STILL FACING CANADA FINANCIAL ‘VULNERABILITIES’
By Gordon Isfeld OTTAWA (MaceNews) – Canada’s financial system continues to face “vulnerabilities” related to household debt and “imbalances” in the country’s residential markets, even as regulators continue to tighten guidelines in mortgage lending. “New measures have curbed borrowing, reduced speculative behaviour in housing markets and made the financial system more resilient,” the Bank of Canada […]
CANADIAN CONSUMER PRICES RISE 2.0% Y/Y IN APRIL
By Gordon Isfeld OTTAWA (MaceNews) – The prices of consumer goods in Canada rose by 2% annualized in April, up from a pace of 1.9% in the previous month, with seven of the eight key readings tracked by Statistics Canada Wednesday driving the overall increases. The core rate showed no change for the first time since December. […]
US CONSUMER PRICE INDEX STABLE; GEOPOLITICAL INDEX SCRAMBLED
–This Week: China, Iran, N. Korea, Venezuela – and Uber By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) –Countercurrents swirled in a jumbled whirlwind of market, trade and geopolitical uncertainties the second Friday in May yet among the exceptions is U.S inflation, which continues to be an eddy of calm in April’s report. The future as always is […]
HOPING FOR THE BEST WHILE BRACING FOR TRADE CATASTROPHE
–Hours of Suspense Ahead By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – Lower level Chinese officials are in Washington Wednesday preparing for Thursday’s arrival of long-time sidekick to Xi Jinping, Vice Premier Liu He – whose job No. 1 has to be to forestall higher and wider U.S. tariffs. Liu, the Harvard graduate who was schoolmate in […]
TRUMP PUSHES GEOPOLITICAL BUTTONS, SHATTERS MARKETS SERENITY
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – World capitals and trading centers Monday are trying to figure out how competent U.S. President Donald Trump is to manage trade relations with China now that he has tweeted away market serenity. For those willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt the leanings are as follow: Trump, the savvy negotiator, […]
APR US JOBS TOP EXPECTATIONS -THEN SOME; +263K PAYROLLS; UNEMP 3.6%
By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The April jobs report was full of superlatives Friday, from the strong payrolls total to the best unemployment rate since 1969, confirming the Federal Reserve’s positive views and challenging any remaining pessimism about first-half economic performance. The 263,000 payrolls total, the 3.6% unemployment rate, the net 16,000 upward revision […]
FED’S POWELL: WHY CUT RATES IF LOW INFLATION ‘TRANSIENT?’
–Markets React With Disappointment as Rate-Cut Vision Challenged –Powell Maintains Wait-and-See Stance; Says Softer Mfg ISM Still Seen Positive for GDP By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The possibility of a rate cut any time soon seemed to be put off to the indefinite future Wednesday as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said he and […]
FOMC MAINTAINS ‘PATIENT’ PAUSE OUTLOOK; INFLATION ‘DECLINED’
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The Federal Open Market Committee Wednesday fulfilled expectations that it would stand still, acknowledge inflation has “declined,” all in the context of a “solid” economic expansion. It was striking that this time around, geopolitical tensions, including trade disagreements, did not merit even a glancing mention in the streamlined statement. The reassuring words […]
US TSY STINGY DEBT-LIMIT GUIDANCE SEES X-DATE ‘SOMETIME’ IN 2ND HALF
–$84 Bln in Borrowing, with $38 bln/3-yrs; $27 bln 10-yrs; $19 bln 30-yrs By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The U.S Treasury quarterly refinancing update Wednesday did not surprise, with the refunding announcement of $84 billion divided as expected with $38 billion in 3-year notes, $27 billion in 10-year notes and $19 billion in 30-year […]
BANK OF CANADA HOLDS LENDING RATE AT 1.75%
By Gordon Isfeld OTTAWA (MaceNews) – The Bank of Canada is maintaining its level of economic stimulus, choosing to keep the key overnight interest rate at 1.75% in response to slower-than-anticipated growth in this country and many other major industrialized nations. “Ongoing uncertainty related to trade conflicts has undermined business sentiment and activity, contributing to […]