Fed to hold interest rates steady but start considering cuts

Fed to hold interest rates steady but start considering cuts

The Federal Reserve will likely hold interest rates steady for a fourth straight meeting but avoid signaling an imminent interest-rate cut. The Federal Open Market Committee is poised to keep rates in a range of 5.25% to 5.5% at its two-day policy meeting ending Wednesday, a 22-year high first reached in July. The rate decision … Read more

Decisive moment arrives with $4 trillion stocks rally at stake

Decisive moment arrives with $4 trillion stocks rally at stake

Investors are facing a pivotal week as a key measure of inflation that hits Tuesday and the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate decision on Wednesday are expected to set the tone for the stock market and economy heading into 2024. Growing speculation that the Fed is done hiking rates and will start cutting by mid-year is fueling … Read more

ET Explainer: Why the Fed may dash rate cuts hope

ET Explainer: Why the Fed may dash rate cuts hope

US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell on Thursday rattled financial markets worldwide by saying that the central bank was not yet confident that interest rates were at a sufficiently restrictive level to bring inflation to its 2% target. The statement, which leaves the door open for more Fed rate hikes, yanked five-year US bond yields … Read more

Nifty recoups most of losses after falling over 100 points

Nifty recoups most of losses after falling over 100 points

Mumbai: Persistent global headwinds exerted pressure on the Indian equities market, which closed lower for the second consecutive day on Thursday. Despite an early dip, the Nifty, however, showed remarkable resilience, rebounding 113 points to conclude the session 46 points down at 19,625. The Sensex, which fell 843 points in the last six trading sessions, … Read more

From BlackRock to Pimco, bond investors bet Fed hiking is over

From BlackRock to Pimco, bond investors bet Fed hiking is over

For the first time since the Federal Reserve started raising interest rates almost 18 months ago, the labor market is showing enough cracks to embolden some of the world’s largest bond investors to bet that the tightening cycle is finally ending. A spate of slowing employment metrics this week, crowned by Friday’s August payrolls report, … Read more

Gold flat after Powell’s hawkish speech; focus on economic data

Gold flat after Powell’s hawkish speech; focus on economic data

Gold prices were flat on Monday as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s hawkish commentary doused expectations that the U.S. rate-hiking cycle was nearing an end, with investors awaiting economic data this week for confirmation on rate trajectory. FUNDAMENTALS * Spot gold was little changed at $1,915.79 per ounce by 0105 GMT, U.S. gold futures gained … Read more

No appetite at Fed, ECB for changing inflation goal

No appetite at Fed, ECB for changing inflation goal

Any thoughts that the 2% inflation goal long sought by the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank might possibly be in for a tweaking were dashed on Friday by the chiefs of the two institutions. Gathering in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for the annual Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City economic symposium, both Fed … Read more

Record-breaking stock rally pushes back hawkish Fed

Record-breaking stock rally pushes back hawkish Fed

Mumbai: Almost a generation of market participants have been trained to abide by the golden rule: don’t fight the Fed. But, an army of investors and traders these days is defying this tenet, even as the American central bank retains its hawkish policy tone. The Sensex and Nifty on Friday closed at record levels just … Read more

Fed signal for rate pause takes pressure off hot jobs report

Fed signal for rate pause takes pressure off hot jobs report

New York: Federal Reserve officials are signaling they plan to keep interest rates steady in June while retaining the option to hike further in coming months, steering market expectations ahead of a key employment report. Governor Philip Jefferson, a centrist who’s nominated to be vice chair and who often echoes Chair Jerome Powell‘s views, said … Read more

Powell steers policy debate with clear signal on June rate pause

Powell steers policy debate with clear signal on June rate pause

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell gave a clear signal he is inclined to pause interest-rate increases next month, taking command of the policy debate after several officials suggested they wanted to keep hiking. “We’ve come a long way in policy tightening and the stance of policy is restrictive and we face uncertainty about the lagged … Read more