With Australia’s central bank the latest to cut interest rates, is the global recovery at risk? May 5, 2015 Steven Feng, a research fellow at Griffith University Asia Institute, says Yes The global economy risks slipping into a deflationary trap. The US recovery is built on shaky ground, the Eurozone faces an imminent threat to its integrity, hopes for supply-side reform in Japan have faded, and China is in de facto deflation. Emerging economies [...]
City brushes off General Election jitters: Markets too pumped up with cheap money for investor fretting April 29, 2015 Fears that London markets could be rocked by the outcome of next week’s General Election have been overstated, analysts said yesterday, arguing that shares will continue to be propped up by global monetary stimulus. Despite an apparent ideological gap between the Tories and Labour, and extremely tight opinion polls, UBS analysts do not expect market [...]
Bernanke becomes bond giant Pimco’s latest major signing April 29, 2015 BEN BERNANKE the former chairman of the US Federal Reserve, has joined bond giant Pimco as a senior advisor to the firm. The news comes after he announced last week that he would be advising hedge fund Citadel. He also works full-time for the Brookings Institute. In an interview Bernanke said that he would not be [...]
Investor caution leads FTSE to a three-week low – London Report April 29, 2015 BRITAIN’S top share index slipped to a three-week low yesterday as a slowing US economy and caution before the end of a Federal Reserve policy meeting led some investors to take profits from recent highs. The US reported its economy grew in the first quarter at just a 0.2 per cent annual rate, well below [...]
US stocks fell on Fed news and weak data – New York Report April 29, 2015 US STOCKS ended lower yesterday as the Federal Reserve cited weakness in the US economy and data showed growth slowed more sharply than expected in the first quarter. But the Fed’s acknowledgement of weakness in some sectors of the economy makes it more likely it will not be ready to raise until at least September, [...]
Federal Reserve keeps interest rates near zero but hints at hike in the near future April 29, 2015 Following its two-day policy meeting, the Federal Reserve has confirmed it is keeping its target interest rate at close to zero per cent, but says it will raise it soon if the US economy continues to grow. Since the 2008 financial crisis, the US central bank has kept its rates at a record low in [...]
Pimco just hired former Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke as its adviser April 29, 2015 Pimco has appointed former US Fed chief Ben Bernanke – the second consulting job Bernanke has taken in the past couple of weeks. Bernanke will "contribute his economic expertise and insights to the firm's investment process and periodically engage Pimco's clients", the investment manager said today. Pimco chief executive Douglas Hodge said Pimco said Bernanke's [...]
Gold price rises yet again as investors expect little change in Fed statament April 28, 2015 The price of gold went up for the second day in a row today, rising 0.9 per cent to $1,212.62 an ounce. This is slightly less than yesterday, when the precious metal went up by two per cent in value. The gains reflect a belief among investors that the US Federal Reserve will take [...]
Ben Bernanke is back and this time he’s blogging about robots April 28, 2015 Former US Fed chairman Ben Bernanke is back with another blog post on the Brookings Institution's website, the think tank for which he is a full-time fellow. "I don't think we'll be replacing the FOMC with robots anytime soon," he wrote. "I certainly hope not".
What the General Election could mean for sterling – DailyFX Tips & Picks April 27, 2015 THERE are many ways the UK General Election could affect the financial markets. But since most FTSE 100 companies have an international exposure, most agree that the effect will primarily be felt by small cap businesses. Unless we get a Tory coalition with Ukip, that is. This could lead to an EU referendum and a [...]