ECB’S Lagarde Downplays Prospect of Early Eurozone Rate Hike Despite Rising Inflation

— HICP expected to top 3% in December LONDON (MaceNews) – Eurozone interest rates are likely to remain at record lows for the foreseeable future, with the recent rise inflation seen as temporary, according to European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde. “The key challenge is to ensure that we do not overreact to transitory supply shocks,” […]

Japan Aug Core CPI Flat Y/Y After Year-Long Drop; Energy Pickup Slows

— Total CPI Marks 11th Straight Y/Y Drop As Fresh Vegetable Prices Slump — Downward Pressure From Low Cost Mobile Phone Plans Intensifies By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Higher costs for energy and processed food continued easing the downward pressure on Japan’s core consumer prices, which was flat on year in August after a year-long […]

MaceNewsViews – Commentary: Nihilism’s Dream – The US Defaults

By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – Those knowing think pieces and Op-Eds by veteran graybeards, scoffing at the super-hyped headlines about the dangers of a pending debt-limit impasse, should be reassuring. They’ve seen it all before, the six dozen or more times Congress allows the nation’s Treasury to start borrowing again, often at the last […]

FOMC: Tapering ‘May Soon Be Warranted’ If Progress Continues

Half of FOMC Participants Now See Funds Rate Hike By End 2022 Powell Says FOMC Could Announce Bond Buying Cuts At Nov. 2-3 Meeting Powell Says Inflation Test More Than Met; Employment Goal ‘All But Met’ By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – The Federal Reserve took another incremental but very significant step toward making monetary […]

FOMC Policy Statement: Tapering ‘May Soon be Warranted’

WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The Federal Open Market Committee Wednesday put off any declarations on when it might begin the tapering process other than saying “it may soon be warranted.” Inflation? It’s still largely transitory.. The text of the statement follows: The Federal Reserve is committed to using its full range of tools to support the […]

Commentary: Ignoring the US Housing Timebomb

WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The latest trove of housing data Wednesday collected by the National Association of Realtors provided more definition to America’s bifurcated housing market, one in which the haves get what they want, expensive houses that are available for sharply escalating prices, and the have nots, the younger generations buying their first home, who […]

BOJ Keeps Easing Stance, Sees Resilient Japan Economic Pickup Amid Pandemic

By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The Bank of Japan said Wednesday it is maintaining its stimulative policy, as expected, to support a gradual recovery from the pandemic-caused slump and continue its eight-year-old campaign to guide low inflation toward stable 2%. The central bank largely left its view on Japan’s resilient economic pickup amid the pandemic […]