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NEW YORK (AP) — As some of the world’s biggest economies stumble into recession, the United States keeps chugging along. Yet in the United States, the economy motored ahead in last year’s fourth quarter for a sixth straight quarter of growth. But, for now, the outlook continues to appear better for the United States than many other big economies. Even China, whose economy is growing faster than the United States’, is under heavy pressure. Some pillars of support for consumer spending may be weakening.

Persons: Solita Marcelli, Biden, ”, Diane Swonk, They've, Catherine Mann, Morgan Stanley, Chris Kempczinski, he’s, ” ___ Rugaber Organizations: U.S, UBS Global Wealth Management, International Monetary Fund, KPMG, “, Federal, British, Bank of England, Bank of, Japan, Federal Reserve Locations: United States, Japan, United Kingdom, U.S, Government, Americas, Washington, Europe, Ukraine, China

☆ Morning Bid: Sidestepping Moody's rating twist
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 26, 2023. It's the last of the three major rating agencies to maintain a top rating for the U.S. Treasury as Fitch lowered its rating in August and S&P removed its AAA in 2011. On one level, there's some relief the AAA rating was maintained despite the darker outlook. And that would at least keep the Federal Reserve at bay despite its warnings last week that another rate hike was still on the table. Line chart with data from LSEG Eikon show the U.S. consumer price index inflation, core CPI inflation and federal funds target rate from Jan. 2019 to Sep. 2023.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Mike Dolan, Fitch, William Foster, Mike Johnson, China's, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Suella Braverman, David Cameron, Lisa Cook, Bank of England policymaker Catherine Mann, Tyson, Henry Schein Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, U.S . Treasury, AAA, Reuters, . House, Republican, Treasury, Federal Reserve, Tyson Foods, Walmart, Bank of England, Moody's, U.S . AAA, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Wall St, San Francisco, New York

☆ Bank of England set to hold rates again, but markets see no cuts on the horizon
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

People walk outside the Bank of England in the City of London financial district, in London, Britain, January 26, 2023. "U.K. economic activity appears to have slowed further, the housing market is weaker, consumer spending is falling, and inflationary pressure is showing further signs of dissipating. U.K. inflation came in at 6.7% in September , unchanged from the previous month and considerably higher than in other G7 economies. "The only way that we can rationalise this is if U.K. inflation remains stuck at 3% or higher forever, and/or the U.K. economy avoids a meaningful recession," he said. The European Central Bank last week held rates steady at their current record high of 4%, ending a run of 10 straight hikes.

Persons: Mike Riddell, BoE, Swati Dhingra, Riddell, Abbas Khan, Haskel, Mann, Dhingra, Catherine Mann, Allianz's Riddell Organizations: Bank of England, Allianz Global Investors, P, MPC, Bank, Monetary, LONDON, Barclays, U.S . Federal, Treasury, European Central Bank Locations: City, London, Britain, Israel

☆ Morning Bid: Oil up but restrained on Mideast jolt
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Pump jacks operate in front of a drilling rig in an oil field in Midland, Texas U.S. August 22, 2018. U.S. crude oil prices rose about 3% higher on Monday as Israel retaliated for Saturday's shock attack by the Islamist group Hamas. With concern about a spillover over the long-running conflict to the wider stage, oil and other traditional global 'safety' plays caught a bid. What's more, any direct connection to Iran's possible involvement would scupper any easing of sanctions there and affect an estimated 3% of world oil supply. A sustained oil price rise from here could aggravate the inflation picture the Fed is negotiating - but could also drag on growth too.

