Reuters US Economy

By Mike Dolan LONDON (Reuters) – Like mirages on the horizon, recession forecasts seem to be appearing and disappearing with great regularity – questioning any investment conviction, the reliability of pandemic-distorted data and still-low volatility gauges in financial markets. In just six weeks of 2023, economic forecasters have hurriedly revised away this year’s long-assumed recessions …

Column-Low visibility, low volatility make strange pairing :Mike Dolan Read More »

BRASILIA (Reuters) -Brazil’s central bank chief Roberto Campos Neto on Tuesday stepped up his defense of the institution’s independence amid mounting criticism from leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his allies about overly high interest rates. Campos Neto’s comments came shortly after the bank published minutes with a hawkish tone from its Jan.31-Feb.1 …

Brazil’s Campos Neto defends central bank independence amid Lula attacks Read More »

By Steve Scherer and David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) -Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem on Tuesday said that no further rate hikes will be needed if, as expected, the economy stalls and inflation comes down. The central bank over the last 11 months has lifted rates at a record pace to 4.5% to tame inflation, …

Bank of Canada says no new rate hikes needed if inflation falls as expected Read More »

By Howard Schneider and Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) – After vouching last week that a “gratifying” drop in inflation was underway, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will face questions on Tuesday about whether a blowout January jobs report has shaken his confidence the decline can continue without harsher steps by the U.S. central bank to …

Do blockbuster job gains jibe with ‘slow-flation’? Fed’s Powell faces new dilemma Read More »

NAIROBI (Reuters) – Kenya’s finance ministry has tweaked its spending and budget deficit estimates for the current fiscal year that ends in June to show a slight increase in overall expenditure but a narrower deficit. Supplementary budget documents submitted to parliament showed overall spending was projected at 3.37 trillion shillings ($26.98 billion), from the 3.36 …

Kenya tweaks 2022/23 spending, deficit estimates in supplementary budget Read More »

(Reuters) – Australia and New Zealand Banking Group said on Tuesday it would raise its Australian variable home loan rates by 25 basis points (bps), passing on the central bank’s latest interest rate hike in full to its customers. The new home loan rate will be effective from Feb. 17, ANZ said. (This story has …

ANZ to raise home loan rate by 25 bps, matching central bank move Read More »

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Ankur Banerjee Investors are just about coming to terms with the eye-popping payrolls number from Friday, but with Fed Chair Jerome Powell due to speak later in the day, the market will ponder which Powell will turn up (the hawk or the dove). …

Marketmind- Market to ChatGPT: what’s Powell gotta say? Read More »

By Stella Qiu SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia’s central bank raised its cash rate 25 basis points to a decade-high of 3.35% on Tuesday and reiterated that further increases would be needed, a more hawkish policy tilt than many had expected. Wrapping up its February policy meeting, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) also dropped previous guidance …

Australia central bank signals more tightening ahead after lifting rates to decade-high Read More »

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s exports are likely to grow 1% to 2% this year, unchanged from a previous forecast, due to slowing global demand, the country’s shippers’ council said on Tuesday. Shipments, a key driver of economic growth, also face high currency volatility, Chaichan Chareonsuk, chair of the Thai National Shippers’ Council, told a news …

Thai shippers retain export growth outlook of 1-2% this year Read More »