BOE OFFICIAL MAKES FORCEFUL CASE FOR NEGATIVE UK INTEREST RATES

—Tenreyro Sees Diminishing Benefit of QE as UK Output Contracts Sharply By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – A top Bank of England rate setter forcefully endorsed the case for sub-zero interest rates, raising questions over the continued benefits of quantitative easing with UK output in the midst of another severe contraction. “My overall assessment is […]

STATUS CHECK COMMENTARY: TRUMP HOPES FOR A REBOUND, FACES ANOTHER IMPEACHMENT

WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is Friday night’s status check of developments in the U.S. that can influence economic, health and political outcomes. ·        The bastions of freedom are firmly in place, holding back the forces of Trump, at least temporarily. That’s right, Twitter, Facebook, Google, even Spotify have moved to keep the president off […]

DATA PREVIEW: RETAIL SALES AND INFLATION MEASURES

WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – Economic data in the week ahead includes the December retail sales report, along with the two major inflation measures, the CPI just a week from Inauguration Day and the PPI but market participants are unlikely to pay much attention. The major stock indexes were propelled back into record territory Friday, in part […]

STATUS CHECK COMMENTARY: THE POST-SIEGE SCRAMBLE

WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is Thursday night’s status check of developments in the U.S. that can influence economic, health and political outcomes. ·        The White House scrambled Thursday to soften the accurate perceptions of President Trump’s actions that precipitated the physical attack on Congress as various threats to his remaining few days in office […]

EURO-AREA ECONOMIC SENTIMENT PICKS UP IN DECEMBER

—Germany Sees Sentiment Stagnate By Marco Babic ZURICH (MaceNews) – Economic sentiment in the Euro-area was a positive note, rising in December from the previous month driven by “markedly higher” industrial and consumer confidence, the European Commission said in its latest Business and Consumer Survey report. Economic sentiment picked up 2.7 points in December to […]

ITALY TO SELL MORE USD-DENOMINATED BONDS IN 2021; NEW ‘GREEN’ SECURITIES – SOURCES

By Silvia Marchetti ROME (Mace News) – Italy’s government aims to issue more U.S. dollar-denominated bonds this year alongside new green bonds and retail securities aimed at supporting pandemic measures, according to ruling coalition sources.  The goal is to keep diversifying the investor base through new issuances in foreign currencies both in the Global and […]

JAPAN FACTORY OUTPUT PICKUP PAUSES IN NOV, SHIPMENTS SLIP, AMID PANDEMIC UNCERTAINTY

By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s industrial production marked time in November in its gradual recovery from the pandemic-caused slump after five straight monthly gains, with the level of output staying under year-earlier levels amid uncertainty over global growth, preliminary data released Monday by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry showed. While noting factory […]

JAPAN DEC TOKYO CPI POSTS LARGEST Y/Y DROP IN 10 YEARS

–Sliding Energy Prices, Government-Led Travel Discounts Cited By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Consumer prices in Tokyo, a leading indicator of the national average, took the deepest dive in a decade in December, hit by falling food and energy prices as well as a controversial five-month-old government program to support the pandemic-hit tourism industry with hefty […]