Persons: Nick Oxford, Mike Dolan, Israel, What's, Friday's, Jaime Gilinski, Michael Barr, Philip Jefferson, Lorie Logan, Bank of England policymaker Catherine Mann, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Midland , Texas U.S, REUTERS, Hamas, Saudi, White, Street, Tehran, Treasury, U.S, Columbus Day, New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, Stock, Tel, Bank of Israel, Federal Reserve, Metro Bank, Metro, Columbus, Federal, NYSE, World Bank, IMF, Dallas Fed, Bank of England, United, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Midland , Texas, U.S, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Saudi, Russia, Tel Aviv, Europe, Marrakesh, Morocco, United States

☆ Bank of England halts run of interest rate hikes as economy slows
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A general view of the Bank of England (BoE) building, the BoE confirmed to raise interest rates to 1.75%, in London, Britain, August 4, 2022. A day after a surprise slowing in Britain's fast pace of price growth, the BoE's Monetary Policy Committee voted by a narrow margin of 5-4 to keep Bank Rate at 5.25%. "There are increasing signs of some impact of tighter monetary policy on the labour market and on momentum in the real economy more generally," the MPC said in a statement. The BoE's decision to pause its rate hikes came a day after the U.S. Federal Reserve also opted to keep borrowing costs on hold. Last week, the European Central Bank raised rates but suggested it might be the last for now.

Persons: BoE, Maja Smiejkowska, William Schomberg, Andy Bruce, Suban Abdulla, Jon Cunliffe, Megan Greene, Jonathan Haskel, Catherine Mann, Andrew Bailey, Bailey, BRITAIN BOE Organizations: Bank of England, REUTERS, MPC, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

A day after Britain's fast pace of price growth unexpectedly slowed, the BoE's Monetary Policy Committee voted by the narrowest margin of 5-4 to keep Bank Rate at 5.25%. But rate futures suggested they still saw a 50% chance of Bank Rate rising to 5.5% by the end of this year. Britain's economy, hit hard by Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic and the surge in gas prices triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has been struggling with the highest inflation rate in the Group of Seven. But growth remains fragile, heightening the risk that the BoE's 14 back-to-back rate hikes will push the economy into a recession. Last week, the European Central Bank raised rates but suggested its move might be the last for now.

Persons: Andrew Bailey, Jon Cunliffe, Megan Greene, Jonathan Haskel, Catherine Mann, BoE, Reuters Graphics Sterling, Bailey, Rishi Sunak, Peter Nicholls, Frances Haque, Reuters Graphics Bailey, Yael Selfin, Hugh Gimber, William Schomberg, Catherine Evans Organizations: Bank of England, Reuters Graphics, U.S ., MPC, REUTERS, Santander UK, IF, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, KPMG, Investors, Bank of, Morgan Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, London, Britain

☆ Bank of England readies what may be its final rate hike
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A general view of the Bank of England (BoE) building, the BoE confirmed to raise interest rates to 1.75%, in London, Britain, August 4, 2022. All but one of 65 economists polled by Reuters in recent days predicted the BoE will raise Bank Rate to 5.5% on Thursday from 5.25%, which would mark its highest level since 2007. If Bank Rate does peak at 5.5% - from a starting point of 0.1% - it would rank fourth on the list of Britain's biggest tightening cycles of the last century, behind surges that took place in the late 1980s and in the early- and late-1970s. The European Central Bank also cited a weak economic outlook when it hiked rates last week and signalled that would be its last such move in the current cycle. Inflation figures for August due on Wednesday are likely to buck the falling trend thanks to rising petrol prices.

Persons: BoE, Maja Smiejkowska, Andrew Bailey's, Bailey, Benjamin Nabarro, Catherine Mann, Catherine Evans Organizations: Bank of England, REUTERS, Reuters, Monetary, European Central Bank, Barclays, Data, MPC, Citi, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Bank of England to raise Bank Rate to 5.50% in September, significant minority expect further hike: Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Shaloo Shrivastava | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Nearly all 65 economists in the Sept. 11-13 Reuters poll expected the BoE to hike its Bank Rate by 25 basis points to 5.50% this month, in line with interest rate futures pricing. Survey medians showed the Bank Rate was expected to peak at 5.50%, matching rate futures pricing, and stay there until mid-2024. While 28 economists expected the Bank Rate to peak at 5.75%, two said 6.00%. Nine of 16 gilt-edged Market Makers (GEMMs) that participated in the poll predicted a 5.50% peak rate and seven said 5.75%. A separate Reuters poll showed average house prices in Britain were predicted to fall 4% this year and flatline in 2024 before rising in 2025.

