STATUS CHECK: ONE OUT OF MANY, THE RENEWED PROMISE OF INAUGURATION DAY

WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is Tuesday’s status check of developments in the U.S. that can influence economic, health and political outcomes. • Inauguration Day, and in an address tailored to the moment and maybe to the post-Trump era in the months ahead, Joe Biden kept his first day in office focused on the possibilities […]

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 […]

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 […]

GERMAN ECONOMIC EXPECTATIONS START 2021 ON A POSITIVE NOTE, ZEW REPORTS

By Marco Babic ZURICH (MaceNews) – Expectations for Germany’s economy started the year off on a positive note, even in the face of uncertainty about new COVID-19 restrictions, with the outlook for the export market in particular providing a foundation for optimism. The ZEW Institute’s Indicator of Economic Sentiment rose 6.8 points to 61.8 in […]

ITALY’S PM CONTE WINS LOWER HOUSE CONFIDENCE VOTE; SENATE CHALLENGE AHEAD

By Silvia Marchetti ROME (MaceNews) – Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte won on Monday a key vote of confidence in the Lower House with 321 votes out of a total 630, six more than the absolute majority required.  The main challenge will be on Tuesday morning at the Senate where the ruling coalition has a […]

STATUS CHECK COMMENTARY: WASHINGTON’S IDEOLOGICAL BATTLE AT INFLECTION POINT

–‘I Have a Dream’ or “I Have a Nightmare?’ WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is Monday’s status check of developments in the U.S. that can influence economic, health and political outcomes. •        Great battles seldom preserve the status quo and the one shaping up in Washington could greatly accelerate ideological change or usher in an […]

DATA PREVIEW: HOUSING WEEK AND HOPEFULLY NEW BEGINNINGS

–Domestic Terrorism, Mounting Virus Death Tolls, Deep Divisions Overwhelm Data WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The upcoming week’s events, an Inauguration Day in the armed camp “Green Zone” that is now D.C. amid threats of violence at statehouses across the country, overshadows what little economic data will be published. The week begins with a holiday, progresses to […]

ITALY RECOVERY AHEAD, BACK TO PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS IN 2023 – BOI

By Silvia Marchetti ROME (MNI) – The Bank of Italy Friday forecast an average 3.5% GDP growth this year, 3.8% in 2022 and and 2.3% in 2023 when pre-crisis levels are expected to be recovered. In its economic bulletin the BOI said the European Central Bank’s ongoing accommodative policy stance and new European measures aimed […]

FED’S POWELL: NOW NOT TIME TO TALK ABOUT EXIT; WON’T CONSIDER UNTIL GOALS REACHED

— Vows To Communicate Very Clearly To Markets To Avoid 2013-style ‘Taper Tantrum’ By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell stressed Thursday that the Fed is far from “exiting” either its zero short-term interest rate stance or its aggressive asset purchase program and proclaimed that the Fed will clearly communicate its […]