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☆ Police in Michigan City Put on Alert After WSJ Opinion Piece
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The WSJ published the piece on Friday headlined as "Welcome to Dearborn, America's Jihad Capital." Islamophobic," Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said about the WSJ piece written by Steven Stalinsky, executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute. This is a direct result of the inflammatory @WSJ opinion piece that has led to an alarming increase in bigoted and Islamophobic rhetoric online targeting the city of Dearborn," the mayor added. Rights advocates have noted a rise in Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian bias and antisemitism in the U.S. since the eruption of war in the Middle East in October. The latest eruption of war in the Middle East began on Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200.

Persons: Kanishka Singh, Abdullah Hammoud, Steven Stalinsky, Dan Burns, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Street Journal, Council, Islamic Relations, Dearborn, Middle East Media Research Institute, Street, East, Hamas Locations: Dearborn , Michigan, Dearborn, Jihad, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Vermont, Illinois, Washington

☆ Trump Would Not Reappoint Powell as Fed Chief
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Former President Donald Trump said he would not reappoint Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell if Trump wins this year's presidential election, the Republican frontrunner told Fox Business in an interview aired Friday. "No I wouldn't," Trump said in response to a question on whether he would reappoint Powell, whose second four-year term as chair will expire in 2026. Trump said he believes Powell is going to lower interest rates to help President Joe Biden's prospects for re-election. "I think he’s going to do something to help the Democrats, if he lowers interest rates,” Trump said. Biden, a Democrat who beat Trump in the 2020 White House race, reappointed Powell to a second term in 2021.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jerome Powell, Trump, reappoint Powell, Powell, Joe Biden's, ” Trump, Biden, Dan Burns, Doina, Chizu Nomiyama Organizations: Reuters, Trump, Republican, Fox Business, White, Fed Locations: U.S, Iranian, Suez, Asia, Europe, South Africa

Periods of high inflation would offset those when inflation was low as occurred between the financial crisis and the pandemic. Those concerns may not matter anymore if the pandemic has driven inflation and interest rates chronically higher. Speaking at a Boston Fed labor market conference in November, Kohn said the new framework showed the risks of not keeping inflation at bay to begin with. "Probing" for maximum employment "can't ignore...inflation risks," Kohn said, calling for a return to a strategy disavowed in the last review. "I think preemptive tightening is best-practice central banking, and I hope they return to allowing that."

Persons: Joshua Roberts, Jerome Powell, There's, Miesha Williams, Powell, Charles Evans, Evans, Fed, Loretta Mester, Austan Goolsbee, Goolsbee, Donald Kohn, Kohn, Howard Schneider, Dan Burns, Andrea Ricci Organizations: Federal Reserve, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Federal, Spelman College, Reuters, Chicago Fed, Chicago, Cleveland Fed, Boston Fed, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Atlanta

Fresh data shows price pressures are easing and the labor market is gradually cooling, evidence that the slowdown the Fed has tried to engineer with its rate hikes to date is underway. Still, the unemployment rate at last read was 3.9%, only a few tenths of a percentage point above where it was when the Fed first began raising rates in March 2022. UNCERTAIN PATHTraders have been betting heavily that the Fed will keep its overnight benchmark interest rate steady in the 5.25%-5.50% range for the next several months. "I'm not losing too much sleep" over the market's view "because there's a lot of uncertainty about the future path of policy," Williams said. "I'm not thinking about rate cuts at all right now," Daly said.

Persons: John Williams, Williams, Janet Yellen, I'm, Mary Daly, Daly, Jerome Powell, Christopher Waller, Oscar Munoz, Dan Burns, Michael S, Howard Schneider, David Lawder, Chizu Nomiyama, Paul Simao, Andrea Ricci, Will Dunham Organizations: Federal Reserve, New York Fed Bank, Fed, U.S, Treasury, PATH Traders, San Francisco Fed, Spelman College, Derby, Thomson Locations: U.S, New, Atlanta

[1/3] An employee hiring sign is seen in a window of a business in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., April 7, 2023. So far, he said at a Boston Fed labor market conference earlier this month, measures like the employment-to-population ratio largely have not behaved differently for key racial groups, for women versus men, or among those with different education levels. Research has since tended to suggest that there may be untapped pools of labor that only become available when the job market is tight - an argument for keeping monetary policy looser than not. The labor market recovery so far has been "remarkably equitable," she said. Pandemic-era programs threw a safety net under many families, and the tight job market that has since developed helped many get a foothold, Rouse said.

