LONDON (Reuters) – The euro edged down on Monday as investors awaited Christine Lagarde’s first speech as European Central Bank president, but hopes that the United States may choose not to impose tariffs on auto imports kept it near its highest level in weeks... More »
MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine annual inflation likely eased for a fifth straight month in October due to high base effects from the previous year as well as lower fuel and rice prices, a Reuters poll showed. The median forecast in a poll of 10 economists was f... More »
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China on Monday unexpectedly kept unchanged its new benchmark lending rate, suggesting Beijing is keen to avoid overly loosening monetary policy for fear it may push up already-high debt levels across the economy. The one-year Loan Prime R... More »
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Dutch central bank said on Tuesday it would require banks to retain 3 billion euros ($3.31 billion) in additional capital to compensate for risks posed by mortgage portfolios. In its autumn report on financial stability, De Nederlands... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The biggest U.S. banks are expected to kick off the earnings season on a sour note next week due to falling interest rates, which may have pressured net interest margins enough to cause the sector’s first year-over-year earnings per share ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – UBS Wealth Management said on Friday it still expects the UK government to ask for an extension to the deadline for exiting the European Union and to hold a general election, though it acknowledged that chances of a Brexit deal have increase... More »
(Reuters) – Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) is boosting its teams that process mortgage loans to prepare for higher mortgage volumes, changing course after it laid off about 1,000 employees here in the division in 2018, according to a memo viewed by Reuters. Many of ... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury yields rose on Wednesday, a day that saw a flood of supply and on optimism for progress in U.S.-China trade negotiations that begin in Washington on Thursday. On Wednesday, the market absorbed a $24 billion reopening of 10-ye... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – 1/TRADE TENSION HEADACHES Washington’s latest accusation that China is dumping wooden cabinets and vanities on U.S. shores sums up the mood between the two warring sides as they head into another round of high-level discussions. The talks in... More »
OSLO (Reuters) – Norway plans to spend less money next year from its $1.1 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, as economic growth remains strong and unemployment declines, the center-right majority government said on Monday. “The Norwegian econ... More »
DENVER (Reuters) – Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank President Esther George on Sunday rejected the notion that the U.S. central bank should cut interest rates to try to boost low inflation, which she said is largely a result of global forces that U.S. monetary... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Deutsche Bank said on Wednesday it still sees a 50% chance that Britain will leave the European Union without a deal by the end of the year following a general election, but said there’s a 20% chance of a “surprise” agreement later this mont... More »
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – British finance minister Sajid Javid said on Monday the country could take advantage of record low interest rates to borrow to invest in infrastructure. Javid will later use his speech at the governing Conservative Party’s annua... More »
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong private home prices fell for the third straight month in August, according to government data released on Monday, as increasingly violent street protests take a toll on the economy. Prices dropped 1.37%, steeper than July’s revi... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Investors are starting to prepare for a long U.S. impeachment process that could drag into 2020. The decision by the House of Representatives to begin impeachment inquiries that could end in a vote to remove President Donald Trump from off... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Euro zone governments must reform their economies and use appropriate fiscal policies to ensure that the European Central Bank is not overburdened, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday. Speaking at an event in Frankfurt, home ... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi pledged indefinite stimulus on Thursday to revive an ailing euro zone economy, tying the hands of his successor for years to come and sparking an immediate conflict with U.S. President Donald Trump... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank is giving euro zone banks a small reprieve from a penalty charge on their idle cash but this is likely to prove too little, too late for a sector hurt by years of low interest rates. In its latest bid to shield t... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The European Central Bank’s move to cut interest rates and restart a larger stimulus program drew fast reaction from the White House on Thursday, with President Donald Trump saying the ECB was undercutting the value of its currency and “... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank approved a fresh stimulus package as expected on Thursday, cutting interest rates and approving a new round of bond purchases to prop up euro zone growth and halt a worrisome drop in inflation expectations. Follo... