The window dressing phenomenon is expected to again influence financial market movements throughout 2025, especially as each quarter approaches its close. This strategy is generally employed by investment managers to enhance portfolio performance in periodic reports, often encouraging the strengthening of risky assets such as stocks. However, this shift in sentiment also has different implications for hedge funds, particularly gold. Quarter One (Q1): Limited Pressure for Gold At the end of March 2025, Q1 window dressing tended to be moderate. Funds began flowing into blue-chip stocks after...
The Bank of Japan could hike interest rates by as soon as May, ING analysts said in a Monday note, as gross domestic product data showed the economy grew much more than expected in the fourth quarter of 2024. A May rate hike could come especially if springtime wage negotiations between major Japanese labor unions and employers yields another year of bumper hikes. Strong wage hikes in 2024 were a key motivator of the BOJ's ongoing rate hike cycle, as Japanese private consumption and inflation picked up sharply through most of 2024. The BOJ expects this trend to continue in 2025,...
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Wednesday the central bank has not been cut off from any data it needs to do its work. Speaking before a House panel as the Trump administration has been stripping government websites from various data sets, Powell he wasn't aware of losing anything the Fed needs, while saying he'd speak up if issues emerged. Powell was also asked about outside access to critical systems the Fed and the Treasury Department use to process government payments and Powell noted access to these tools is done "very carefully." Many observers have grown concerned about...
Jerome Powell, Chairman of the United States (US) Federal Reserve (Fed), repeated that they do not need to be in a hurry to adjust the monetary policy in his prepared remarks for delivery on the first day of his testimony on the semi-annual Monetary Policy Report before the Senate Banking Committee. "Policy is well-positioned to deal with risks, uncertainties." "We can maintain policy restraint for longer if economy remains strong and inflation does not move toward 2%." "We can ease policy if labor market unexpectedly weakens or inflation falls more quickly than expected." "The US is...
The Bank of England (BoE) is expected to take a measured approach in adjusting its monetary policy, with Barclays (LON:BARC) analysts predicting that the central bank will hold off on more aggressive rate cuts until mid-year. While the BoE recently reduced the Bank Rate by 25 basis points to 4.5%, the decision exposed a rare divergence among policymakers. Two members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted for a more substantial 50-basis-point cut, signaling a growing faction within the committee that favors a more proactive approach to easing. Despite this dissent, Barclays...
The Bank of England cut its benchmark interest rate by 25bps to 4.5% in its January 2025 decision, as widely expected, marking the third rate cut since the start of its cutting cycle in August last year. All nine members of the Monetary Policy Committee voted for the rate cut, compared with 8-1 odds, while two members voted for a sharper 50bps cut, including hawkish Catherine Mann. The Bank maintained its stance that monetary easing is expected to be gradual this year, as rising growth concerns weigh on underlying services inflation. However, the Bank revised its growth forecasts for the...
Asian stock markets fell in unison on Thursday, following Wall Street's decline. A brief rally in tech stocks led by Nvidia quickly faded, prompting investors to turn away from riskier assets like...
Pasangan mata uang EUR/USD mengawali pekan ini dengan nada sedikit melemah di sesi Asia, diperdagangkan di sekitar 1,1730, turun kurang dari 0,10% dalam sehari. Meski terkoreksi, euro masih berada...
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States may store and possibly sell oil seized off the coast of Venezuela in recent weeks, as Reuters reported on Monday.
Trump added that...