Fed Officials Wrestle with Appropriate Policy Path amid Data Fog
By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – As they move closer to their penultimate monetary policy meeting of the year later this month, Federal Reserve policymakers continue to give mixed signals on the path of interest rates. While there have been overt calls for additional rate cuts, and while some officials have indicated an openness to […]
Japan Weekahead: New Ruling Party Leader Takaichi to Set Policy Agenda, Seek Close Contact Between Government and Central Bank
— Bank of Japan Releases Quarterly Regional Economic Report, Survey on Consumer Sentiment, Inflation Outlook By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Here are the key Japanese economic and political events for the coming week. Now that the ruling conservative Liberal Democratic Party has elected its new leader, Sanae Takaichi, the focus is on what economic and […]
‘It’s Not a Good Trajectory’ ISM’s Chief Says of Services Economy as Tariffs on Goods Spills Over
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The September Institute of Supply Management report on the momentum of the services economy – showing some slippage in the index to 50 – is part of a slowdown three years in the making, now burdened with spillovers from goods tariffs, the purchasing managers survey chief said Friday. The latest reading of […]
US Sept Manufacturing ISM Weaker Overall as Tariff and Pricing Uncertainty Combines with Supply Chain Disruptions, Fewer Foreign Customers
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The Institute of Supply Management September reading of U.S. manufacturing showed overall momentum slowing though the index improved slightly to a still contractionary 49.1 and the report’s organizer warned that the weakening could be a leading indicator. “The panelists are clearly saying that their customers are just not ordering,” said Susan Spence […]
NY Fed’s Williams: FOMC Has ‘Balancing Act’ Between Inflation, Employment
– Monetary Policy Still Restrictive; To Make Meeting-by-Meeting Judgment on Risks – Employment Risks Up; Inflation Pressure Lessening; Tariffs Not As Bad As Feared – Other Fed Officials More Hesitant To Cut Funds Rate Furthermore By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – After cutting interest rates mid-month to guard against “undue” weakness in the labor market […]
Japan Keeps Economic Recovery Outlook as US Trade Deal, Easing Inflation Lift Mood but Export Volumes, Manufacturer Profits Sink on US Auto Tariffs
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan is keeping its modest economic recovery scenario as a trade deal with Washington and easing inflation have perked up confidence but U.S. import duties, still much higher than pre-Trump norms, have triggered export volumes to slump in August and manufacturer profits to dip in the April-June quarter. In […]
Japan Weekahead: Ruling Party to Elect New Leader to Replace Outgoing PM Ishiba; BOJ Tankan Survey to Show Slight Pickup in Sentiment
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Here are the key Japanese political and economic events for the coming week. The BOJ Tankan survey for the September quarter, due on Wednesday, is expected to show a slight pickup in business sentiment and solid capital investment plans but the move among Japanese carmakers to export their vehicles at […]
Report: Japan, U.S. Mull Possible Trump Visit to Tokyo in Late October
By Chikafumi Hodo TOKYO (MaceNews) – Japan and the United States are in talks over a possible visit by President Donald Trump to Tokyo in October, ahead of his planned trip to South Korea for an international summit, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported. The visit would mark the first in-person meeting between Trump and the […]
Japan Weekahead: September Tokyo CPI Seen Stable Under 3% after Bank of Japan Kept Policy Rate but Decided to Start Slow Process of Selling Off Assets
— Candidates for Ruling Party Leader, Thus Prime Minister, to Debate Campaign Platforms By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Here are the key Japanese political and economic events for the coming week. Ahead of the Oct. 4 election of the leader of the ruling conservative Liberal Democratic Party, and thus the prime minister, candidates will be […]
TRANSCRIPT: Fed’s Powell Says Quarter-Point Cut ‘Risk Management’ Rather Than Reaction to Actual Jobs Deterioriation
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is a transcript of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s post-FOMC news conference Wednesday: Recent indicators suggest that growth of economic activity has moderated. GEP rose at a pace of around one and a half percent in the first half of the year, down from 2.5 percent last year. The moderation […]