Investors cheered Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's Jackson Hole address, which gave a green light to buy risky assets on the hope the central bank is ready to cut rates, but took his dovish message with a note of caution as they see a risk of stagflation ahead and worry markets are over-optimistic. In his final address as Fed chair at the Jackson Hole, Wyoming, economic symposium, Powell hinted at a September interest rate cut but stopped short of committing, striking a careful balance between mounting job-market risks and lingering inflation worries. The speech on Friday came amid...
U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff agenda is likely to push up inflation, weigh on employment, and dent growth later this year, according to Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr. Should prices and unemployment begin to rise, the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee may be in a more difficult position as they assess their next policy moves, Barr added in prepared remarks to the Central Bank of Iceland on Friday. "The size and scope of the recent tariff increases are without modern precedent, we don't know their final form, and it is too soon to know how they will affect the...
China's Vice Foreign Minister Hua Chunying said on Friday (May 9) that "China has 'full confidence' in its ability to manage the US trade issues." Additional quotes The US cannot 'keep doing what it is doing' on trade policy. China does not want 'any form of war with other countries'. China has 'full ability to overcome difficulties' amid trade war. 'Ordinary people' in China do not want a trade war but are confident. On US trade talks, 'if we have to face reality, come on. We are not afraid.' The comments come ahead of high-level trade talks between the US and China in Geneva,...
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that trade deals with South Korea and Japan could take significantly more time to complete than the framework agreement President Donald Trump announced Thursday with the UK, in a signal that some Asian partners may have to wait for tariff relief. "You've got to spend an enormous amount of time with Japan, South Korea. These are not going to be fast deals," Lutnick said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. Lutnick added that India has been "leaning in really hard" and the country was "certainly" a possibility to be among the...
U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday announced a limited bilateral trade agreement that leaves in place Trump's 10% tariffs on British exports, modestly expands agricultural access for both countries and lowers prohibitive U.S. duties on British car exports. The preliminary deal is the first of dozens of tariff-lowering deals that Trump expects to land in coming weeks after upending the global trading system with steep new import taxes aimed at shrinking a $1.2 trillion U.S. goods trade deficit. Trump hailed the deal in the Oval Office with...
Initial jobless claims fell by 13,000 to 228,000 in the week ended May 3, the Labor Department said Thursday. That's a return to recent trends. Despite uncertainty over trade policy, companies are not moving to cut cuts through layoffs. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had estimated new claims would fall by 11,000 to 230,000. This is breaking news. Check back for updates here. BX:TMUBMUSD10Y SPX -Greg Robb This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street...
President Donald Trump said he would fire Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors if she does not resign her post over mortgage-fraud accusations from a top...
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...