Persons: Elizabeth Frantz, William M, Rodgers III, Rodgers, Torsten Slok, Jerome Powell, quartile, Chris Wheat, Cecilia Rouse, Joe Biden, Rouse, what's, we're, Howard Schneider, Dan Burns, Paul Simao Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Institute for Economic Equity, St, Louis Federal Reserve, Boston Fed, Blacks, Apollo Global Management, JPMorgan Chase Institute, Workers, Reuters Graphics, of Economic Advisers, Brookings Institution, Thomson Locations: Arlington , Virginia, U.S, joblessness

☆ US consumers worry inflation will pick up again, UMich survey finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"These expectations have risen in spite of the fact that consumers have taken note of the continued slowdown in inflation," survey Director Joanne Hsu said in a statement. But progress this year has been inconsistent, and Fed officials remain wary of the potential for a reversal. That said, the University of Michigan survey results are at odds with other measures of inflation expectations that have shown they have in fact been moderating. A New York Fed survey of consumers last week, for instance, showed inflation expectations over both one-year and five-year horizons eased in October even as the Michigan survey showed them accelerating. Market-based measures of inflation expectations are also declining.

Persons: Joanne Hsu, Quincy Krosby, Dan Burns, Chizu Organizations: Federal Reserve, University of Michigan's, Fed, Global, LPL, University of Michigan, New York Fed, . Treasury, Securities, Thomson Locations: Michigan

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Susan Collins stands behind the Jackson Lake Lodge in Jackson Hole, where the Kansas City Fed holds its annual economic symposium, in Wyoming, U.S., August 24, 2023. Collins joins a growing set of Fed officials who have started preaching patience in considering any further rate hikes. But, she said, "there's been some promising evidence of inflation coming down," with goods price increases moderating, and shelter inflation likely to ease as well. There has been less progress on services inflation, Collins said, adding "I don't take off the table the possibility" that rates may need to rise again. I remain optimistic that we can bring inflation down in a reasonable amount of time without requiring a large increase" in unemployment, she said.

Persons: Susan Collins, Ann Saphir, Collins, there's, Howard Schneider, Dan Burns, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Reserve Bank of Boston, Kansas City Fed, REUTERS, Rights BOSTON, Boston Federal, Fed, Thomson Locations: Jackson, Wyoming, U.S

Speaking on CNBC, Boston Fed President Susan Collins also said the U.S. central bank must be "patient and resolute, and I wouldn't take additional firming off the table." Inflation by the Fed's preferred measure was 3.4% in September, down from its 7.1% peak last summer, but above the central bank's target. And he expressed increased confidence that the Fed can meet its inflation goal without the kind of rise in unemployment seen in the U.S. central bank's prior battles with inflation. Speaking on Thursday, Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester, one of the central bank's more hawkish policymakers, said she had not yet assessed whether she would continue to pencil in a further rate hike. Fresh economic and interest rate projections are due to be the released at the Dec. 12-13 policy meeting.

Persons: Mary Daly, Daly, Susan Collins, Collins, Austan Goolsbee, Loretta Mester, Ann Saphir, Michael S, Pete Schroeder, Dan Burns, Balazs Koranyi, Paul Simao Organizations: Federal, San Francisco Fed, CNBC, Boston, Deutsche Bank, Chicago Fed, Fed, Cleveland Fed, Derby, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, U.S

Research prepared for a Boston Federal Reserve labor market conference found that whether driving for Uber to make ends meet or taking piecework jobs in retirement, casual contract workers sometimes don't consider themselves "employed" or even a part of the labor force. The research involved reexamining the detailed responses to a New York Fed survey of "informal work" from 2015 through 2022. Other research looked at how job training and policies towards employing those with a criminal record might help. Their research found many gig workers want additional hours of formal employment, suggesting more untapped labor supply. "And the higher levels of activity and participation can benefit those brought into the labor market, contributing to a vibrant economy that works for all."

