June 14, 2018 United States: Powell Lauds Economy as Fed Nudges Up Interest-Rate Hike Path Federal Reserve officials raised interest rates for the second time this year and upgraded their forecast to four total increases in 2018, as unemployment falls and inflation overshoots their target faster than previously projected. The so-called “dot plot” released Wednesday
June 13, 2018 United States: U.S. Inflation Accelerates to Six-Year High, Eroding Wages U.S. inflation accelerated in May to the fastest pace in more than six years, reinforcing the Federal Reserve’s outlook for gradual interest-rate hikes while eroding wage gains that remain relatively tepid despite an 18-year low in unemployment. The consumer price index rose
June 12 ,2018 United States: U.S. Small-Business Optimism Hits Second-Highest on Record A gauge of optimism among U.S. small-business owners rose to a 34-year high amid increasingly sunny expectations for sales and profits, a National Federation of Independent Business survey showed Tuesday. Small-business sentiment has remained elevated since Donald Trump was elected president in late
June 11, 2018 United States: Bond Traders Face $193 Billion Appetizer Before Fed Main Course Bond traders have their work cut out for them before they get to the pivotal event for U.S. financial markets this week -- Wednesday’s announcement from the Federal Reserve. The Treasury is about to pack $193 billion of debt sales
June 8, 2018 United States: Hot U.S. Economic Growth Is Burning Companies That Can't Keep Up A strengthening economy has its downsides. Just ask United Natural Foods Inc. As suppliers struggle with bottlenecks, the food distribution company said it is having trouble keeping shelves stocked and paying higher transportation costs. “Higher demand is pressuring our
June 7, 2018 United States: Fed on Track to Raise Rates Regardless of Emerging-Market Woes Emerging markets struggling with higher U.S. interest rates are likely to get little sympathy from the Federal Reserve. Currencies of such nations have been hammered in a spreading selloff amid worries that their economies won’t cope with higher U.S. borrowing
June 6, 2018 United States: Fed Hikes Augur Well for the World, South Africa's Kganyago Says The Federal Reserve tightening monetary policy is a sign that the U.S. economy is doing well, and that’s positive for the rest of the world, South African central bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago said. The Fed has communicated its monetary-policy
June 5, 2018 United States: These Shiny Economic Numbers May Be a Mirage Friday was another strong day for U.S. economic data, with the unemployment rate falling to a new generational low. But hidden in another dataset from Friday, the widely followed Institute for Supply Management manufacturing report, is some evidence that economic bottlenecks may
June 4, 2018 United States: Stocks Extend Gain on Growth Outlook; Dollar Drops: Markets Wrap U.S. equity futures and European stocks advanced on Monday, tracking peers in Asia as optimism over the world’s largest economy helped investors put protectionist fears to one side. Treasuries were steady, the dollar fell, and the pound and euro rose.
June 1, 2018 United States: Fed’s Brainard Says Gradual Rate Hikes Remain ‘Appropriate Path’ A strong fiscal boost to the U.S. economy at a time of low unemployment suggests a gradual pace of interest-rate increases remains “the appropriate path” to prevent growth from overheating, Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard said. “Continued gradual increases in the
