Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said on Thursday he continues to believe the U.S. central bank should cut interest rates at the end of this month amid mounting risks to the economy and the strong likelihood that tariff-induced inflation will not drive a persistent rise in price pressures. "It makes sense to cut the FOMC's policy rate by 25 basis points two weeks from now," Waller told a gathering of the Money Marketeers of New York University. "I see the hard and soft data on economic activity and the labor market as consistent: The economy is still growing, but its momentum...
Japanese stocks fell, dragged down by a decline in electronics shares, as concerns about U.S. trade policy persisted. Lasertec dropped 3.4% and Terumo dropped 1.7%. USD/JPY was at 151.46, down from 152.15 at the close of the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Wednesday. Investors were watching the yen and any developments related to the Russia-Ukraine war. The Nikkei Stock Average was down 0.4% at 37,994.69. Source: Bloomberg
Stocks fell in light trading on Wednesday as investors took some risk off the table following big November gains. The S&P 500 shed 0.4%, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.8%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 115 points, or 0.3%, despite trading more than 140 points up at session highs. Traders appeared to take profits on big technology names that have largely performed well this year, which can explain the Nasdaq's underperformance. Nvidia which has surged more than 168% in 2024, lost more than 3% in the session. Meta Platformsslid about 1% after rallying around 60% this...
European stocks closed firmly lower on Wednesday, extending the drop from the prior session as markets continued to assess the outlook for ECB policy and the impact of tariff threats from the upcoming US presidential administration. The Eurozone's Stoxx 50 dropped 0.6% to close at 4,734 and the pan-European Stoxx 600 eased 0.2% to close at 505. ECB Governing Council member Schnabel noted that the Eurozone's economy is not headed into a recession, warranting caution in its upcoming policy decisions to not overly expedite rate cuts. French financial services providers were among the worst...
Stocks edged lower as traders waded through mixed data on the world's largest economy ahead of a key inflation reading. Equities halted a seven-day rally that drove the S&P 500 to all-time highs. Treasuries advanced across the curve, while the dollar fell. The US economy expanded at a solid pace in the third quarter, largely powered by a broad-based advance in consumer spending and steady business investment. Gross domestic product increased at a 2.8% annualized pace. Separate figures showed initial jobless claims were...
The Hang Seng soared 444 points or 2.3% to close at 19,603 on Wednesday, gaining for the second day amid mounting optimism about potential supportive policies from China to counter tariff risks. Traders showed increased confidence that the PBoC may further cut RRR in December to spur economic recovery in China, after two reductions totaling 100bps in September and February. A positive lead from Wall Street Tuesday also enhanced risk appetite, ahead of the US PCE index and indications of further interest rate cuts as Fed officials seemed comfortable with the pace of inflation. Meanwhile,...
According to a statement by the Federal Reserve (Fed), Fed Chair Jerome Powell met with United States (US) President Donald Trump on Thursday, where the head of the Fed reiterated that the Fed's...
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...