Markets are kicking around the idea of a Federal Reserve rate cut in September, but Morgan Stanley isn't sure, warning that the odds may be closer to 50-50 despite widespread expectations. Strong economic indicators including solid GDP growth, healthy financial conditions, and low volatility stand in the way of a clear case for easing, the bank said in a recent report. Nominal GDP growth remains robust at over 5%, unemployment holds steady at 4.2%, and retail sales continue surpassing expectations, reflecting an economy far from needing stimulus, Morgan Stanley's economists said. "It cannot...
Oil extended declines as a soft outlook for demand in China, the world's largest crude importer, continued to plague the market. West Texas Intermediate retreated 3.3% to settle near $68 a barrel, while Brent settled below $72. Data over the weekend showed anemic Chinese consumer inflation in October and another decline in factory-gate prices. The dollar climbed further, making commodities priced in the currency less appealing. The retreat in crude prices comes alongside weakness in key market indicators. The nearest WTI futures contract traded at its...
Gold fell to a near two-month low on Monday as the dollar continued to rally following Donald Trump's win in the U.S. presidential election. Gold for December delivery was last seen down US$74.90 to US$2,619.00 per ounce, the lowest since Sept.19. The drop comes as the dollar rose to the highest since July, with the ICE dollar index last seen up 0.58 points to 105.58. The currency's rally began after Trump defeated Vice-President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 election and comes despite a second cut to U.S. interest rates on Thursday by the Federal Reserve. "An eventful week that saw...
Gold fell to the lowest in a month as traders booked profits after a volatile week that saw prices whipsaw in the wake of Donald Trump's presidential election win and a Federal Reserve interest-rate cut. Bullion slumped by as much as 2.6% to $2,614.14 an ounce on Monday, the lowest intraday level since Oct. 10. That followed last week's 1.9% drop after Trump's victory spurred rallies in equity markets and the greenback. Strength in the S&P 500 Index and the US dollar "is frequently associated with a negative gold response as the USD is seen as moving higher for ‘good'...
Gold dropped on Monday, after a volatile week which saw prices whipsaw as the dollar surged in the wake of Donald Trump's election win a day before the Federal Reserve cut interest rates. Bullion traded near $2,665 an ounce after falling almost 2% last week. The precious metal received support from US central bank easing, but was buffeted as investors weighed the likely impact of the tax cuts, trade tariffs and looser regulations that Trump is pledging. While gold may benefit from demand as a hedge against inflationary pressures resulting from those policies, Wall Street economists...
Oil prices extended declines on Monday as the threat of a supply disruption from a U.S. storm eased and after China's stimulus plan disappointed investors seeking fuel demand growth in the world's No. 2 oil consumer.Brent crude futures dropped 19 cents, or 0.3%, to $73.68 a barrel by 0104 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were at $70.13 a barrel, down 25 cents, or 0.4%. Both benchmarks fell more than 2% last Friday. Beijing's stimulus package announced at the National People's Congress (NPC) standing committee meeting on Friday fell short of market expectations, IG...
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...