IFO: GERMAN BUSINESS CONFIDENCE DECLINES IN JANUARY ON CORONA
By Marco Babic ZURICH (MaceNews) – German business conditions started the year off on a negative note as the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic pushed both current conditions and business expectations lower, the Munich-based Ifo Institute said in a report Monday. Ifo’s Business Climate Index for January fell to 90.1 in January from a […]
DATA PREVIEW: 4Q GDP, IMF’S WEO, FOMC, DURABLE GOODS
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The upcoming week is packed with economic data, including the fourth quarter GDP, as well as a Federal Open Market Committee policy update and Chair Jay Powell’s news conference, and an update to the IMF’s World Economic Outlook. The GDP report is Thursday. The various GDPNow estimates don’t agree, with the New […]
JAPAN GOVT SEES CONTINUED ECONOMIC PICKUP AMID MIXED DATA, UPGRADES VIEW ON CHINA
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s government Friday stuck to its recent assessment that the domestic economy is showing signs of a pickup from the pandemic-caused slump, pointing to a mixed bag of data – more cautious consumer spending against brighter spots in business investment and housing construction, according to its monthly report released by […]
FOMC TO STAND PAT IN SEEKING MORE INFLATION, EMPLOYMENT
–Fed Officials Agree in Principle; Only Time Will Tell On Implementation By Steve Beckner (MaceNews) – Important questions but only tentative answers abound as the Federal Reserve approaches its first monetary policy meeting of the new year in a mood to await further economic, financial and, yes, public health developments before changing its policy settings. […]
ECB SITS ON ITS HANDS. SAYS DECEMBER FORECASTS HOLD DESPITE LOCKDOWN
By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – The European Central Bank left all policy instruments on hold at its latest rate-setting meeting, stressing the ECB’s most recent economic projections envisioned the risk of the strong Covid containment measures currently in place through much of Europe. Forecasts published in December “were predicated on lockdowns lasting through”the first […]
BOJ KEEPS EASING POLICY STANCE AMID PANDEMIC, SLIGHTLY MORE UPBEAT ON FY21, 22 GROWTH
–Central Bank Still Sees Under 1% Inflation in 2 Years, Well Below 2% Target By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The Bank of Japan has maintained its policy stance, as expected, after extending the period of special easing tools last month amid growing downside risks, while continuing to forecast that the domestic economy will recover part […]
JAPAN DEC EXPORTS POST 1ST RISE IN OVER 2 YEARS AMID UNCERTAIN OUTLOOK
By Mas Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese exports recorded the first year-on-year gain in just over two years, as largely expected, thanks to a recent gradual pickup in global demand, but the outlook for one of the key growth drivers for slow domestic recovery remains uncertain amid a surge in new coronavirus cases in many parts […]
TRANSCRIPT: PRESIDENT BIDEN’S INAUGURAL ADDRESS
–‘Democracy is Fragile. And at This Hour, My Friends: Democracy Has Prevailed’ WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – President Joe Biden Wednesday pledged, “My whole soul is in it,” as he delivered an Inaugural Address which heavily stressed the need for unity for the nation to meet the current challenges, from a still rampaging virus to internal divisions […]
BoA GLOBAL FUND MANAGER SURVEY: INVESTORS SEE STRONGER GROWTH IN 2021 AS WORLD RECOVERS FROM VIRUS
–Investors Eye Higher Stock Prices, Steeper Yield Curve, Rising Inflation by Vicki Schmelzer NEW YORK (MaceNews) – Global investors at the start of 2021 anticipated stronger growth in the months ahead as the world recovers from COVID-19, according to the findings of BofA Global Research’s monthly fund manager survey, released Wednesday. In line with […]
ITALY’S CONTE WINS SENATE VOTE BUT LACKS STABLE MAJORITY TO PURSUE GOVT AGENDA
By Silvia Marchetti ROME (MaceNews) – Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte Tuesday has won a key Senate confidence vote but with only a “relative majority” that hampers the government from fully ruling and efficiently pursuing its agenda. The final vote result was 156 yes and 140 no votes. The political crisis, triggered when the minor […]