Stephen Miran, a Federal Reserve governor whose term ends at the end of January, said Thursday that he is looking for 150 basis points of interest-rate cuts this year to boost the U.S. labor market. Miran told Bloomberg Television's Surveillance program that Fed officials had room to further reduce rates given his view that underlying inflation was likely running at 2.3%. "I'm looking for about a point and a half of cuts. A lot of that is driven by my view of inflation," Miran said. "Underlying inflation is running within noise of our target, and that's a good indication of where overall...
Gold traded around $3,030 per ounce on Friday, remaining near record highs, and headed for a third weekly gain, driven by dovish signals from the Federal Reserve and safe-haven demand. On Wednesday, the Fed acknowledged rising economic uncertainty and reaffirmed plans for two rate cuts this year, boosting non-yielding gold. Fed Chair Powell also downplayed President Trump's tariff impact on inflation as "transitory", however he reiterated no urgency to cut rates. Meanwhile, tensions continued to escalate in the Middle East, as Israel expanded its Gaza offensive, Hamas struck Tel Aviv, and...
The Japanese yen slipped to around 149 per dollar on Friday, snapping a two-day advance as investors reacted to the latest inflation figures. Japan's core inflation rate slowed to 3% in February from 3.2% in January but still exceeded forecasts of 2.9%. This marked the second consecutive month that inflation surpassed expectations, highlighting persistent price pressures and reinforcing the case for further interest rate hikes. Earlier this week, the Bank of Japan kept its policy rate steady at 0.5%, as widely anticipated. Policymakers maintained a cautious stance, opting to assess the...
The US dollar index held its recent advance to around 103.8 on Friday as investors continued to assess the Federal Reserve's monetary policy stance. On Wednesday, the Fed kept policy unchanged but signaled two interest rate cuts this year. The central bank also highlighted rising risks to growth, employment, and inflation in its latest economic projections. Meanwhile, Fed Chair Jerome Powell downplayed concerns over the inflationary impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs, calling them "transitory," but reiterated that the central bank is in no rush to cut rates further. Traders are...
Oil extended gains after the US sanctioned a Chinese refinery for the first time in a marked step-up of measures to curb oil flows from Iran. West Texas Intermediate rose toward $69 a barrel after advancing on Thursday, with Brent crude closing at $72. The US penalized a Chinese oil refinery — Shandong Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical Co. — and its chief executive officer for allegedly buying Iranian oil, the Trump administration's first intervention in the Asian nation's refining system. Crude is on track for its biggest one-week gain since mid-January, after US data...
Gold price retreats on Thursday as bulls take a breather following the Federal Reserve's (Fed) latest monetary policy decision and an escalation of hostilities in the Middle East. The XAU/USD trades at $3,042, down over 0.19% Market sentiment turned negative, while the Greenback stages a recovery as depicted by the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks a basket of six currencies against the buck. Gold traders failed to drive prices higher, even though the Fed held rates unchanged at the 4.25%–4.50% range for the second consecutive meeting. Officials added that they will slow down the pace of...
Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda stated that achieving 2% inflation is getting closer, although real inflation remains low. Ueda emphasized that the BOJ will continue to raise interest rates...
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) maintained its cash rate at 4.1% during its April meeting, holding borrowing costs unchanged after slashing 25 bps in the February meeting, aligning with market...