Persons: BoE, Maja Smiejkowska, Ellie Henderson, BoE Governor Andrew Bailey, Catherine Mann, Shaloo Shrivastava, Anitta Sunil, Purujit Arun, Maneesh Kumar, Pranoy, Ross Finley, Hari Kishan, Mark Potter Organizations: Bank of England, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, HSBC, MPC, Royal Institution, Chartered Surveyors, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Investec

☆ Morning Bid: China developers catch break, BOJ hawks take flight
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, September 8, 2023. The drama isn't over: Sources say the extension applies to six of eight bonds under discussion, with voting delayed on the other two. The embattled developer has already dodged default twice this month, winning a three-year extension on offshore bond payments and making a last-minute coupon payment. Traders certainly lean toward a quarter-point hike next week, putting the probability at about 80%. But they're split on the chances of another, laying just north of 50/50 odds of one by March.

Persons: Kevin Buckland, Kazuo Ueda's, rumblings, BOE, Catherine Mann, it's, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Staff, HK, Bank of Japan, Bank of England, Federal Reserve, ECB, Fed, Traders, Spain CPI, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Asia, Spain

☆ Morning Bid: Japan jolt as inflation forks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A man walks past the headquarters of Bank of Japan in Tokyo, Japan, January 17, 2023. "If we judge that Japan can achieve its inflation target even after ending negative rates, we'll do so," Ueda said. The yen surged 1% against the dollar, knocking the U.S. currency back more generally (.DXY) on the foreign exchange markets. If Japan's does tighten further by yearend, it comes as the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank rate hike campaigns are coming to halt. News of an expected return of headline Chinese consumer price inflation to positive territory last month and above-forecast August lending data helped mainland shares (.CSI300) higher, with the yuan bouncing back from 16-year lows.

Persons: Issei Kato, Mike Dolan, Kazuo Ueda, Ueda, Alibaba, Daniel Zhang, Bank of England policymaker Catherine Mann, Christina Fincher Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, U.S, Tokyo Stock, Nikkei, Global, Treasury, yearend, Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, ECB, Fed, CPI, OpenAI, Wall Street, SoftBank Group, underwriters, Bank of England, Oracle, Graphics, Graphics Reuters, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S, Hong Kong, Ottawa

Economists polled by Reuters last week forecast BoE rates would peak at 5.75% later this year. The BoE forecast inflation would fall to 4.9% by the end of this year - a faster decline than it had predicted in May. Wage rises had been a bigger driver of high inflation than companies' profit margins, the BoE said. The BoE forecast housing investment would fall 5.75% this year and 6.25% in 2024. (This story has been corrected to clarify that the unemployment rate forecast is for late 2025, not late 2024, in paragraph 17)Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Hollie Adams, BoE, Andrew Bailey, Catherine Mann, Jonathan Haskel, Swati Dhingra, Rishi Sunak Organizations: Bank of England, City of, REUTERS, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Reuters, MPC, Markets, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, Britain

☆ Morning Bid: Data-hit bond markets end summer lull
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

On top of that, there were signs that activity at dominant U.S. service sector firms picked up steam again last month too. Friday's release of the Labor Department's monthly national payrolls report will seal the picture. U.S. Treasury yields hit 16-year highs above 5%, German equivalents hit their highest in 15 years and British gilt yields scaled 2008 peaks. The VIX (.VIX) gauge of implied Wall St volatility - which had been peculiarly subdued right through last month - jumped to its highest since June 1. Crucially, 2-year Treasury yields edged back below 5%.

