Fed Officials Signal No Rush to Reduce Federal Funds Rate Further in Near-Term
By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – With President Trump escalating efforts to get the Federal Reserve to slash interest rates, Fed officials have given very few indications this week that they will be ready to oblige when they meet later this month. While some officials have indicated a willingness to cut the key federal funds […]
TEXT: Fed Chair Powell’s statement issued Sunday evening in reaction to extraordinary grand jury subpoenas
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is a statement issued Sunday evening by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell in response to extraordinary grand jury subpoenas issued by the Justice Department: Good evening. On Friday, the Department of Justice served the Federal Reserve with grand jury subpoenas, threatening a criminal indictment related to my testimony before the […]
Still Divided Fed Officials Leave Near- term Interest Rate Cuts in Doubt
By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – As the new year commenced, Federal Reserve officials have neither foreclosed the possibility of further interest rate reductions, nor encouraged hopes for them. With the economy just beginning to come out of a fog of uncertainty induced by the data blackout accompanying last Fall’s government shutdown, few are prepared […]
Japan Govt Sticks to Modest Recovery Outlook as Exports Weather Trump Tariff Storms; BOJ Hikes Rates on Easing Trade Uncertainties, Vows to Raise More
–BOJ Governor Ueda: Policy Rate at 0.75% After Latest 25-Bp Hike Still ‘Slightly Below’ Estimated Neutral Rate By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese government policymakers are holding on to their conviction that the economy will stay on a modest recovery track as the latest trade data showed a rebound in exports to the key U.S. […]
Fed Officials Remain Divided on Future Rate Path After Dec. 10 Rate Cut
– Miran, Waller Want More Rate Cuts; Williams, Others Equivocal If Not Hostile By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – As the year drew toward a close following a third interest rate cut, Federal Reserve policymakers continued to display disunity on the rate path ahead, as officials put different weights on the Fed’s “price stability” and […]
BofA Global Research Fund Manager Survey: Investor Optimism High in December on ‘Run-it-Hot’ Macro and Policy Expectations
–Macro-optimism Highest Since August 2021 –Expectation For Higher Bond Yields Highest Since April 2022 by Vicki Schmelzer NEW YORK (MaceNews) – Global investor optimism was high in December, driven by “’run-it-hot’ macro and policy expectations,” according to the latest BoA Global Fund Managers survey, released Tuesday. This month, a net 18% of those polled looked […]
Bank of Japan Survey: Majority of Firms Plan to Keep Current High Pace of Wage Hikes in Fiscal 2026
–Combined with Improving Business Confidence in Tankan, Wages Survey Points to BOJ Rate Hike This Week By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Three days before its policy-setting meeting, the Bank of Japan on Monday released the results of a quick survey that showed a majority of companies plan to maintain the existing relatively high pace of […]
Update: Japan Week Ahead: Bank of Japan Set to Hike Rates amid Easing Uncertainty over Trade Rows, Focus on Governor Ueda Remarks on Estimated Neutral Rate
–Adds Context to Economy Watchers Survey in Paragraphs 15-17 (MaceNews) – Here are the key Japanese economic events for the coming week, with the market focus on what the governor of the Bank of Japan will say about a widely expected interest rate hike and how much more the bank should lift the overnight rate […]
Fed Officials Give Cautious but Conflicting Views on Road Ahead For Monetary Policy
By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – Two Federal Reserve Bank presidents who had opposed the Fed’s mid-week interest rate cut, strongly defended their no votes on Friday while two other Fed presidents who will be voting on monetary policy next year gave conflicting indications on whether they will support moving rates lower. Broadly speaking, the […]
FOMC Cuts Funds Rate 25 BP, Projects Single 25 BP Cut By End Of 2026
– Powell Signals Pause, Saying FOMC Can Now ‘Wait and See’ How Economy Evolves – Powell: After 175 BP of Easing, Funds Rate in ‘Plausible’ Range of ‘Neutral’ – FOMC Declares Reserves ‘Ample’; to Start Buying Shorter Term Treasuires By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – At their final monetary policy meeting of 2025 Wednesday, a […]