Chair of the Federal Reserve Janet Yellen says rates will rise this year if economy remains on track causing dollar to jump July 29, 2015 The Federal Reserve has reiterated that it is on course to raise interest rates in 2015, as Chair of the Federal Reserve described the US economy’s prospects as “favourable”. Hiring has pushed the country towards maximum employment, while factors that have been holding back inflation were likely to diminish, Yellen indicated in a prepared statement [...]
Proposals to put the Fed on autopilot are a rules-based recipe for disaster July 28, 2015 Would you be happy if the cabin crew announced that the plane you were about to take off in had no pilot, and was going to be flown solely on autopilot? My guess is no. Even though flying is a fairly routine and mechanical process, you still need the peace of mind that a human [...]
Central bankers scent interest rate hikes: Federal Reserve prepares for rise with UK expected to follow later July 15, 2015 An unprecedented era of easy money, seen on both sides of the Atlantic since 2008, could be over by the end of the year, with the Federal Reserve preparing to hike rates and some analysts expecting the UK to follow suit in subsequent months. “If the economy evolves as we expect, economic conditions likely [...]
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen says US interest rates should rise in 2015 July 11, 2015 Janet Yellen has reiterated the case for raising interest rates later this year, saying the US economy recovery has solid underpinnings and is expected to strengthen in coming years. In a speech, Yellen said the labour market in America had not yet fully recovered and progress in lifting inflation to the 2 per cent target [...]
June 2015 FOMC Minutes: The Fed is worried about Greece July 8, 2015 Minutes from the Federal Reserve's June meeting show officials want to see further evidence the economy is picking up before they hike rates, and are concerned about the Greek debt crisis. The minutes from its meeting June 16-17 show officials have been pleased by positive economic developments such as strong consumer spending and signs wages [...]
Nasdaq rises to record high on Fed interest rate hint June 18, 2015 The Nasdaq closed at a record high on Thursday, rising 68 points to 5,132.95. Read more: Nasdaq hits a record high as US stocks rise The 1.3 per cent rise was triggered by encouraging economic data released by the Federal Reserve yesterday which indicated interest rates could be raised for the first time since 2008 later [...]
Fed fuels interest rate hike on “moderate” growth in US economy June 17, 2015 The Federal Reserve has kept interest rates unchanged at a historic low of 0 to 0.25 per cent, but offered hope of an increase in short-term interest rates with positive statements about the US economy. Read more: Why it’s not time to dump US equities – a Fed interest rate hike won’t drag down stocks The [...]
Why it’s not time to dump US equities: A Fed interest rate hike won’t drag down stocks June 16, 2015 For US equity investors, it’s all eyes on the Fed until we see the first lift-off in interest rates in September or potentially December this year. We’ve got beyond the patch of weak economic data earlier in 2015 and are returning to stronger growth, as signalled by healthy labour market data in recent months. Ironically, [...]
Bitcoin spikes above $240 on Fed interest rate fears June 16, 2015 Bitcoin has spiked against the dollar, broaching the $240 mark for the first time this month. Read more: How to really make money from Bitcoin The cryptocurrency reversed sharp falls from earlier this month to jump as high as $241.09 today, as investors awaited a policy update from the US Federal Reserve which is expected [...]
Global turbulence to rock UK: Trouble in the Eurozone, Fed rate hikes and a Chinese slowdown could hit markets June 8, 2015 Yesterday, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) revised its UK economic growth forecasts to 2.4 per cent and 2.5 per cent for 2015 and 2016 respectively, down from 2.7 per cent and 2.6 per cent. It wasn’t troubles at home that concerned the business organisation. The CBI cited economic instability in Greece, a sluggish Eurozone, [...]