All market eyes on the Fed today as interest rates are set to rise by another 75bps November 2, 2022 While European markets started the month on a positive note, and look set to continue that vibe this morning, US markets lost their early momentum, finishing the session lower, after the latest job openings numbers, and ISM manufacturing report, showed that the US economy remained in decent shape, despite concerns over an economic slowdown. “We [...]
Ex Fed official says Bank of England ‘contributed to the Truss govt’s demise’ October 28, 2022 A top former official with the US Federal Reserve has claimed the Bank of England ousted Liz Truss. Narayana Kocherlakota, the ex president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, made his comments in a piece for Bloomberg this week. This comes after Truss left office following weeks of chaos in UK financial markets sparked [...]
Fed pivot hopes fade after US economy returns to strong growth October 27, 2022 The US economy has surprisingly shaken off a series of steep rate rises, indicating the Federal Reserve’s campaign to tame historic high inflation is not over yet, new figures out today reveal. Gross domestic product (GDP) across the pond climbed 2.6 per cent last quarter, swinging from a 0.6 per cent contraction in the three [...]
ECB fires second successive jumbo rate hike in push to end Europe’s cheap money addiction October 27, 2022 The European Central Bank (ECB) today fired its second jumbo rate hike in a row in another sign that it is putting years of ultra-cheap money to the sword. The central bank that oversees the financial system of the 19 countries using the euro lifted borrowing costs 75 basis points to 1.5 per cent as [...]
Backing the central bank pivot is a risky bet October 25, 2022 It is easy to criticise central banks for heaping pain on households and businesses. But, this is exactly what they are supposed to do under current economic conditions. Inflation in the UK, US and eurozone has hit 10.1 per cent, 8.2 per cent and 9.9 per cent respectively, all historic highs. The Bank of England [...]
US inflation tops expectations in sign Federal Reserve has more work to do October 13, 2022 US inflation climbed higher than expected on a monthly basis in September in a sign the Federal Reserve’s series of steep rate hikes are failing to tame the toughest price pressures. Inflation hit 0.4 per cent last month, above Wall Street’s expectations of a 0.2 per cent increase and higher than August’s print, figures from [...]
The Inflation Game: War, Peace and the Perils of Central Banking October 13, 2022 | City Talk The descent is always more sudden than the increase; a balloon that has been punctured does not deflate in an orderly way. — John Kenneth Galbraith I travelled with my family to London and Normandy in July 2022. Our primary purpose was to meet up in France with my father-in-law, who had dreamed of visiting the [...]
Federal Reserve backs third jumbo rate hike to unpick inflation out of US economy September 21, 2022 The Federal Reserve backed a third successive jumbo-sized interest rate hike today as it scrambles to unpick inflation out of the US economy. Chair Jerome Powell and co hoisted the global financial system’s most important rate 75 basis points to between three and 3.25 per cent. Wall Street edged lower after the move. The tech-heavy [...]
London’s FTSE 100 bumps higher after government halves firms’ energy bills September 21, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 bumped higher today as investors digest the details of the government’s energy support package for UK businesses. The capital’s premier index climbed 0.63 per cent to 7,237.64 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, rose 1.01 per cent to 18,714.67 [...]
London’s FTSE 100 edges higher ahead of central bank rate announcements September 20, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 slid yesterday, driven by traders bracing for a big week of central bank announcements. The capital’s premier index dropped 0.64 per cent to reach 7,190.16 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, slumped 1.48 to 18,519.69 points. The world’s biggest [...]