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...
Wall Street faced a broad sell-off on Wednesday, led by a steep downturn in tech stocks as trade tensions escalated and investors digested cautious remarks from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The S&P 500 lost 2.2%, the Dow dropped nearly 700 points, and the Nasdaq sank 3%. Nvidia plunging 6.9% after the chipmaker disclosed it would take a $5.5 billion charge due to new US export restrictions on its AI chips bound for China. Other chipmakers followed suit, with AMD (-7.3%) and Micron Technology (-2.4%) both falling on cost warnings and weak demand. Powell's speech in Chicago added...
European stocks trimmed early losses but still lower on Wednesday, pressured by pessimistic corporate earnings and persistent concerns that tariffs by the US government will erode growth for major economies. The Eurozone's STOXX 50 closed marginally below the flatline at 4,967 and the pan-European STOXX 600 dropped 0.2% to close at 507. ASML posted a decline in its revenues and noted that concerns surrounding the unpredictable economic policy in the US is likely to hit orders from its main clients, driving its share price to plunge by 5.2%. In the meantime, LVMH lost 1% to extend its...
Stocks fell on Wednesday as investors assessed a stark warning from Nvidia that pressured global tech. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 180 points, or 0.4%. The S&P 500 dropped 0.9%, and the Nasdaq Composite pulled back 1.8%. Shares of Nvidia lost 6% after the chip giant said it will post a $5.5 billion quarterly charge related to exporting its H20 graphics processing units to China and other nations. The company said in a filing that the U.S. government required a license to send chips from the U.S. to China. Other chipmakers followed Nvidia lower. AMD slid more than 6%, while...
The Hang Seng tumbled 409 points or 1.9% to close at 21,057 on Wednesday, snapping six-session of gains as U.S. futures plunged amid mounting uncertainty over U.S. trade tariffs. Markets fell from a two-month high after some major banks, including Morgan Stanley and UBS, cut China's 2024 growth outlook due to tariff pressure. Goldman Sachs also warned that previous export frontloading may weigh on Q2 growth. China's economy expanded 5.4% yoy in Q1, holding steady for the second quarter and beating consensus of 5.1%. Losses were almost broad-based, led by tech stocks, with the sector...
European markets opened lower on Wednesday as uncertainty over the direction of U.S. trade tariffs continues to dent sentiment. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was 0.93% lower at 8:45 a.m. U.K. time following two strong sessions of gains. Critical chip firm ASML dropped 5.5% after it missed expectations on net bookings and flagged uncertainty around U.S. trade. Industry peer ASM International was pulled 3.85% lower. U.K. inflation data for March came in at 2.6% in March, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics on Wednesday, below the 2.7% forecast in a Reuters...
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...