Japan Week Ahead: US Treasury Secretary Bessent Goes to Tokyo on Way to US-China Summit, Meeting PM Takaichi, Others, After Suspected Japan FX Intervention

–Household Spending Seen Sluggish amid Rising Costs, Producer Inflation Accelerating on Mideast Conflict By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Here are the key Japanese events for the coming week. Trading returns to normal after the Golden Week holidays that ended on Wednesday, May 6. Government policymakers have also returned from international meetings and diplomatic visits. The […]

FOMC Cuts Funds Rate 25 BP,  Projects Single 25 BP Cut By End Of 2026

– Powell Signals Pause, Saying FOMC Can Now ‘Wait and See’ How Economy Evolves – Powell: After 175 BP of Easing, Funds Rate in ‘Plausible’ Range of ‘Neutral’ – FOMC Declares Reserves ‘Ample’; to Start Buying Shorter Term Treasuires By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – At their final monetary policy meeting of 2025 Wednesday, a […]

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 […]

FOMC Cuts Fed Funds Rate 25 Basis Points; Further Rate Cuts Projected

– Powell: Increased Downside Labor Risks Motivated FOMC to ‘Move Toward Neutral’ – SEP Projects 3.6% Funds Rate End ‘25; 3.4% End ‘26; 3.1% End ‘27 By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – After holding its interest rate settings steady for nine months, despite growing pressure from President Trump, the Federal Reserve finally lowered them Wednesday, […]

US TARIFFS STATE OF PLAY: New Reciprocal Tariffs Don’t Dispel Uncertainty, Confusion 

–Trump Fires Head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics because of alleged manipulation By Denny Gulino  WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – With new reciprocal levies raising America’s average tariff rate to above 18% and the latest jobs and ISM reports raising stagflation fears, the overall era of uncertainty seems to have intensified, not diminished.  The environment of […]