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 by about $1 on Tuesday (November 11), boosted by the impact of the latest US sanctions on Russian oil and optimism over a potential end to the US government shutdown, although oversupply concerns capped gains. Brent crude futures closed up $1.10, or 1.72%, at $65.16 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 91 cents, or 1.51%, to $61.04 a barrel. Investors continue to monitor the impact of US sanctions on Russia and their impact on crude and refined fuel markets. Russia's Lukoil (LKOH.MM), opens a new tab, declared force majeure at an Iraqi oilfield it operates,...
Gold prices hit a nearly three-week high on Tuesday (November 11), boosted by expectations that a potential end to the US government shutdown and a restart of economic data could pave the way for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates next month. Spot gold prices rose 0.3% to $4,126.77 an ounce at 3:13 p.m. ET (2013 GMT), after earlier hitting their highest level since October 23. US gold futures for December delivery fell 0.1% to $4,116.30 an ounce. Gold, traditionally considered a safe-haven asset, also tends to benefit in a low-interest-rate environment because it is a non-yielding...
Gold shed gains as traders weighed the prospect of an end to the US government shutdown and weak jobs data. The record-breaking 42-day government shutdown is set to end soon after the Senate passed a stopgap funding measure supported by eight centrist Democrats. The reopening of the government now hinges on the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, which plans to return to Washington on Wednesday. Meanwhile, US companies lost an average of 11,250 jobs per week in the four weeks ending October 25, according to data released Tuesday by ADP Research. The figures suggest the labor...
Crude oil prices rose as signs of a weakening crude market were offset by soaring premiums for fuels like gasoline and diesel. West Texas Intermediate crude rose as much as 1.5% to $61 a barrel, posting a third straight day of gains. In addition to rising fuel premiums, technical traders known as commodity trading advisors could potentially spur additional buying in the coming days, according to consultancy Energy Aspects. "A larger CTA buying trigger above $64.50 tilts the balance of risks to the upside," said James Taylor, head of quantitative services at Energy Aspects. However,...
Tonight, the greenback weakened amid global optimism and hopes for an end to the US government shutdown. The US dollar (USD) came under pressure again in Tuesday evening's Asian trading, as market confidence grew that the Federal Reserve (The Fed) would cut interest rates sooner than expected. Positive sentiment regarding the prospect of an end to the US government shutdown also prompted investors to shift to riskier assets. The dollar index (DXY) fell to around 99.5, near a three-month low. This weakening occurred after a series of statements by Fed officials emphasized that the next...
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...