Fed on course to raise rates by the end of 2015 June 17, 2015 THE FEDERAL Reserve has signalled that a rise in short-term interest rates could come as soon as September, as the US economy continues to show signs of improvement. In a statement after a two-day meeting last night, Fed policymakers did not explicitly say when they plan to lift the central bank’s benchmark rate, but with their interest [...]
FTSE pushed down by Greek debt fears and grocery losses – London Report June 17, 2015 BRITAIN’S top share index turned lower by mid-session yesterday as losses in grocers and caution before a Federal Reserve announcement later in the day weighed on the market. The blue-chip FTSE 100 closed 0.4 per cent lower at 6,680.55 points. The FTSE, which fell to its lowest since late January on Tuesday, has lost around [...]
Wall St up after Fed rates talk – New York Report June 17, 2015 US STOCKS ended slightly higher following a choppy session yesterday after the Federal Reserve said the US economy is likely strong enough to withstand an interest rate hike later this year. Even if a majority of Fed officials continue to see higher rates by the end of 2015, they expect rates to rise slightly less [...]
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 [...]
US stocks rise as deals offset talk of default – New York Report June 16, 2015 US STOCKS rose yesterday following back-to-back daily declines, with merger activity more than offsetting market concerns as Greece struggles to avoid a default on its debt. Traders also kept an eye on interest rates as a two-day policy-setting meeting at the Federal Reserve began. Despite the collapse of talks between Athens and its European and [...]
All eyes are on Greece but rebounding inflation is Europe’s next big challenge June 16, 2015 The markets are on edge and, as Mario Draghi conceded several weeks ago, there is not much the European Central Bank (ECB) can really do to help. At the moment, all eyes are on Greece – a statement that could have been written on numerous occasions over the last five years. It’s “déjà vu all [...]
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 [...]
Failure to reach Greek debt deal pulls FTSE down – London Report June 15, 2015 GREECE’S latest failure to reach a deal with its creditors helped to push the FTSE 100 down yesterday, with the blue-chip index closing down 1.1 per cent at 6,710.52. The reduction extended the previous session’s losses of 0.9 per cent, but slightly outperformed major Eurozone indexes. Talks on ending a deadlock between Greece and its [...]
Why Turkey will be the first of the emerging market dominoes to fall June 14, 2015 Like a lion ambling out of the mists of the Serengeti in search of its first meal of the day, first-rate political risk analysts must possess the sixth sense of always looking for the weakest water buffalo. Delving beneath the happy talk and self-serving comments governments invariably put about regarding their countries’ economic prospects, they [...]