UK AGREES TO EUROPEAN UNION BREXIT DEAL
–Few Details But UK Claims Tariff/Quota-free Access for Goods Exports to EU By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – With just a week left to run on the current transitional arrangement, the UK has agreed a trade deal with the European Union that will officially end Britain’s membership of the European Union. The UK left the […]
STATUS CHECK COMMENTARY: A LITTLE MORE CHAOS PLEASE
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is Tuesday’s status check of developments in the U.S. that can influence economic, health and political outcomes. President Trump is truculent, threatened, even some say, delusional. Nearly invisible for nine days, he decided to take the stage again, making news like the good old days. Should news people be delighted? […]
JAPAN GOVT SEES PANDEMIC-CAUSED SOFT SPOTS IN SPENDING, DOWNGRADES VIEW ON EUROPE
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s government Tuesday warned that consumer spending, which accounts for over half of domestic output, is showing soft spots despite its overall improvement from the pandemic-caused slump, according to its monthly report released by the Cabinet Office. While noting increasing export volumes, particularly of automobiles and semiconductor-producing equipment, the government […]
DATA PREVIEW: PERSONAL INCOME, REVISED GDP AND MUCH MORE
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – It’s time for Christmas already, and the holiday and the fact Christmas Eve is now a federal holiday as well has rearranged some of the week’s data reports. Yet with the possible exception of the weekly claims report, now coming Wednesday morning, very little if any of the week’s data is expected […]
GERMANY’S ECONOMIC SENTIMENT IMPROVES DECEMBER DESPITE LOCKDOWN
By Marco Babic ZURICH (MaceNews) – Improved current economic conditions and expectations pushed overall economic sentiment in Germany higher in December, even with increased lockdown measures due to COVID-19. The Ifo Business Climate Friday rose to 92.1 in December from a revised 90.9 (90.7) the previous month, and was well above the median forecast of […]
JAPAN NOV CPI DROP DEEPER ON WEAKER ENERGY, GOVT-FINANCED HOTEL DISCOUNTS EASE AMID COVID SPIKE
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese consumer prices posted a sharper drop in November as energy costs continued falling but a spike in coronavirus cases later in the month appeared to have slowed the use of hefty government-financed discounts on hotel and transport charges, data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication released Friday […]
BANK OF ENGLAND LEAVES POLICY UNCHANGED, BUT EXTENDS LENDING SCHEME
—MPC Hints at Symmetric Stance on Inflation Target, Willing to ‘Tolerate’ Inflation Overshoot By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – The Bank of England left its main policy tools on hold after its latest rate-setting meeting on Wednesday, but extended the time frame of its supplemental lending scheme and hinted at a more symmetrical approach to […]
FED’S POWELL: TO TAKE A LONG TIME TO RAISE INFL RATE
–Virus Resurgence to Hit First-Quarter Economy By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell Wednesday said reaching the inflation target is going to take “some time” in an environment of disinflation around the world, when price pressure in any sector is no longer persistent. In the near term, however, he warned the […]
FOMC: RATES NEAR ZERO THRU 2023
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The Federal Open Market Committee, as expected, stood still in its latest policy statement Wednesday, accompanied by quarterly projections that saw the federal funds rate at 0.1% through 2023. The following is the text of the FOMC statement: The Federal Reserve is committed to using its full range of tools to support […]
JAPAN NOV EXPORTS UNEXPECTEDLY SLUMP, WEAK ENERGY PRICES KEEP TRADE IN SURPLUS
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese exports took one step back from the recent pickup trend and posted an unexpected fall in November, remaining below year-earlier levels for two years as the global economy faces pandemic-caused uncertainty, data released Wednesday by the Ministry of Finance showed. The outlook for domestic growth and a return to […]