Preview: Bank of Canada Expected to Keep Policy Rate at 5%, Keep Close Watch on Underlying Inflation, Economic Growth
–Governing Council Focus Remains on Inflation Expectations, Wage Growth, Corporate Pricing–Governor Macklem Wants to See Clear Downward Momentum in Underlying Inflation By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The Bank of Canada is widely expected to maintain its policy interest rate — the target for overnight lending rates — at 5.0% on Wednesday for a fifth straight […]
ISM: US Services Sector Expands for 14th Straight Month in February but Main Index Dips on Mixed Employment Picture, Supplier Deliveries
–ISM Services Index at 52.6 Vs. 53.4 in December, Just Above 12-Month Average of 52.4 –ISM’s Nieves: Employment Index Slips but Some Firms Still Trying to Fill Positions –Nieves: Inflation Views Vary; Prices Paid Index Lower but Has Been in Growth Territory for Nearly 7 Years By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Business activity in the […]
Japan February Tokyo Core CPI Annual Rate Picks Up to 2.5% After Easing to 1.8% in January as Base Effect of Utility Subsidies Wanes
–Influx of Asian Visitors During Lunar New Year Holidays Also Boosts Hotel Fees–January Data Revised Up as New Data Collection Method for Overseas Package Tours Applied–Total CPI Annual Rate Accelerates to 2.6% from 1.8%–Core-Core CPI (Ex-Fresh Food, Energy) Y/Y Rise Slows to 3.1% from 3.3% By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Consumer inflation in Tokyo, the […]
Fed’s Logan, Waller Urge Slow, Cautious Approach to Slowing Quantitative Tightening
– Officials Also Continued to Advocate Cautious Approach to Rate Cutting By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – With near unanimity, Federal Reserve officials have taken a cautious, gradual, “risk management” oriented approach to an eventual reduction of short-term interest rates, and Friday some outlined a similar viewpoint on the quantitative side of monetary policy. Neither […]
US February ISM Manufacturing in Contraction for 16th Straight Month on Pullback in New Orders, Production Mainly due to Seasonal Adjustments
–ISM Manufacturing Index 47.8 Vs. 49.1 in January; Median Forecast 49.5–ISM’s Fiore: Index Likely to Rise Above Neutral Line of 50 in March or April–Fiore: Pandemic-era Seasonal Adjustments Causing Volatility in Subindexes By Max Sato (MaceNews) – U.S. manufacturing activity was in contraction territory for the 16th straight month in February, with the key index […]
Japan January Core CPI Annual Rate Decelerates to 22-Month Low of 2.0% on Further Drop in Subsidized Energy Prices, Slower Food Markups, Smaller Hotel Fee Rise
–Total CPI Y/Y Rise Also Slows to 22-Month Low of 2.2% But Above Consensus–Core-Core CPI (Ex-Fresh Food, Energy) Annual Rate Eases to 11-Month Low of 3.5%–Resumed Web Scraping Data Collection Causes Spike in Overseas Package Tour Prices, Leading to Slower-Than-Expected CPI Easing–Services Costs Up 3.2% Y/Y Amid Wage Hikes Vs. Goods Prices +1.9% By Max […]
UPDATE: Fed’s Jefferson, Harker Urge Cautious Approach to Cutting Interest Rates
–Harker Q&A: Does Not See FOMC Cutting Rates as Soon as March, But Maybe in May By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Philip Jefferson said Thursday that the Fed must be “careful” and “nimble” in charting the course of monetary policy in coming months, but gave no hint of when he […]
Fed’s Jefferson, Harker Urge Cautious Approach to Cutting Interest Rates
By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Philip Jefferson said Thursday that the Fed must be “careful” and “nimble” in charting the course of monetary policy in coming months, but gave no hint of when he thinks the Fed’s policymaking Federal Open Market Committee should start cutting short-term interest rates. Jefferson did […]
Fed’s Barr, Goolsbee Weigh Risks of Cutting Rates Too Soon Or Too Late
— Goolsbee Focuses More On Danger Of Waiting To Ease ‘Quite Restrictive’ Stance By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – While not significantly diverging from the cautious approach toward monetary easing which Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has preached over the past two months, two senior Fed officials expressed varying degrees of concern Wednesday about the […]
White House and Other Schedules for Tuesday, Feb 13
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following are Tuesday’s schedules for the White House, Treasury, USTR, the State Department and Capitol Hill as well as U.S. economic data and Federal Reserve events: DAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2024 In the afternoon, the President and the Vice President will have lunch. This meeting in the President’s Private Dining […]