STATUS CHECK COMMENTARY – COMING UP, CATHARSIS, HEALING?

WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is Friday’s status check of developments in the U.S. that can influence economic, health and political outcomes. ·        Saturday makes it three days. Three days until catharsis, healing and finally a truce in the culture wars. You could see it on Fox News, where Sean Hannity was mellowing, praising candidate […]

ECB TEES UP DECEMBER EASING; LEAVES POLICY ON HOLD AT LATEST MEETING

–Lagarde Leaves Door Open to Earlier Eemergency Meeting If Needed –‘Very Attentive to Exchange Rates’ By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – The European Central Bank Thursday pledged to “recalibrate” its monetary policy by the end of the year, but left the door open to an emergency consultation of its rate-setting body should the economic picture […]

FOMC APT TO STAND PAT FOR NOW, BUT FUTURE FISSURES EMERGING

By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – The Federal Reserve is about to hold its second Federal Open Market Committee meeting under its new monetary policy framework amid strange and rapidly changing circumstances. No policy change is likely on Nov. 5. In other words, the FOMC will almost certainly leave the federal funds rate in the […]

ECB LEAVES POLICY UNCHANGED; SUGGESTS DECEMBER EASING

By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – The European Central Bank made no changes to its monetary policy at its rate-setting meeting on Thursday, but suggested that a package of easing measures could come before year end. Unusually, the Governing Council’s opened its press release by acknowledging the perilous state of the eurozone economy: “In the […]

EURO-AREA ECONOMIC SENTIMENT STAGNATED IN OCTOBER

By Marco Babic ZURICH (MaceNews) – The recovery in economic sentiment for the euro-area economies which had been improving steadily since May stalled in October, according to the latest report Thursday from the European Commission. The Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) for countries sharing the euro was 90.9 in October, matching the level recorded in September, […]

BOE’S RAMSDEN: UK DOESN’T NEED NEGATIVE RATES RIGHT NOW

—Hints Sub-Zero Rates Could Be Most Effective During Recovery By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – The UK economy does not require sub-zero interest rates at present, according to a top central banker Wednesday, who added the negative borrowing rates have been most effective in other jurisdictions once a recovery is underway. “The time” for negative […]

ECB HINTS AT REFINEMENT OF ‘PRICE STABILITY’ GOAL IN STRATEGY REVIEW

By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – The European Central Bank could refine its approach to achieving price stability during its delayed strategy review, assessing its inflation target and the components of the inflation basket, according to top rate setters Wednesday.  The ECB has resumed a strategy review halted by the COVID pandemic, an evaluation that […]

FED’S CLARIDA: ‘LIFTOFF’ TO RATE CHANGES GOVERNED BY ECONOMY

–Election Day Pressure Builds on Senate to Get Pandemic Relief Passed –Tsy’s Mnuchin in Abu Dhabi But Has Call Skedded with Speaker Pelosi WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – Federal Reserve Vice Chair Richard Clarida Monday emphasized that the central bank will be watching the economy through a wide variety of indicators and won’t be considering any change […]

VICE CHAIR CLARIDA KEEPS FED POINTED TOWARD LONG-TERM MONETARY EASE

By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – Top Federal Reserve policy-makers continue to strongly signal their long-range intention to maintain an ultra-easy monetary policy, even as they acknowledge that the economy is recovering faster than they expected from the Covid shutdown induced recession. The Fed’s commitment to a highly accommodative policy is not completely open-ended, but  […]

BOE’S BAILEY DISCUSSES NEGATIVE RATE CRITERIA; STRESSES ‘WE’RE NOT THERE’ YET

By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – The UK’s top rate setter suggested that negative interest rates may be more effective once an economy begins to recover, but repeated that the Bank of England is not considering an imminent rate cut.  “We’re not there at the moment,” said BoE Governor Andrew Bailey Tuesday, addressing the House […]