Fed policymaker Dennis Lockhart says US interest rates should be raised this year August 24, 2015 A senior Fed policymaker has called for US interest rates to be raised this year, despite the panic that has hit global markets over China's economy. Read more: Black Monday 2015: US stocks battered in biggest fall since 2011 Dennis Lockhart, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, said in a speech today [...]
China stocks recover after second day of falls as markets nervously await Fed minutes August 19, 2015 Stocks in China finished today's session up, despite falls in early trading. That followed big losses on Tuesday. The Shenzhen Composite finished 2.19 per cent higher, at 2,222.05 points, while the Shanghai Composite rose 1.23 per cent to 3,794.11 points – having dipped as low as 5.3 per cent and 6.1 per cent respectively during the [...]
Why the Bank of England should follow the Fed and raise interest rates this year July 30, 2015 GDP figures out earlier this week confirmed that the UK economy is growing well. In five of the past six quarters, UK GDP has risen by 0.7 per cent or more. The annualised growth rate over this period has been 3 per cent. The services sector has been the main engine of growth. Retail, distribution [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
US interest rate rises: Investors fear blue chip equity sell-off June 29, 2015 Blue chip equities may be set for a sell-off if the US Federal Reserve raises interest rates this autumn, investment managers are predicting. Base rates in the US have been held at a historic low of 0.25 per cent since December 2008. One consequence of this long period of near-zero rates is that some parts [...]
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, [...]
US jobs growth bolsters chance of Fed rate hike June 5, 2015 US JOB growth accelerated sharply in May and wages picked up, signs of momentum in the economy that bolster prospects for an interest rate hike in September. Nonfarm payrolls increased 280,000 last month, the largest gain since December, the Labor Department said yesterday. While the unemployment rate rose to 5.5 per cent from a near [...]
US interest rate hike: Are emerging markets in for a bumpy ride? May 25, 2015 Developing economies are better prepared to withstand higher US interest rates. A slowdown in global trade and investment growth, as well as a fall in commodity prices are dominating the outlook for emerging economies. Major central banks – notably China, India, Indonesia and Turkey – have focused on cutting interest rates to shore up [...]
European markets rise on Fed rate hike caution March 30, 2015 European markets started the day higher, after comments made by US Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen hinted at "gradual" rate rises, reassuring investors. The FTSE 100 opened 0.6 per cent up, while Germany's Dax jumped 1.23 per cent and France's Cac 40 rose one per cent. Investors have showed caution in recent weeks after a [...]