Oil prices dropped to a near two-month low on receding tensions in the Middle East, a complex interplay of escalating supply levels, demand worries, and challenging economic indicators. The global benchmark, US WTI crude currently clinging below $80 a barrel, has lost more than 10% from a near two-year high tested last month. A similar … Read more
Washington, DC CNN — Spending at US retailers fell in March as consumers pulled back after the banking crisis fueled recession fears. Retail sales, which are adjusted for seasonality but not for inflation, fell by 1% in March from the prior month, the Commerce Department reported on Friday. That was steeper than an expected 0.4% … Read more
Minneapolis CNN — US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she believes the American economy remains strong and its banking system is resilient despite some recent turmoil among regional financial institutions. “I’ve not really seen evidence at this stage suggesting a contraction in credit, although that is a possibility,” Yellen said at a press conference Tuesday … Read more
Washington CNN — Mortgage rates have taken would-be buyers on a ride this year — and it’s only March. Generally, home buyers can anticipate mortgage rates to move down through the rest of this year as the banking crisis drags on, which could cool down inflation. But there are bound to be some bumps along … Read more
Minneapolis CNN — The US economy added 311,000 jobs in February, according to the latest monthly employment snapshot from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Friday. That’s a pullback from the blockbuster January jobs report, when a revised 504,000 positions were added, but shows the labor market is still emitting plenty of heat. The unemployment … Read more
Sydney Reuters — Australia’s central bank raised its cash rate by 25 basis points to a decade-high of 3.35% on Tuesday and reiterated that further increases would be needed, in a more hawkish policy tilt than many had expected. Wrapping up its February policy meeting, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) also dropped previous guidance … Read more
London CNN — As many as half a million workers are striking across Britain on Wednesday, closing schools, canceling university lectures and bringing most of the rail network to a standstill in what unions say will be the biggest single day of walkouts in more than a decade. Teachers, university staff, train drivers and civil … Read more
Minneapolis CNN — The US economy expanded again during the fourth quarter, registering solid growth to end 2022 even as consumers and businesses battled historically high inflation and rising interest rates. Gross domestic product — the broadest measure of economic activity — increased at an annualized rate of 2.9% from October to December last year, … Read more
Hong Kong CNN — China’s economy grew at least 4.4% in 2022, according to leader Xi Jinping, a figure much stronger than many economists had expected. But the current Covid wave may hobble growth in the months ahead. China’s annual GDP is expected to have exceeded 120 trillion yuan ($17.4 trillion) last year, Xi said … Read more
New York CNN — Oil stocks skyrocketed in 2022, so it’s no surprise funds that track the energy sector were Wall Street winners this year. But the top fund of the year is a surprising one: It invests in a variety of companies based in Turkey. The iShares MSCI Turkey exchange-traded fund had more than … Read more