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...
European markets are expected to return from the long Easter weekend on a positive note. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index is expected to open 60 points higher at 8,254, Germany's DAX up 253 points at 21,064, France's CAC 81 points higher at 7,241 and Italy's FTSE MIB 441 points higher at 34,967, according to data from IG. There are no major earnings or data releases from Europe Tuesday but traders will be keeping an eye on news and comment out of the IMF-World Bank Spring meetings in Washington this week, where the threat and fallout from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs regime is likely to...
Stocks in Hong Kong fell 104 points or 0.5% to 21,292 in early trade on Tuesday, following an overnight slump on Wall Street after U.S. President Trump intensified criticism of Fed Chair Powell, calling him "a major loser" for not cutting interest rates. Trading resumed in the city after the holiday break, weighed down by fresh tensions as China warned it would retaliate against any trade deals with the U.S. that undermine its interests. Losses were partially limited by comments from Premier Li Qiang, who urged officials to step up efforts to stabilize the stock market. Meanwhile, the...
The Nikkei 225 fell 0.4% to below 34,200 while the broader Topix Index lost 0.2% to 2,523 on Tuesday, extending losses from the previous session and taking cues from a weak lead on Wall Street as political pressure on the Federal Reserve weighed on sentiment. Investor concerns grew after President Donald Trump intensified criticism of Fed Chair Jerome Powell, raising fears over the central bank's independence. The lack of progress on global trade talks also weighed on market sentiment. Moreover, a strengthening yen, which surged to a seven-month high on Monday, put downward pressure on...
Asia-Pacific markets were subdued Tuesday, tracking Wall Street's sell-off after U.S. President Donald Trump doubled down on his pressure campaign on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.Japan's Nikkei 225 as well as the Topix were trading flat. South Korea's Kospi added 0.19% and the small-cap Kosdaq inched 0.16% higher.Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.63%.Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index lost 0.25%. Mainland China's CSI 300 slipped 0.17% at the open.U.S. stock futures were nearly flat. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 18 points. Both the S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq...
US stock futures were steady on Tuesday after a sharp selloff in the prior session, driven by renewed concerns over the Federal Reserve's independence. On Monday, the Dow fell 0.48%, the S&P 500 dropped 2.36%, and the Nasdaq tumbled 2.55%, with all 11 S&P sectors ending lower—led by consumer discretionary, technology, and energy. Heavy losses hit megacap tech stocks, including Nvidia (-4.5%), Tesla (-5.8%), and Amazon (-3.1%). The decline followed criticism of Fed Chair Jerome Powell by President Donald Trump, who called him "Mr. Too Late, a major loser," and demanded immediate rate...
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...