Persons: Mike Dolan, Lorie Logan, payrolls, HSI, Janet Yellen's, Elon, Lorrie Logan, Christine Lagarde, Joachim Nagel, Bank of England policymaker Catherine Mann, Emelia Sithole Organizations: readouts, Federal, Labor, Dallas Fed, Fed, Treasury, Nikkei, Twitter, Meta, Dallas Federal, Central Bank, Bank of England, NATO, Vilnius Reuters Graphics, Reuters Graphics Reuters, PMI Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson, Reuters Locations: U.S, China, Canada, New York, Vilnius Reuters

☆ Inflation blame game: UK economic woes set government and central bank on a collision course
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Sunak has reiterated his "total support" for the Bank of England and under fire Governor Andrew Bailey. Meanwhile, economic growth has all but stagnated and public debt has surpassed 100% of gross domestic product for the first time since March 1961. "What is perhaps surprising is that the energy shock in the U.K. was larger than in most of mainland Europe." In a recent CNBC-moderated panel at a monetary policy forum in Sintra, Portugal, Bailey noted that the U.K. labor force is unique in remaining below its pre-Covid levels. Thanos Papasavvas, founder of ABP Invest, also alluded to the unique susceptibility of the U.K. to high inflation, but said the Bank of England should have been alive to this far earlier.

Persons: Sunak, Andrew Bailey, STEFAN ROUSSEAU, Rishi Sunak, Shaan Raithatha, CNBC's, We've, they've, Raithatha, we've, Richard Flax, Panmure Gordon, Simon French, Bailey, it's, Brexit, Catherine Mann, It's, Panmure Gordon's, French, Thanos Papasavvas Organizations: Bank of England, Getty, Sunak's Conservative, The Bank of, Vanguard, CPI, CNBC, Bank, Monetary, Committee, Panmure, ABP Invest Locations: The Bank of England, U.S, Ukraine, Europe, Moscow, Sintra , Portugal, U.K, British

☆ Bank of England to press on with rate hikes, peak at 5.00% in Q3
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Jonathan Cable | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In December 2021 the BoE was one of the first major central banks to draw a line under its ultra-loose pandemic-era monetary policy. It has now raised borrowing costs by 440 basis points across 12 consecutive meetings in modest-sized rate rises. All 64 economists polled June 12-14 said the BoE would add another 25 basis points to Bank Rate on June 22, taking it to 4.75%. A majority of economists surveyed, 52 of 64, said Bank Rate will have peaked by end-August with the median forecast putting it at 5.00%. Although starting later, both the Fed and the European Central Bank have largely been raising rates in greater magnitudes than the BoE.

Persons: BoE, Ellie Henderson, BoE Governor Andrew Bailey, Jonathan Haskel, Catherine Mann, Megan Greene, Silvana Tenreyro, Stefan Koopman, Investec's Henderson, Jonathan Cable, Aditi Verma, Anitta Sunil, Ross Finley, Catherine Evans Organizations: Bank of England, Monetary, Committee, Rabobank, U.S . Federal, Fed, European Central Bank, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Investec

☆ Morning Bid: China steals the show before US inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Sonali DesaiThe People's Bank of China (PBOC) managed to liven up the wait for Tuesday's highly anticipated U.S. consumer price inflation (CPI) data by lowering a short-term lending rate for the first time in 10 months. Several analysts had been expecting a cut to the one-year medium-term lending facility rate on Thursday, when the PBOC is widely expected to roll over maturing loans. The move had little broader impact on markets in the run-up to tonight's U.S. CPI release and this week's major central bank decisions. Europe's calendar highlights include UK employment data, Germany's ZEW survey for June and final May inflation data, and Bank of (BoE) Governor Andrew Bailey's parliamentary testimony. In the U.S., CPI data is likely to dominate market interest and factor into the Federal Open Market Committee's (FOMC) deliberations as it begins a two-day meeting.

