia kept rates steady as widely expected, and refrained from ramping up hawkish signals in its policy statement. The Aussie AUD=D3 s...