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank approved a fresh stimulus package as expected on Thursday, cutting interest rates and approving a new round of bond purchases to prop up euro zone growth and halt a worrisome drop in inflation expectations. The E... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – World stocks rose for the sixth straight day on Wednesday and bond prices fell as investors continued to unwind safety bets, encouraged by hopes of a resolution to the Sino-U.S. trade standoff and signs Europe may be preparing to ease budget... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – The bitter trade war between China and the United States kept Asian factory activity mostly in decline in August, business surveys showed, strengthening the case for policymakers to unleash fresh stimulus to fend off recession risks. In a sur... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday its market sentiment indicator has fallen to a level so bearish it has triggered a “contrarian” buy signal for assets considered more risky, such as equities, for the first time since January. The... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. money market fund assets fell this week, retreating from their highest level since October 2009, suggesting a pause in investors piling into these low-risk products amid trade and economic worries, a private survey released on Wednesd... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s central bank would consider unconventional monetary options if the cash rate was cut to 0.5%, Deputy Governor Guy Debelle said on Tuesday, though he hoped such heavy policy adjustments would not be needed. Debelle said the Reserv... More »
BIARRITZ, France (Reuters) – Iran has an opportunity to come back into compliance with the nuclear deal and resume dialogue about its nuclear activities, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday. U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier he would mee... More »
(This August 21 story corrects to make clear Kiva a nonprofit organisation, not charity, paragraph 1.) By Cooper Inveen (Reuters) – Kiva, a San Francisco-based tech nonprofit organization, is using blockchain to create an online ID database in Sierra Leone all... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. interest rates futures rose on Friday as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank will do what it can to preserve the longest U.S. economic expansion on record, supporting bets on a further decline in key borrowing co... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Global equity markets rose on Monday on signs that major economies would look to prop up stalling growth with fresh stimulus measures, easing pressure on bonds and dampening demand for perceived safe-havens such as gold. Hopes of government ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump and top White House officials dismissed concerns that economic growth may be faltering, saying on Sunday they saw little risk of recession despite a volatile week on global bond markets, and insisting their tr... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – British working-age households are growing more cautious about making major purchases amid concerns about Brexit and a possible recession, a monthly consumer survey showed on Monday. The IHS Markit Household Finance Index dropped to a three-... More »
BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s announcement of key interest rate reforms over the weekend has fueled expectations of an imminent reduction in corporate borrowing costs in the struggling economy, boosting share prices on Monday. The People’s Bank of China... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury yields fell on Monday, in line with the weak stock market, as trade worries and global political tensions in places such as Hong Kong and Argentina supported safe-haven assets. U.S. 30-year bond yields slid to their lowest si... More »
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday that spending promised in the annual budget would help stimulate the economy, but the government is always looking at other things it can do. “We are certainly mindful of the rol... More »
OSLO (Reuters) – Norway’s central bank is expected to keep interest rates on hold on Aug. 15 while signaling that a hike will likely follow later this year amid solid growth, above-target inflation and currency weakness, a Reuters poll of economists showed. De... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – 1/ READY FOR A SCARY EURO ZONE GDP SHOW? Fears of a major downturn in euro zone powerhouse Germany grew this week following “scary” industrial output figures for June and reports due over the coming week that will hold those concerns up to t... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – It has become a jarring and frequent contradiction. President Donald Trump blames the Federal Reserve for putting the U.S. economy at risk while data shows an economy in “reasonably good” shape, as the head of the central bank recently s... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury yields rose on Friday amid confusion over the United States policy on trade with China, while political turmoil in Italy compounded investor concerns, capping a volatile week in the bond market. Treasury yields fell for a sec... More »
