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...
The dollar headed for its worst week since late July on Friday (October 3rd) as the US government shutdown heightened uncertainty, while the yen weakened from this week's high as traders considered the Bank of Japan's next move ahead of this weekend's ruling party leadership election. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of major currencies, was flat at 97.77. The euro rose 0.2% to $1.1736. The pound sterling strengthened 0.1% to $1.345. "The government shutdown in the US is having an impact on market participants, meaning we're not getting the data we normally...
Gold prices held steady on Friday (October 3), poised for a seventh consecutive weekly gain, driven by expectations of further US interest rate cuts and concerns over the economic impact of a prolonged government shutdown. Spot gold rose 0.03% to $3,857.25 an ounce at 09:21 GMT, after hitting a record high of $3,896.49 on Thursday. Bullion has gained 2.6% so far this week. US gold futures for December delivery rose 0.32% to $3,880.50 an ounce. The prolonged US government shutdown, now in its third day since Friday, has delayed key economic data, including the non-farm payrolls report...
Oil prices edged higher on Friday but remained on course for a weekly loss of about 7-8% after news of potential increases to OPEC+ supply. Brent crude futures gained 43 cents, or 0.67%, to $64.54 a barrel by 0826 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up 46 cents, or 0.76%, at $60.94. For the week, Brent was trading 8% down and WTI was on course for a 7.3% decline. "We are in a wait-and-see mode for what the OPEC+ Group of Eight will decide over the weekend," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo, adding that Friday's modest price recovery is likely to be attributable to positive risk...
Silver slipped below $47 per ounce on Friday but remained on track for a seventh consecutive weekly gain, supported by expectations of further US rate cuts and uncertainty from the government shutdown. Recent US data reinforced bets on more easing, with markets nearly fully pricing in a 25 basis point cut this month and another by December. Politically, the shutdown has so far shown limited direct impact, though it heightened concerns over fiscal policy, inflation risks and labor market weakness. It also triggered a data blackout, forcing the Labor Department to postpone Friday's September...
The Australian dollar (AUD) weakened slightly against the US dollar (USD) following the release of a number of economic data, but then stabilized on Friday. Recent data showed that business activity in Australia is slowing. The Composite Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell to 52.4 in September, from 55.5 in August. This indicates that economic growth is still ongoing, but at a slower pace, marking the lowest level since June. The services sector also slowed, although it continued to grow for 20 consecutive months. Furthermore, Australia recorded a decline in its trade surplus. In August,...
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...