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 rose around 3% on Thursday, buoyed by hopes of a breakthrough in looming trade talks between the United States and China, the world's two largest oil consumers. Brent crude futures were up $1.70, or 2.8%, at $62.82 a barrel at 1:12 p.m. EDT (1712 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose $1.79, or 3.1%, to $59.86. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet with China's top economic official on May 10 in Switzerland for negotiations over a trade war that is disrupting the global economy. Optimism around those talks was providing support to the market, said SEB analyst...
The USD/CHF pair is trading higher as the US Dollar (USD) gains momentum on mixed economic signals and trade optimism, while the Swiss Franc (CHF) weakens amid broader risk-on sentiment. US President Donald Trump announced a "major trade deal" with the United Kingdom (UK), though initial excitement cooled after reports indicated that a 10% tariff on UK goods would remain in place, limiting the potential economic boost from the agreement. The US Dollar Index (DXY) remains firm, trading near 100.00 as investors digest positive economic data and trade headlines. US initial jobless claims fell...
Oil prices rose over 1% on Thursday, buoyed by hopes of a breakthrough in looming trade talks between the United States and China, the world's two largest oil consumers. Brent crude futures were up 89 cents, or 1.5%, at $62.01 a barrel at 1334 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose $1.02, or 1.8%, to $59.09. The market has almost stabilised at slightly above $61 a barrel, said SEB analyst Ole Hvalbye, which along with some optimism around the tariff situation with ice-breaker talks due between the U.S. and China, was providing support. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet...
Gold prices inched lower on Thursday, ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's likely announcement of a trade deal between the United States and Britain. Spot gold was down 0.1% to $3,362.19 an ounce as of 1318 GMT, after rising 1% earlier in the session. U.S. gold futures slipped 0.7% to $3,368.50. "The gold market has been very volatile. What you're seeing are short term investors buying and selling based on news headlines," said Jeffrey Christian, managing partner of CPM Group. "Prices could trade as low as $3,050 or as high as $3,500 on a long term basis." Trump posted on Truth Social...
EUR/USD ticks lower to near 1.1280 during European trading hours on Thursday. The major currency pair edges down as the US Dollar (USD) trades slightly higher on signals from the Federal Reserve (Fed) that there is no rush to lower interest rates, which came on Wednesday just after the central bank left interest rates unchanged in the range of 4.25%-4.50% for the third time in a row. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which gauges the Greenback's value against six major currencies, ticks higher to near 100.00. Fed Chair Jerome Powell stated that "uncertainty about the economic outlook has...
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...