(Reuters) – Traders and analysts are considering whether U.S. bond yields would fall below zero as a record amount around the world sank into negative territory this week. The question has become a talking point, and less hypothetical, this week as the U.S. 30... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Last week’s announcement of more U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods may have undermined the prospects for small-cap stocks to rebound this year, even after a brief respite from the Federal Reserve’s recent interest-rate cut. Just a day after th... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Global shares eased on Monday and the dollar hit a two-month high against a basket of currencies as markets counted down to a likely cut in U.S. interest rates this week, with much riding on whether the Federal Reserve signals yet more are t... More »
JOHANNESBURG/VRYHEID, South Africa (Reuters) – Cattle have long been considered a measure of wealth across Africa – but it is not just farmers cashing in. A pioneering app in South Africa lets investors, eager to benefit from rising global beef demand, buy sha... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Non-residents have pulled about $1.5 billion from Indian equities so far in July, reversing a strong trend of inflows in previous months, data from the Institute of International Finance showed on Wednesday. “Unlike other episodes, which m... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s economic growth slowed to 6.2% in the second quarter, its weakest pace in at least 27 years, as demand at home and abroad faltered in the face of mounting U.S. trade pressure. While more upbeat June factory output and retail sales o... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Investors pumped money into bonds and equities in the week to Wednesday with U.S. stock funds adding $1.7 billion, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday, as markets tried to weigh hopes for major central bank stimulus against economic... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Federal Reserve will likely reduce key U.S. borrowing costs by a quarter point at its upcoming July 30-31 policy meeting with the chance of a 50 basis-point decrease, Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts said on Wednesday. The U.S. c... More »
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s central bank could cut its benchmark policy rate for the first time in four years if the U.S. Federal Reserve delivers a widely expected cut in late July, analysts say, as Chinese policymakers step up support for the slowing econom... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian shares were a sea of red on Monday after strong U.S. job gains tempered expectations the Federal Reserve will deliver a large rate cut, while the Turkish lira hovered near two-week lows on worries about central bank independence. Share... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – A shrewd negotiator who has run the IMF but has little monetary policy experience, Christine Lagarde will face the challenge as the European Central Bank’s new chief of having to revive the euro zone economy with a largely depleted policy... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The cost of borrowing money for college in the United States just got a little bit cheaper. The federal government lowered interest rates for student loans starting July 1. New rates for direct undergraduate loans are 4.53%, down from 5.05... More »
DALIAN, China (Reuters) – China’s economy is likely to hit its growth target this year provided a bitter trade dispute with the United States does not worsen, and hence will not need “very big” stimulus measures to prop up growth, a central bank adviser said o... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A now record-setting run of U.S. economic growth enters its 121st month on Monday, sustained by a decade of low interest rates and massive Federal Reserve intervention that helped put 22 million people back to work. But the real economic... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Record highs in the U.S. stock market and the anticipation of equity-friendly interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve later this year are prompting top-performing large-cap fund managers to seek out unloved stocks in hopes of further gai... More »
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The Turkish lira, bonds and shares gained on Monday after the opposition dealt a stinging blow to President Tayyip Erdogan by winning control of Istanbul in a re-run mayoral election on Sunday. Turkish assets have lost value since March am... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The dollar was on the back foot on Monday after sustaining its biggest weekly drop in four months last week as traders remained cautious about the prospects of trade talks between the United States and China at this week’s G20 summit. The gr... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s central bank is expected to keep its benchmark policy rate steady on Wednesday for a fourth straight meeting, a Reuters poll showed, despite slowing growth and the way many Asian central banks have shifted toward easing policy. I... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ news program that he has the power to demote Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell but has not threatened to do so. “I didn’t ever threaten to demote him,” Trump said.... More »
(Reuters) – Jeffrey Gundlach, chief executive of DoubleLine Capital and the most widely followed bond investor, said the Federal Reserve’s dovish turn in its policy statement on Wednesday took its lead from the bond market. The Fed is doing “what the bond mark... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Mortgage rates are nearing historic lows again in the United States, making it an ideal time to buy a home – or refinance. “It’s amazing how many times a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes around,” said Keith Gumbinger, vice president of... More »
