The Federal Reserve is likely to start a series of interest-rate cuts next week and keep going through the end of the year, traders bet on Wednesday after tamer-than-expected producer price inflation last month calmed worries that price pressures would hold the central bank back from policy easing. Traders stuck to bets the Fed will start with a quarter-point reduction at its meeting next week, and continue with same-sized cuts through year-end, based on pricing of futures contracts that settle to the Fed's policy rate. The producer price index increased 2.6% in August from a year earlier,...
Oil prices steadied in Asian trade on Thursday as traders digested hawkish signals from the Federal Reserve, while U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated plans to increase domestic energy production. Oil prices were nursing losses over the past week after Trump called for lower oil prices and higher output in the U.S. and other major suppliers. Data showing a bigger-than-expected build in U.S. oil inventories also weighed on crude prices. Markets remained largely skittish over Trump's plans to impose more trade tariffs on major global economies, especially China. The White House on...
Dollar bulls were ready to pounce on the euro on Thursday should the European Central Bank sound dovish on rates later in the day, given the Federal Reserve had pressed the pause button on its easing cycle overnight Markets are more than fully priced for the ECB to trim rates by 25 basis points to 2.75% later on Thursday, with even a small chance of 50 basis points given how weak the EU economy is. "The euro area's inflationary pulse is evaporating, and the risk of a sustained inflation undershoot is material," warned analysts at ANZ. "The complex economic and political challenges facing...
Gold prices edged lower as the US Federal Reserve (Fed) delivered a hawkish hold. The Fed removed inflation language, an indication of a pivot towards maintaining rates unchanged. The XAU/USD trades volatile within the $2,750 - $2,740 range as Fed Chair Jerome Powell crossed the wires. Powell's first question was about having been contacted by US President Donald Trump. He answered he had not spoken with Trump and firmly stated that he wouldn't comment on Trump's policies or politics. In addition, Powell said that monetary policy is "less restrictive than it had been," adding that the Fed...
West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US crude oil benchmark, is trading around $72.60 during the late American session on Wednesday. The WTI price edges lower after US crude stockpiles rose more than expected last week. US crude inventories rose last week. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) weekly report showed crude oil stockpiles in the United States for the week ending January 24 increased by 3.463 million barrels, compared to a decline of 1.017 million barrels in the previous week. The market consensus estimated that stocks would rise by 3.7 million barrels. The White House...
Gold prices edged lower as the US Federal Reserve (Fed) delivered a hawkish hold. The Fed removed inflation language, an indication of a pivot towards maintaining rates unchanged. The XAU/USD trades volatile within the $2,750 - $2,740 range as Fed Chair Jerome Powell crossed the wires. Powell's first question was about having been contacted by US President Donald Trump. He answered he had not spoken with Trump and firmly stated that he wouldn't comment on Trump's policies or politics. In addition, Powell said that monetary policy is "less restrictive than it had been," adding that the Fed...
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...