FOMC Hikes Funds Rate 25 BP For First Time In 3 Years To 3.75-4.0% Range
– Warsh: Strong Economy, High Inflation Made FOMC ‘Remove Dose of Accommodation’ – Warsh: Rate Hike Should Ensure ‘Timelier Return’ to Fed’s 2% Inflation Target – Warsh Refuses to ‘Prejudge’ Future FOMC Actions; No ‘Forward Guidance’ – FOMC Participants Project Funds Rate At 4.1% end ‘26; 4.1% end ‘27; 3.9% End ‘28 – PCE Inflation […]
FOMC: Raises Fed Funds Rate By Quarter Point As Expected; Dots Suggest One More Rate Hike
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is the extremely brief policy statement by the Federal Open Market Committee Wednesday afternoon: The Federal Open Market Committee approved the following statement for release by a 12 – 0 vote: The Committee decided to raise the target range for the federal funds rate by 1/4 percentage pointto 3-3/4to 4 […]
Japan Week Ahead: BOJ Set to Raise Policy Rate to 1.25% from 1% at Sept. 17-18 Meeting, Markets Eye Another Hike in December or January
–August Exports to Continue Showing Resilience, July Machinery Orders to Dip After Sharp Rebound, August CPI Seen Steady to Slightly Up around BOJ’s 2% Target By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Official comments and economic data suggest that it is both necessary and safe to accelerate the pace of the Bank of Japan’s normalization rate hikes, […]
Japan Week Ahead: BOJ Governor Ueda Repeats Board Will Have Serious Debate on Need for Follow-Up Rate Hike This Month
–Q2 GDP to Be Revised Up Slightly, August Producer Inflation to Show Elevated Costs By Max Sato (MaceNews) – About two weeks before the Bank of Japan’s next policy meeting on Sept. 17-18, Governor Kazuo Ueda sent out a cautious but suggestive message to the markets that he and his colleagues will have a serious […]
Fed Officials Willing to Raise Rates, But Only If Convinced Inflation Not Receding
– Key Inflation, Other Data Eagerly Awaited Before Some Make Up Their Minds By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – With barely two weeks to go before Federal Reserve policymakers gather to take fresh stock of the economy and reconsider their short-term interest rate settings, Fed officials are letting it be known they are willing to […]
Fed’s Warsh Issues Strong Warnings About Inflation at Fed’s Jackson Hole Symposium
– Warns Expectations Could Become Unanchored if Inflation Stays Elevated – Reaffirms that the Fed’s Job Is To ‘Deliver Stable Prices’ – Sees Labor Markets, Economy Performing Strongly Without Financial Restraint – Says Inflation ‘Has Not Meaningfully improved’ – Again Rejects ‘Forward Guidance’ Or Revealing Fed ‘Reaction Function’ By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – Although […]
Japan Week Ahead: July Data to Show Mixed Start to Q3 after BOJ Deputy Governor Himino Downplays Weak Q2 GDP Growth, Keeps September Rate Hike Talk Alive
–July Factory Output to Show Pullback After Recent Gains, Heat Wave Props Up Retail Sales, Sluggish Household Spending Continues amid High Costs By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Financial markets have largely priced in a follow-up interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan in September, with only a three-month interval instead of an earlier expectation […]
Fed’s Collins: ‘Appropriate to Tighten Policy Soon’ If Inflation Doesn’t Recede
By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – Boston Federal Reserve Bank President Susan Collins is willing to support an increase in short-term interest rates if forthcoming reports on inflation don’t show it coming down as she hopes, comments released by the bank Tuesday reveal. Without evidence of moderating inflation, she believes “it will be appropriate to […]
Japan Week Ahead: Markets Seek Hints from BOJ Deputy Governor Himino’s Speech on Board Concerns About Upside Inflation Risks amid Weak Q2 GDP Growth
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Market participants are looking for any clues to whether the Bank of Japan board is getting closer to raising interest rates further in September, instead of waiting until October, when the board updates its economic projections and risk analysis in the quarterly Outlook Report. BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda clearly indicated […]
Fed Officials Proceed Cautiously Ahead of September FOMC Meeting, Jackson Hole
By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – Federal Reserve officials generally agree on the need to lower inflation, but they take divergent positions on what path monetary policy needs to take in the near term to achieve that, and on how quickly the Fed needs to take action. There was considerable support for higher interest rates […]