US economy adds 236,000 jobs in March as Fed rate hikes help cool labour market April 7, 2023 The US added 236,000 new jobs in March, the latest sign that the labour market is beginning to cool as the US Federal Reserve (Fed) continues to hike interest rates. The number of new jobs fell below the number added in February and the average monthly gain of 334,000 recorded in the last six months, [...]
Why the Bank of England and Fed could welcome Credit Suisse and Silicon Valley Bank failures March 28, 2023 There’s been reams and reams of wild predictions about whether we’re slipping into another financial crisis, triggered by the collapse of US tech lender Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Credit Suisse’s arranged marriage with its crosstown rival UBS. Blackrock chief Larry Fink even warned in his annual letter to shareholders we’re slipping into a slow [...]
US Federal Reserve presses on with interest rate hike amid banking chaos March 22, 2023 The US Federal Reserve today looked past the ongoing wobbles in the global banking system and hiked interest rates for the ninth time in a row, extending its aggressive fight against inflation. Chair Jerome Powell and the rest of the federal open market committee (FOMC) today bumped the world’s most important interest rate 25 basis [...]
Bank of England and Fed to ignore Credit Suisse chaos and hike interest rates this week March 21, 2023 The Bank of England and US Federal Reserve are this week expected to ignore the on-going financial market chaos which resulted in Credit Suisse being pawned off in a shotgun sale and hike interest rates. City analysts have tipped Fed Chair Jerome Powell and Bank Governor Andrew Bailey to prioritise fighting inflation instead of shielding [...]
European markets to open higher after Credit Suisse drama as investors split on central bank rate hikes March 21, 2023 European markets are set to open higher on Tuesday as investors bet that banking turmoil will put a halt to central banks’ battle to contain inflation The FTSE and Frankfurt’s DAX were called up 0.59 per cent while the CAC in Paris was called up 0.47 per cent. After the drama of the past few [...]
Banking crisis and Fed’s credit line: how does it work and how concerned should we be? March 20, 2023 Central banks around the world announced last night that they were taking steps to improve access to liquidity in the financial system. In a coordinated move reminiscent of Covid in 2020 and the financial crisis in 2008, central banks in the US, the eurozone, Britain, Japan and Canada announced new measures to calm financial markets. [...]
Fed set to hike rates by 25 basis points despite turmoil in US banking sector March 20, 2023 The Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates for the ninth time in a row later this week despite widespread instability in the US banking sector. According to Fedwatch there is a 62 per cent chance that the Fed will opt for a 25 basis point hike and 38 per cent chance that it [...]
Banks, bonds, inflation, recession and energy: Five lessons the markets taught us this week March 17, 2023 The third week of March proved to be a rollercoaster for the world’s investors, with a rout on banks and the spectre of inflation, recession and the growing cost of living making their presence felt. These themes may indeed play on in future, so here are the five lessons we’ve learned from the markets this [...]
Recession off the cards, getting over 50s ‘back to work’, strikes and banks take stock – the five best read stories on City A.M. this week March 17, 2023 It was the week UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt laid out his first Spring Budget, but as pension savers and taxpayers looked on, fears of a recession appeared to fade, although the sagas of banks Silicon Valley Bank, Credit Suisse and on-going strikes raged on; here are the stories readers were flocking to on City A.M. [...]
US inflation tumbles to lowest level since September 2021 but price pressures complicate Fed rate decision March 14, 2023 US inflation has dropped to the lowest level since September 2021, but underlying price pressures are still sticking around, complicating the Federal Reserve’s rate decision next week, official figures out today show. The rate of price growth in the world’s largest economy trimmed to six per cent over the year to February, down from 6.4 [...]