Persons: Mike Segar, Uber, Anat Bracha, Mary A, Burke, Bracha, rehashed, Jerome Powell, Susan Collins, Collins, Howard Schneider, Dan Burns, Paul Simao Organizations: REUTERS, Rights BOSTON, Federal, Boston Federal Reserve, Hebrew University Business School, Boston Fed, Fed, New, Labor, Boston, Thomson Locations: New York City , New York, U.S, Jerusalem

☆ Exclusive: Three Fed governors tell US senator there is room to reduce balance sheet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Michael S. Derby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Under plausible assumptions the size of the balance sheet could decline considerably further before reserves reach the level consistent with the ample reserves operating framework," Jefferson wrote in response to a series of questions from Scott about the roughly $8 trillion balance sheet. The senator also wrote letters to Fed Governors Lisa Cook and Adriana Kugler at the same time. Fed officials who have spoken on the matter have said the balance sheet can be reduced for an extended period. Speaking after the central bank's Oct. 31-Nov. 1 policy meeting, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said it was "not considering changing the pace of balance sheet runoff. Many market participants are eyeing next year or maybe 2025 as a potential time to end the drawdown of the balance sheet.

Persons: Philip Jefferson, Jefferson, Rick Scott, Scott, Lisa Cook, Adriana Kugler, Cook, Kugler, Jerome Powell, Loretta Mester, General, Michael S, Dan Burns, Paul Simao Organizations: Federal, Republican U.S, Fed, Reuters, Federal Reserve, Cleveland Fed, Thomson Locations: Jefferson

But the steady ebbing of inflation hasn't translated into good news for either President Joe Biden or the Federal Reserve when it comes to public opinion. They're just going up at a slower rate," Fed Governor Christopher Waller said last week when asked at a research conference about common public misconceptions. Inflation expectations have fallen, according to a New York Fed survey but remain well above the central bank's 2% target. Both Waller and Fed Governor Lisa Cook took note of the public mood last week in similar comments about the expectation for prices to fall, which they don't frequently do. Reuters GraphicsBut if inflation readings continue to show a slowdown, the Fed could put more weight on sustaining the strength of the job market.

Persons: Joe Biden, They're, Christopher Waller, That's, Biden, Jeff Jones, Waller, Lisa Cook, Derek Tang, Howard Schneider, Dan Burns, Paul Simao Organizations: Federal Reserve, Fed, Reuters, Democratic, Gallup, Reuters Graphics, New, FOCUS, Biden, Thomson Locations: U.S, shutdowns

☆ Consumer sentiment drops again in November, inflation expectations climb
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Dan Burns | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 10 (Reuters) - U.S. consumer sentiment fell for a fourth straight month in November, and households' expectations for inflation rose again, with their medium-term outlook for price pressures shooting to the highest in more than a dozen years, a survey showed on Friday. The University of Michigan's preliminary reading of its Consumer Sentiment Index dropped to 60.4, the lowest since May, from October's final reading of 63.8. The survey's preliminary gauge of current conditions fell to 65.7 from last month's final level of 70.6, while the expectations index slid to 56.9 from 59.3 in October. Consumers' outlook for inflation in the year ahead rose for a second month to a seven-month high of 4.4%. They are keen to see inflation expectations trend lower so as not to alter consumption behavior that could reverse the gains they have made in slowing the pace of price increases.

