United States: Fed Conspiracy Theories See Powell as Fickle Boyfriend, Wise Man The momentous, mysterious monetary U-turn by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and his colleagues this week has spawned a host of conspiracy theories as to what’s really going on at the world’s most powerful central bank. They range from the simple -– the
Date: January 31, 2019 United States: Fed Adopts ‘Patient’ Rate Stance With Balance-Sheet Flexibility The Federal Reserve signaled it’s done raising interest rates for at least a while and will be flexible in reducing its bond holdings, a sweeping pivot from its bias toward tighter monetary policy just last month. U.S. stocks rallied, Treasury yields
United States: Powell to Stress Fed Patience on Rate Hikes: Decision Day Guide Jerome Powell will debut the Federal Reserve’s latest communications strategy -- a press conference eight times a year -- by emphasizing patience in raising interest rates, a message the chairman struggled to deliver in December. The Federal Open Market Committee is widely
United States: U.S. Treasury Set to Borrow $1 Trillion for a Second Year to Finance the Deficit The U.S. Treasury Department is set to maintain elevated sales of long-term debt to finance the government’s widening budget deficit, with new issuance projected to top $1 trillion for a second-straight year. Many strategists at primary-dealer firms predict
United States: State of Play: U.S.-China Trade Negotiations `Miles' From Deal We’re about five weeks away from a deadline for the U.S. to escalate tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods if no breakthrough deal on trade relations is reached. Following a round of negotiations in Beijing in early January, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He
United States: U.S. Jobless Claims Fall to 49-Year Low Despite Federal Shutdown Filings for U.S. unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest level since 1969, signaling the labor market remains tight despite the partial federal-government shutdown. Jobless claims declined 13,000 to 199,000 in the week ended Jan. 19, bucking economist forecasts for an increase,
United States: Fed to Probe Deutsche Bank Over Suspicious Danske Cash The Federal Reserve is examining how Deutsche Bank AG handled billions of dollars in suspicious transactions from Denmark’s leading lender, according to people familiar with the matter, further intensifying what could be one of the biggest money-laundering scandals ever. The Fed’s probe is in
Date: January 22, 2019 United States: BofA's Moynihan Predicts Another Round of U.S. Bank Mergers Bank of America Corp. Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan predicted another round of consolidation in the U.S. that could lead to the emergence of a new competitor. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based lender, which controls about 13 percent of the U.S. retail
United States: U.S.-China Trade Talks Falling Short on Make-Or-Break IP Issues Ever since negotiators from the U.S. and China sat down in Beijing after a Christmas meltdown in global markets, President Donald Trump has sought to calm investors and claim his trade talks are making great strides. But that glosses over a more uncomfortable reality.
United States: Trump Pulls U.S. Delegation Out of Davos Forum, Citing Shutdown President Donald Trump canceled the U.S. delegation’s trip to the global economic summit in Davos hours after he denied House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a plane to visit U.S. troops in Afghanistan. “Out of consideration for the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay
