Hoping to avert an outcome that would rattle the global economy and prove to be a boon to Beijing, Biden opened his third day in Japan at the annual Group of Seven meeting of the world’s most powerful democracies with a briefing from his staff on the latest fits and starts in talks over how … Read more
The Fed will finally cut interest rates in the fall, former PIMCO economist Paul McCulley predicted. That’s because banking turmoil will put credit in a “tight vise,” slowing the economy, he warned. Economists have flagged the risk of recession over the past year as the Fed aggressively hiked rates. Despite what Jerome Powell and the … Read more
“Boring” money markets funds are in style with short-term bond yields up, said SoFi’s Liz Young. Yields are in the 5% range as investors see the Fed potentially driving up its key rate higher. Young said if the Fed were to swing back to rate cuts, watch out for falling yields. A year after the … Read more
US inflation has steadily cooled since mid-2022, thanks to large interest-rate increases by the Federal Reserve. However, a four-month drop in the dollar is threatening to derail that trend by raising the cost of imported goods. The dollar index has fallen by more than 11% from a peak reached in late September. US consumers are … Read more
Goldman Sachs is relatively optimistic in 2023, saying there’s only a 1/3 chance of a US recession. That’s high enough that the firm is telling investors to be prepared for ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ landings. US Stock Chief David Kostin and his team put together portfolios designed for either scenario. Goldman Sachs seems like a beacon … Read more
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen informed congressional leaders including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy that her department had begun using extraordinary cash management measures that could stave off default until June 5. Republicans, with a newly won House majority, aim to use the time until the Treasury’s emergency maneuvers are exhausted to exact spending cuts from Biden … Read more
Malick Diop felt something shifting on Wall Street. He’d joined Morgan Stanley in the grim days of 2009, when big banks were trying to pay back taxpayer bailouts and deflect public fury. But four years later, the ire was fading and ambition was the order of the day. “It really felt like, for the first … Read more
US home sales are extending declines as Federal Reserve tightening boosts mortgage rates. That has helped tame inflation, which is now retreating from four-decade highs. But a housing market slowdown also increases the risk of a recession. Housing could be about to become a key policy puzzle for the Federal Reserve. Market activity has fallen … Read more
In the past few weeks, a number of high-profile US tech companies have announced layoffs. Meta is laying off 11,000 workers and Amazon 10,000. The ongoing purge at Twitter could see its employee base of 7,500 shrink by about 75%. About 42,000 workers in US tech companies lost their jobs in November alone, according to … Read more