STATUS CHECK COMMENTARY: BARBARIANS INSIDE THE GATE TEST AMERICA

WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is Tuesday night’s status check of developments in the U.S. that can influence economic, health and political outcomes. ·        As often noted about the U.S. Congress, months, even years can go by without much getting done but every once in a while there’s an explosion of activity. After the financial […]

FED’S GEORGE: TOO SOON TO THINK OF ADJUSTING MONETARY POLICY; MUST ‘WAIT AND SEE’

–Fed Won’t Hike Funds Rate If Inflation Goes Over 2% –Would Have To Decide How To React if Inflation Rises in ‘Unanticipated Ways’ By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – Kansas City Fed President George said Tuesday that monetary policy needs to “remain accommodative for some time” and said it’s “too soon to speculate about the […]

BOE OFFICIAL MAKES FORCEFUL CASE FOR NEGATIVE UK INTEREST RATES

—Tenreyro Sees Diminishing Benefit of QE as UK Output Contracts Sharply By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – A top Bank of England rate setter forcefully endorsed the case for sub-zero interest rates, raising questions over the continued benefits of quantitative easing with UK output in the midst of another severe contraction. “My overall assessment is […]

DATA PREVIEW: RETAIL SALES AND INFLATION MEASURES

WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – Economic data in the week ahead includes the December retail sales report, along with the two major inflation measures, the CPI just a week from Inauguration Day and the PPI but market participants are unlikely to pay much attention. The major stock indexes were propelled back into record territory Friday, in part […]

EURO-AREA ECONOMIC SENTIMENT PICKS UP IN DECEMBER

—Germany Sees Sentiment Stagnate By Marco Babic ZURICH (MaceNews) – Economic sentiment in the Euro-area was a positive note, rising in December from the previous month driven by “markedly higher” industrial and consumer confidence, the European Commission said in its latest Business and Consumer Survey report. Economic sentiment picked up 2.7 points in December to […]

JAPAN DEC TOKYO CPI POSTS LARGEST Y/Y DROP IN 10 YEARS

–Sliding Energy Prices, Government-Led Travel Discounts Cited By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Consumer prices in Tokyo, a leading indicator of the national average, took the deepest dive in a decade in December, hit by falling food and energy prices as well as a controversial five-month-old government program to support the pandemic-hit tourism industry with hefty […]

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? […]

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 […]