Persons: Sonali Desai, Tuesday's, SoftBank Group's, BoE, Andrew Bailey's, BoE policymaker Catherine Mann, Bailey, CPI BoE Governor Bailey, ECB's Pablo Hernandez de Cos, Andrea Enria, FOMC, Christopher Cushing Organizations: People's Bank of China, U.S, CPI, U.S ., Intel, Reuters, Bank of, bps, Federal, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Economic, Thomson Locations: Asia, U.S . Federal, U.S

LONDON, June 12 (Reuters) - Central banks like the Bank of England will find it hard to communicate the end of their rate-tightening cycle and should not sweat over this at the expense of taking steps to bring down inflation, BoE policymaker Catherine Mann said on Monday. "Fine-tuning is something that monetary policy is not very good at if the ultimate objective is to focus on inflation," Mann said at an event hosted by U.S. political strategists Signum Global Advisors. Many economists, by contrast, expect the BoE to stop sooner - or if not, to pause to assess the impact of the rapid series of rate rises. "Inflation expectations, in fact, are on the downswing even as some of these core and services prints have been more robust than we would have hoped for," Mann said. Economic activity had also continued to grow modestly and in line with expectations, Mann added.

Persons: BoE policymaker Catherine Mann, Mann, Signum, BoE, Jonathan Haskel, it's, David Milliken, Suban Abdulla, William James, Andrea Ricci Organizations: Bank of England, Signum Global Advisors, Bank of Canada, Monetary, MPC, Thomson Locations: Central, Britain, United States

☆ Bank of England's Mann sees case for UK carbon tax
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 12 (Reuters) - Britain and other rich nations should consider a carbon tax as the most efficient way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Bank of England policymaker Catherine Mann said on Monday. Instead, Mann focused on whether policies introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic and last year's surge in energy prices were likely to hamper or boost Britain's weak long-run growth. "As wholesale energy prices level off, now is the time to put in place a longer-term strategy for both greater use of market mechanisms and revenue redistribution," she added. The Bank of England has raised rates 12 times since December 2021, increasing its benchmark interest rate to 4.5% from 0.1%, and financial markets expect rates to hit 5.5% by November. Mann has been a keen supporter of interest rate rises to tackle inflation which peaked at 11.1% last year.

Persons: Bank of England policymaker Catherine Mann, Mann, David Milliken, Andy Bruce Organizations: Bank of England, Committee, Britain's, Labour Party, Thomson Locations: Britain, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Sterling strengthens against dollar as chances of Fed 'skip' rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sterling was last up 0.2% against the dollar at $1.2467 and flat against the euro at 85.90 pence, close to its strongest in six months. The pound fell by 1% against the dollar in May, its largest monthly slide since February's 2.8% loss, but it's still up 3.1% so far in 2023. Against the euro, sterling gained 2% last month - the most in a month since last July. UK inflation fell to 8.7% in April from a peak of 11.1% in October, while U.S. inflation is down to 4.9%, from 9.1% last June - when UK inflation was at 9.4%. The Fed, meanwhile, took just seven months from that time to raise rates by the same amount and U.S. rates are at 5.25%.

Persons: BoE, Sterling, it's, Stephen Gallo, BoE policymaker Catherine Mann, Mann, Amanda Cooper, Mark Potter Organizations: Federal Reserve, Bank of England, Nationwide, BMO, Pictet, Thomson Locations: Britain, United States, U.S, Swiss

☆ Morning Bid: Back to data watching, with US debt bill on track
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Unfortunately, there's little respite on that front given disappointing economic activity and persistently elevated inflation data out of Asia. China's official PMIs indicated a faster-than-expected contraction in manufacturing activity and slower growth in services in May. That followed consistently weak economic releases for April, suggesting the post-COVID reopening bounce has run out of steam. China economyAsian stock markets fell and even U.S. equity futures turned negative despite the debt ceiling reprieve, while China's yuan promptly skidded to fresh six-month lows, giving the U.S. dollar a broad boost. But much of the focus will, of course, be on the House debate over the debt ceiling bill.