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Bank Indonesia is expected to keep its benchmark interest rate steady at a policy review on Thursday, but it may begin to follow other Asian central banks by cutting later this year, a Reuters poll showed. All but three of 22 analysts surve... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s central bank believes it will likely have to cut interest rates further from the current record low of 1.25% in order to push down unemployment and revive growth in wages and inflation. Minutes of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s ... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Investors in Australian mortgage bonds are demanding higher premiums to buy the riskiest tranches of new debt, as a slowing economy stokes concerns a property downturn could get worse and increase home loan defaults. High-yield investors are... More »
HONG KONG/SYDNEY (Reuters) – Fears of a global recession are on the rise as the U.S.-China trade war re-escalated in May, sending investors to the safety of U.S Treasuries, the Japanese yen and gold. But in Asia, investors are exploring new sanctuaries, from C... More »
(Reuters) – Jeffrey Gundlach, chief executive officer of DoubleLine Capital, said on Thursday the odds of the United States sliding into a recession in the next six months have risen to 40-45% and the odds were 65% within the next year. Gundlach, who oversees ... More »
SYDNEY/HONG KONG (Reuters) – China may be an odd choice for investors seeking shelter from a Sino-U.S. trade war. Yet, money managers in Asia are pouring funds into Chinese stocks as the long-term promise of a growing middle class trumps more immediate fears a... More »
BENGALURU (Reuters) – India’s retail inflation likely accelerated to a seven-month high in May on rising food prices, but it is expected to remain well below the Reserve Bank of India’s target, giving it room to ease policy further, a Reuters poll found. The R... More »
(Reuters) – The head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, steps down at the end of October and the 19 euro zone countries are now looking for his replacement. The shortlists of likely candidates are almost exclusively male. It is one of several top jobs... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – After almost three years of successfully predicting a global economic revival, world bond markets are furiously flagging the risk of yet another recession, as well as low inflation for a generation. Spooked by the escalating U.S.-China trade... More »
ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s prime minister and economy minister have formed an unofficial alliance with the president to prevent the euro zone’s third-largest economy being dragged into financial crisis by its ruling parties, sources say. Prime Minister Giuseppe ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Investors plowed a record $12.3 billion into investment grade bond funds and ditched equities over the past week, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday, as worries over trade tensions and the world economy reinforced a run for safe-ha... More »
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Factory activity contracted in most Asian countries last month as an escalating trade war between Washington and Beijing raised fears of a global economic downturn and heaped pressure on policymakers in the region and beyond to roll out m... More »
BENGALURU, (Reuters) – India’s manufacturing sector expanded at its quickest pace in three months in May on improved output and new orders, according to a private business survey which also showed a pick up in hiring. The survey found increased optimism about ... More »
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan’s exports likely contracted 4.5% in May from a year earlier, logging a seventh straight month of decline, according to a median forecast of 11 analysts polled by Reuters. Taiwan’s April exports had dropped 3.3% from a year earlier, in... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Great Recession ended a decade ago this month, but for the U.S. Federal Reserve the fallout has posed an era-defining choice: Either jolt Americans to expect higher inflation, or keep the printing press ready for the next economic sl... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump pressed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday to even out a trade imbalance with the United States and expressed confidence, despite Japanese wariness, that “good things” would come from North Korea. Trump i... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Investors have added to their global equity holdings for the first time in 2-1/2 months and continued to pile into bonds, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday, as worries about the U.S.-China trade spat sent shudders through financia... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. dollar held near a one-month high on Wednesday after minutes from the May Federal Open Market Committee meeting showed officials agreed that their current patient approach to setting monetary policy could remain in place “for some... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Surprisingly retained by Australians in a national election over the weekend, Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s center-right government now needs to find a fast way out of a worrying slowdown in an economy that has been recession-free since 19... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Investors are neither extremely bullish nor bearish, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s gauge of market sentiment, as they weigh the impact of trade tensions between the United States and China. Investors pulled $19.5 billion out o... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s economy risks damage if Brexit is delayed beyond its latest Oct. 31 deadline because companies would continue to hold back on investment, Bank of England deputy governor Ben Broadbent was quoted as saying on Monday. “It’s pretty cl... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Global equities have seen outflows of $20.5 billion in the past week as “trade deal trauma” pushed more money into bonds, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday, the latest sign of how growing global trade tensions are roiling financia... More »
