The Federal Reserve is expected to deliver its first interest-rate cut this year at its September 16-17 meeting, as it moves to counter a cooling labor market even as inflation remains above target. The anticipated quarter-point reduction may not satisfy President Donald Trump, who wants a bigger cut and has named his White House economic advisor, Stephen Miran, in time to be on the Fed Board at the September meeting, pending Senate confirmation. Here is a look at Fed officials' comments since their last policy meeting, sorting them under the labels "dove" and "hawk" as shorthand for their...
Oil prices were steady on Monday as signs of a breakdown in U.S. talks with Iran over its nuclear program offset pressure from a Moody's downgrade of the U.S. sovereign credit rating. Brent crude futures were down 20 cents at $65.21 a barrel by 1:36 p.m. ET (1736 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up 3 cents, or 0.1%, at $62.52 a barrel. Both contracts rose more than 1% last week. Nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S. will yield nothing if Washington insists Tehran halt its uranium enrichment activities, Iranian state media quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Majid...
Gold rose as the dollar slumped after Moody's Ratings removed the U.S.'s last top credit rating because of ballooning debt and deficits. Moody's blamed successive administrations and Congress for ballooning budget deficits that it said showed no sign of abating. And there are concerns the situation could get worse, with Republican lawmakers debating President Donald Trump's tax and spending package that critics say will add trillions more to the federal debt over the next decade. The precious metal has been on a roller coaster in recent months. It suffered its biggest weekly loss since...
Silver (XAG/USD) traded marginally higher on Monday (5/19), holding above the $32.00 level during the US session, as broader US Dollar (USD) weakness fueled demand for alternative safe-haven assets. The move came in response to Moody's downgrade of the US sovereign credit rating, which has added to market concerns over fiscal sustainability and long-term growth prospects. At the time of writing, Silver prices were up 0.05% on the day, with spot XAG/USD last seen trading around $32.30. The metal is attempting to reclaim the 50-day Simple Moving Average near $32.75, which has capped gains in...
Oil prices were steady on Monday despite Moody's downgrading the US sovereign credit rating and official data showing a slowdown in growth in industrial production and retail sales in China. The developments have raised concerns about the outlook for the world's two largest economies and expectations that demand for oil could slow, after Beijing and Washington agreed to lift most tariffs on each other's goods, boosting prices. "The weaker-than-expected Chinese data did not help crude, although I would describe the setback as modest," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo. Brent crude futures...
The USD/CHF pair trades 0.5% lower to near 0.8330 during North American trading hours on Monday. The Swiss Franc pair weakens as the US Dollar (USD) faces a sharp selling pressure due to erosion in the United States (US) Sovereign Credit Rating. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback's value against six major currencies, slumps to near 100.30. On Friday, Moody's Rating downgraded the US long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings from Aaa to Aa1. The one-notch downgrade in the US credit came on the back of a growing $36 trillion debt pile. The US downgrade has sparked...
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...