DATA FLASH: US MAY CONFIDENCE STOPS SLIDE; NEW HOMES UP
–Dallas Manufacturing Reading in Line with Other Regional Data By Kevin Kastner WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The Conference Board’s U.S. consumer confidence index rose slightly to a reading of 86.6 in May from a downward revised 85.7 reading in April, stopping the slide at two months but leaving the index well below the recent peak in […]
BOE’S HALDANE SOUNDS CAUTIOUS NOTE ON NEGATIVE UK RATES
— Sees “Modest” Recovery in Recent Consumer Spending LONDON (MaceNews) – The Bank of England’s chief economist sounded a decidedly cautious note on the possibility of negative interest rates in the UK, just a week after BoE Governor Andrew Bailey confirmed that sub-zero rates are actively under review. “Reviewing and doing are different things,” said […]
BANK OF CANADA TAKING RISK MANAGEMENT APPROACH DURING ‘UNKNOWABLE TIMES’
NEW YORK (MaceNews) – The Bank of Canada continues to pursue a risk management approach to policy-making as it faces multiple challenges and uncertainties stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic, retiring Governor Stephen Poloz said Monday. The risk management approach to implementing the bank’s inflation mandate means the bank considers multiple economic models and incorporates soft […]
IFO GERMAN BUSINESS SENTIMENT BETTER IN MAY AS LOCKDOWNS EASE
By Marco Babic VIENNA (MaceNews) – German business sentiment improved overall as a more positive view of future developments overcame a more pessimistic assessment of current conditions. It appears that expectations are improving as lockdown measures due to the coronavirus are being eased. Germany’s Ifo institute reported Monday that business sentiment improved to 79.5 in […]
DATA PREVIEW: US REGIONAL DATA, CONFIDENCE KEY RELEASES
By Kevin Kastner WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The May 25 week starts off with the Memorial Day holiday, but it quickly speeds up from there. Regional conditions data for May are the highlight of the week, with reports from the Philadelphia, Dallas, Richmond and Kansas City Federal Reserve banks and the Chicago PMI on tap ahead […]
WHITE HOUSE WATCH COMMENTARY: AN INCONSEQUENTIAL VIRUS OBITUARY
By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – With by one count 93,382 deaths blamed on the corona virus through Wednesday, each one a life-altering tragedy for a family, there is hardly any point chronicling the death of an inanimate process which few could care about or should. Yet the passing of the early morning ritual of […]
BANK OF CANADA’S LANE SEES ECONOMY, INFLATION DEPRESSED POST-COVID
NEW YORK (MaceNews) – Canada’s economy is likely to emerge from the Covid-19 shutdown period with weaker supply and demand, and lower inflation, due to shutdown “scarring,” Bank of Canada Deputy Governor Tim Lane said Wednesday. “While the steps we have taken should help, we are likely to emerge from the shutdown with both demand […]
BOE’S BAILEY ADMITS TO ‘CHANGING HIS POSITION;’ WON’T RULE OUT NEGATIVE LENDING RATES
By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey declined Wednesday to rule out further reductions in lending rates, admitting that he has “changed his position” on sub-zero rates since mid-March. Facing a question on negative rates posed by Felicity Buchan, a Conservative Member of Parliament serving on the Treasury Select Committee, […]
ECB’S LANE: ECB OPEN TO EXPANDING SIZE, COMPOSITION OF CORONAVIRUS BOND BUYING PROGRAM
LONDON (MaceNews) – The chief economist of the European Central Bank raised the prospect of expanding the size and scope of the bank’s emergency pandemic program, adopting a more dovish tone than he had just over a week ago. “We are fully prepared to further adjust our instruments … [including] increased the size of the […]
DATA FLASH: US APRIL RETAIL SALES DOWN 16.4% AS CRISIS CONTINUED
–Non-store Retail Sales Rose 8.4%, Other Categories Down–Empire State Index Rose to -48.5 in May from -78.2 in April–Industrial Production -11.2%, Manufacturing -13.7% on Vehicles By Kevin Kastner WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – Social distancing continued in April, cutting further in almost every retail sale category, data released Friday morning showed. At the same time, industrial production […]