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...
Oil prices rose on Wednesday as supplies from Russia and OPEC members tightened while data showing an unexpected rise in U.S. job openings pointed to expanding economic activity and growing demand for oil as a result. Brent crude rose 37 cents, or 0.5%, to $77.42 a barrel by 0730 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 44 cents, or 0.6%, to $74.69. Oil output from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries fell in December after two months of increases, a Reuters survey showed. Field maintenance in the United Arab Emirates offset a rise in Nigerian output and increases...
Gold (XAU/USD) prices held on to modest intraday gains through the first half of the European session on Wednesday, albeit lacked bullish conviction and remained below the $2,665 resistance zone retested the previous day. Uncertainty surrounding US President-elect Donald Trump's tariff plans, trade war fears, geopolitical tensions, and softer risk tone turned out to be key factors that acted as a tailwind for the safe-haven bullion. However, the Federal Reserve's (Fed) hawkish shift, which kept the US Treasury bond yields elevated near multi-month tops, along with the emergence of some...
Gold (XAU/USD) prices attracted some dip-buying following the previous day's decline from the $2,665 resistance zone, albeit lacked any follow-through or bullish conviction. The US Dollar (USD) bulls turned cautious and preferred to wait for the release of the FOMC Meeting Minutes before placing fresh bets. Additionally, uncertainty surrounding US President-elect Donald Trump's tariff plans, trade war fears, geopolitical tensions, and a softer risk tone turned out to be key factors that acted as a tailwind for the safe-haven bullion. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve's (Fed) hawkish signal...
Silver prices held above $30.10 an ounce on Wednesday, near their highest level in more than three weeks despite pressure from a stronger dollar and rising Treasury yields. The move came as strong U.S. economic data reduced the likelihood of further interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. Silver, along with other safe-haven assets, has also benefited from uncertainty ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20 and confusion over his tariff plans. Silver has also drawn support from hopes that China, the world's top consumer of the metal, will follow through on...
The dollar index held its recent advance to above 108.5 on Wednesday, supported by higher Treasury yields as strong US economic data diminished the likelihood of further Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. Growth in the US services sector accelerated in December, boosting business activity and pushing prices to their highest levels since early 2023. Job openings also rose by 259,000 to 8.098 million in November, surpassing expectations and reaching a six-month high. Investors are now focused on Friday's monthly jobs report, one of the last major data releases before the Fed's upcoming...
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...