If it just seems like the first Friday of the month wasn't the same without being able to pore through the Bureau of Labor Statistics' hotly watched monthly jobs report, don't worry. You probably didn't miss much. While the BLS has gone dark with the shutdown in Washington, other reports outside the government data suggest the labor market just plodded along in September. The Dow Jones consensus forecast was for growth of 51,000 in nonfarm payrolls with the unemployment rate holding steady at 4.3%. High-frequency data that includes job postings, private payrolls and state-by-state figures...
The Nikkei 225 Index fell 1% to below 38,700, while the broader Topix Index fell 0.5% to 2,706 on Thursday, hitting a three-week low. The declines mirrored a sharp selloff on Wall Street after the U.S. Federal Reserve signaled fewer interest rate cuts in 2025 than previously expected. The Fed now expects just two rate cuts next year, down from the four projected in its September outlook. Investors also remained cautious ahead of the Bank of Japan's monetary policy decision later in the day. The central bank is likely to hold off on raising interest rates as policymakers assess the latest...
Asia-Pacific markets fell on Thursday morning (19/12), tracking broad declines on Wall Street as the U.S. Federal Reserve cut its benchmark lending rate for a third straight meeting while signaling fewer rate cuts ahead. Investors in Asia are looking ahead to the Bank of Japan's interest rate decision after a two-day policy meeting. The central bank is widely expected to keep its target interest rate unchanged at 0.25%. The Japanese yen was slightly higher on Thursday morning at 154.57 against the U.S. dollar. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 1.4% while the Topix fell 1.27%. In South...
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points on Wednesday, but reined in the number of rate cuts ahead on concerns about sticker inflation amid a brighter economic outlook. The Federal Open Market Committee, the FOMC, cut its benchmark rate by 25 bps to a range of 4.25% to 4.5%. In what was the third rate cut of the year since the first cut in September, Fed members now appear to be easing away from a deep rate cut cycle, betting on fewer rate cuts ahead. Fed members now see the benchmark rate falling to 3.9% for next year, suggesting just two rate cuts, compared with a prior...
The Fed announced another 25bps cut to the federal funds rate in December 2024, marking the third consecutive reduction this year and bringing borrowing costs to the 4.25%-4.5% range, in line with expectations. The so-called dot plot suggested policymakers will probably would only lower twice more in 2025.(Cay) Newsmaker23 Source: Trading Economi
Markets are pricing in a near certainty that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates by a quarter point on Wednesday, bringing the target range to 4.25% to 4.5%. The focal point for investors is central bank policymakers' economic outlook and the path forward for rate policy. The Fed will issue its decision at 2 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, followed by Chair Jerome Powell's press conference at 2:30 p.m.Loan interest rates remain high even as Fed has reduced ratesThe Federal Reserve has dialed back interest rates by three-quarters of a point since the end of its September meeting, but...
Asia-Pacific markets traded higher, tracking Wall Street gains overnight.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.41% after hitting a fresh record high on Thursday, while the Topix added 0.61%. South...
Both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 hovered around the flatline on Friday, as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of further developments in trade talks between US President Trump and Chinese...
The U.S. government shut down much of its operations on Wednesday as deep partisan divisions prevented Congress and the White House from reaching a funding deal, setting off what could be a long,...