Persons: Sonali Desai, Philip Lowe's, Italy's, Ignazio Visco's, Catherine Mann, Muralikumar Organizations: Sonali, Reserve Bank of Australia, U.S, CPI, Central Bank's, Bank of Italy, Bank of England MPC, Nordstrom, Thomson Locations: Asia, China, Korean, Ukraine, France, Germany, Italy, U.S, Italian

☆ Bank of England policymakers consider 12th straight rate hike
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, May 2 (Reuters) - The Bank of England is weighing up whether to raise interest rates for the 12th meeting in a row next week as it continues to grapple with an inflation rate that remains above 10%, higher than in any other big, rich economy. Following is a summary of recent comments by members of the Monetary Policy Committee. If they become evident, further monetary tightening would be required. JON CUNLIFFE, DEPUTY GOVERNORHas not commented on monetary policy in recent months. MPC MEMBERS WHO VOTED IN MARCH TO STOP RAISING RATESSILVANA TENREYRO, EXTERNAL MPC MEMBERApril 14: "We need to be patient (to see the effects of past rate increases).

☆ Morning Bid: Sterling's inflation test
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Tom WestbrookTraders are scaling back bets on U.S. rate cuts, but dialling up expectations for British hikes. On Tuesday, it was bigger-than-expected pay rises that strengthened expectations for the Bank of England to lift rates next month and to continue doing so thereafter. On Wednesday, British inflation data is in focus. On balance, the sheer size of the Bank of England's task of reining in inflation has been supportive for sterling, which hit a 10-month high last week. Implied volatility in the options market suggests traders don't expect sudden changes in the currency's slow grind higher.

☆ Morning Bid: Crowded bonds unnerved
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

This has some wondering if the recent dash for cash and top-rated bonds has become a bit crowded and how much more tightening central banks have to do. As we move into the weeds of the first-quarter U.S. earnings season, it's been a mixed bag so far. That clearly unnerved UK government bonds - where 10 year yields jumped 10bps - but it also jarred sovereign bonds around the world. Elsewhere, further signs of healing were evident in the global bank funding market. Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T) sold $1 billion of additional tier-1 debt, the first major global bank to sell the risky securities since similar bonds issued by Credit Suisse were wiped out last month.

☆ Morning Bid: As banking worries slowly slip into rear view, markets fret on Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

But as we are at the 'no news = good news' stage of the recovery from the banking worries, investors are preparing to try again as Europe wakes up with futures indicating a higher open. In a call to discuss the plan to split into six units, Group CEO Daniel Zhang said on Thursday the company's breakup plan will allow its units to become more agile and eventually list on their own. Investors hope the plan will help unlock value for the internet behemoth. Alibaba US shares traders at 11x forward earningsWith fears of a widespread banking crisis easing, investor attention has switched to Fed vs inflation. Meanwhile, the U.S. banking system's top cop said the scope of blame for Silicon Valley Bank's failure stretches across bank executives, Federal Reserve supervisors and other regulators.

☆ Morning Bid: Bank calm, rates firm, Alibaba steals show
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A semblance of calm has returned to world markets in the final week of the first quarter as the banking storm abates and the spotlight switched to a share-boosting six-way revamp of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. Investors cheered the surprise move from Alibaba (9988.HK) as a sign Beijing's corporate crackdown may be nearing an end, sending shares of the Jack Ma-founded firm and peers soaring. The surprise move seeks to take advantage of Ermotti's experience rebuilding the bank after the global financial crisis 15 years ago. Broader stock markets were higher across the board, with Wall St futures up almost 1% ahead of the open. Futures markets now show a 50-50 chance of one more Fed rate hike in this cycle in May and half a point of easing by yearend.

☆ Morning Bid: Bank angst persists, unnerves Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

But banks boosted borrowing under the Fed's newly launched Bank Term Funding Program to $53.7 billion - almost 5 times its first outing the previous week. European bank stocks fell 3% early on Friday, with Deutsche Bank shares (DBKGn.DE) down for a third day - losing 5% amid rising market costs for insuring against the risk of default. European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde is due to attend Friday's European Union summit in Brussels and update leaders on the state of affairs in the financial system. Wider markets were lower in Asia and Europe and U.S. stock futures were in the red again ahead of the open. With less than a 50% chance of another Fed rate rise in this cycle now priced into the futures, almost 80 basis points of rate cuts are now seen by year-end.

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