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...
Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed, as Wall Street losses and uncertainty around the U.S. economy continued to weigh on equities. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 traded 0.12% higher. Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.34% while the Topix added 0.27%. South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.16% while the small-cap Kosdaq dipped 0.86%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index futures were at 24,065 also weaker than the HSI's last close of 24,219.95. Japan's headline inflation rose 3.7% year on year in February, easing from a two-year high of 4% seen in January. U.S. stock futures traded around the flatline after an attempt...
The S&P 500 ticked lower on Thursday as uncertainty around the U.S. economy continued to weigh on equities, thwarting the market's attempts at recovery from a monthlong rout. The broad market index pulled back 0.2%, while the Nasdaq Composite slid 0.3%, as Apple shares sank about 0.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average hovered around the flatline. Shares of Alphabet saw declines, weighing on the market. Meta Platforms and Nvidia, however, were outliers among the "Magnificent Seven" stocks, each rising almost 1%. The moves comes a day after the latest Federal Reserve meeting, at which...
European markets closed lower on Thursday, as global economic uncertainty cast a shadow over monetary policy announcements from the Bank of England, Swiss National Bank and Sweden's Riksbank. After a muted start, the regional Stoxx 600 closed 0.43% lower, snapping a four-day winning streak. Shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd posts 2024 profit decline, flags ‘challenging' environment | view postUK wage growth steady at expected 5.9% ahead of BOE decision | view postChina's central bank follows U.S. Fed in keeping rates steady as tariff threats pressure yuan | view postNorway's $1.8 trillion...
The S&P 500 was trading in the green on Thursday after some solid housing data eased some concerns about the U.S. economy sliding into recession. The broad market index rose 0.5%, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.7%. The tech-heavy index's gains were supported by gains in large-cap tech stocks such as Meta Platforms and Amazon, which rose about 4% and more than 1%, respectively. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was trading 217 points higher, or 0.5%. New economic data released Thursday suggested that economic concerns may have been overblown. Data from the National Association of...
The Hang Seng plunged 551 points, or 2.2%, to close at 24,220 on Thursday, ending a two-session winning streak amid broad-based losses. The index fell from a three-year peak as traders took profits. Modest gains in US futures failed to lift sentiment after Beijing's latest plan to boost consumption and stabilize stock and real estate markets lacked clarity on timing and scale. Concerns also grew after Fitch Ratings warned that higher US tariffs, including a projected effective rate of 35% on Chinese goods, could shave 1 ppt off China's GDP by 2026. Fitch also forecast global growth to slow...
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...