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s economy expanded more slowly than expected in the first quarter of this year, as investment dropped ahead of elections and campaign spending failed to sustain growth momentum. Southeast Asia’s largest economy grew 5.07 percent i... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Federal Reserve policymakers have no reason to change U.S. interest rates anytime soon but will startle global markets by resuming rate hikes rather than pivoting to cuts, according to a leading Wall Street money manager. Scott Minerd, who... More »
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s central bank will keep interest rates on hold on Thursday, a Reuters poll showed, though some economists say a rate cut to bolster economic growth is coming – and one sees a possible trim next month. All 23 analysts in the poll ... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – It looks like something has to give in global markets. Stocks and bonds around the world have rallied atypically together since the start of the year, rewarding investors both bullish and bearish on the direction of global growth. The main... More »
(Reuters) – The major drivers of high U.S. corporate profit margins are unsustainable and “now under threat”, which will eventually result in much lower equity prices, Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund, said on Wednesday in a report. “Over... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Short positioning on European equities was the “most crowded trade” for the second straight month in April, a survey of fund managers by Bank of America Merrill Lynch found. Investors called bearish positions on Europe a crowded trade once a... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An internal European Central Bank model indicates the euro zone’s economic growth could slow further in the second quarter, suggesting the projected recovery may be delayed even further, two sources familiar with the discussion said on F... More »
BUCHAREST (Reuters) – The European Central Bank considers that risks to the euro zone financial stability from a no-deal Brexit are “limited” and have been broadly addressed, ECB board member Benoit Coeure said on Friday. But he repeated the ECB’s call on fina... More »
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Chicago Federal Reserve Bank President Charles Evans said on Monday it was understandable for markets to be nervous when the yield curve flattened, though he was still confident about the U.S. economic growth outlook. In what many see as ... More »
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s central bank is likely to maintain interest rates at its meeting on Thursday, a Reuters poll showed on Monday, although some analysts predicted a cut ahead of expected fuel price increases this summer. Eight out of 12 economists polle... More »
HONG KONG (Reuters) – With downside risks looming and uncertainties rife, the U.S. Federal Reserve is prudent to wait for more economic data before deciding whether its next move will be to raise rates, or cut them, Chicago Fed Bank President Charles Evans sai... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Global equity funds saw massive outflows this week, a sharp reversal from last week’s inflows as pessimism over economic growth gripped investors once again, driving them instead to search for yield in credit and buy safer assets like bonds.... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Fund managers have named bearish bets in European equities as the “most crowded” trade in Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s survey for the first time in its history, suggesting sentiment for one of the world’s most shunned markets may rise fro... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Having spent three years and more than 2.6 trillion euros ($3 trillion) trying to boost economic growth across the euro zone, the European Central Bank’s mixed record may open the door for a high-spending, radical alternative. With populist ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Collapsing asset price volatility has turned ‘carry trading’ into one of investors’ top plays of 2019. Many reckon the run is far from over. This strategy sees investors borrow in currencies where interest rates are low to invest in countrie... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Investors plowed $14.2 billion into global equity funds this week, the largest amount in a year as investors jumped on to 2019’s stock market rally, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday, citing flow data provider EPFR. An index of gl... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – A $10 billion wipeout over the last week has compounded the worst start to a year for equity flows since 2008, Bank of America Merrill Lynch strategists said on Friday. Citing data from flow-tracker EPFR, BAML’s analysts calculated that just... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank’s fourth round of cheap long-term loans targeted at banks may steer euro zone lenders away from a cliff edge in funding. But it is a symptom of, rather than a cure for, the bloc’s economic malaise that appears to... More »
