Israel’s central bank cut interest rates on short-term loans for the first time in nearly four years on Monday, becoming the first developed country to ease policy while urging lawmakers to curb spending that has soared during Israel’s war with Hamas. In cutting interest rates for the first time since April 2020, the central bank…
Read More “Bank of Israel Makes First Cuts Since 2020, Governor Warns of Spending” »
Stock Market Today | Major indexes point to a weaker opening on Wall Street, amid some caution ahead of the release of key U.S. inflation numbers. A poor outlook from the sports retail giant Nike also weighed, although a continuation of the year-end rally with weekly gains still looked likely. The news in the UK…
Read More “Nike, Fed Inflation Headline, UK Recession | Stock Market Today” »
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose only slightly last week, indicating underlying strength in the economy over the course of the year. Initial claims for unemployment benefits rose by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 205,000 in the week ended Dec. 16, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Although claims figures…
As 2024 approaches, investors, economists, business leaders, and everyday consumers from London to Lyon to Los Angeles share a common hope: Let the interest rate cuts begin! Central banks from most major developed economies closed out 2023 with lightning policy meetings in December that effectively closed the books on the aggressive rate hikes that will…
Read More “Is the ‘Big Ease’ Coming in 2024, or Are Rate Cut Hopes Disappearing?” »
The U.S. dollar edged lower in early European trading on Thursday ahead of key growth data, while the pound continued to fall on rapidly cooling UK inflation. At 04:30 ET (09:30 GMT), the dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six other currencies, was trading 0.1% lower at 102.010, down nearly 2%…
Read More “Dollar margins are lower than key dates; Pound Remains Weak” »
Britain’s year-on-year consumer price inflation fell much more than expected to 3.9% in November from 4.6% in October, the slowest pace since September 2021, official data showed on Wednesday. Official figures released on Wednesday showed that inflation in the UK has gone down to its lowest level in more than two years. This is good…
Read More “UK inflation falls much more than expected, lowest since September 2021” »
U.S. homebuilding surged to a more than 1-1/2-year high in November and could gain further momentum, with falling mortgage rates and incentives from builders likely to draw potential buyers back into the housing market. A Commerce Department report on Tuesday also showed that permits for future construction of single-family homes rose last month to the…
Read More “US family housing starts at more than 1-1/2-year high According to Reuters” »
Global markets are heading for year-end at a “buy all” high, with the Federal Reserve signaling it will cut rates in 2024, pushing stocks and gold higher. Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan could finally signal the end of its ultra-loose monetary policy. The road to 2024 could be bumpy for investors. You’ve got a week…
It stood firm on Monday as the Bank of Japan (BOJ) opened its two-day monetary policy meeting, with traders awaiting a decision on whether the dovish central bank might finally loosen its ultra-loose policy settings. In the broader market, the US dollar started the week on the back foot, extending its decline from last week…
Read More “Just holding position ahead of critical BOJ test; dollar bills According to Market” »