Persons: Dan Burns, Chizu Organizations: The University, Consumers, Federal Reserve, Thomson Locations: U.S

Brazil's central bank Governor Roberto Campos Neto, speaks at the ReutersNEXT Newsmaker event in New York City, New York, U.S., November 9, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Brazil's central bank chief Roberto Campos Neto on Thursday said any change to the country's fiscal target would raise concerns, following comments by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva casting doubt on the government's vow to erase a budget deficit. Since then, Finance Minister Fernando Haddad has broadly reaffirmed Brazil's commitment to "fiscal balance," but lawmakers involved in next year's budget bill are hinting heavily that they aim to loosen the zero-deficit target. In Thursday's interview, Campos Neto highlighted that Brazil has approved important reforms since the COVID pandemic, including an overhaul on consumption taxes, which passed the Senate on Wednesday, but acknowledged the uncertainty on fiscal policy. "And that influences a lot of the variables that are important for us when you make decisions in monetary policy," he reinforced.

Persons: Roberto Campos Neto, Brendan McDermid, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Campos Neto, Lula, Fernando Haddad, Rodrigo Campos, Dan Burns, Marcela Ayres, Mark Porter, Brad Haynes, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters NEXT, Finance, Thomson Locations: New York City , New York, U.S, New York, Brazil

☆ New US jobless claims edge down; continued claims on the rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Dan Burns | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Some economists contend the rise in continuing claims reflects difficulties adjusting the data for seasonal fluctuations. That would be consistent with the latest hiring data showing the job market is cooling. A separate report showed that there were 1.5 job openings for every unemployed person in September, down from around 2-to-1 when the job market was the most tight last year. The claims data adds to the case for the U.S. Federal Reserve to keep interest rates on hold for now, economists said. Vanden Houten, however, said she expects job market conditions to soften slowly, and now expects the first Fed rate cut to happen in September rather than May as she had previously forecast.

Persons: Brian Snyder, Nancy Vanden Houten, Dan Burns, Paul Simao, Franklin Paul Organizations: Taylor Party, Equipment Rentals, REUTERS, Labor Department, Reuters, U.S . Federal Reserve, Oxford Economics, Fed, CME Group's, Franklin Paul Our, Thomson Locations: Somerville , Massachusetts, U.S, Vanden Houten

☆ US 30-year mortgage rate plunges by most in nearly 16 months - MBA
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A "For Rent, For Sale" sign is seen outside of a home in Washington, U.S., July 7, 2022. REUTERS/Sarah Silbiger/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 8 (Reuters) - The interest rate on the most common type of U.S. residential mortgage plunged last week by the most in nearly 16 months on the back of a rally in the Treasury market that drove down the benchmark yields used to set home loan costs. The Mortgage Bankers Association on Wednesday said the average contract rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped in the week ended Nov. 3 by a quarter percentage point to 7.61%, the lowest in about a month. It was the largest weekly drop since late July 2022. Reporting By Dan Burns; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sarah Silbiger, Dan Burns, Chizu Organizations: REUTERS, Treasury, Mortgage Bankers Association, Wednesday, U.S, U.S . Treasury, Federal Reserve, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S

☆ Reuters NEXT White House's Bernstein upbeat on economy despite Mideast war, shutdown threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Jeff Mason | Thomson Reuters | Jeff Mason Is A White House Correspondent For Reuters. He Has Covered The Presidencies Of Barack Obama | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"On the headwind side, certainly being in a higher rate environment is something we have to be mindful of. Bernstein said the U.S. economy was outperforming virtually all its competitors and urged Congress to pass the necessary appropriations bills to keep the government running. We've got a very strong backdrop to a U.S. economy that's outperforming virtually all our competitors," he said. Asked about recent negative polls reflecting concern about President Joe Biden's handling of the economy, Bernstein said Americans had to reset their price expectations given an increase in their buying power. Bernstein said the Biden administration had taken a series of steps to ease prices while maintaining a strong labor market.

Persons: Jared Bernstein, Amanda Andrade, Rhoades, Washington, Bernstein, We've, Joe Biden's, Biden, Jeff Mason, Eric Beech, Andrea Shalal, Dan Burns, Richard Chang Organizations: of Economic Advisers, Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs, Capitol, REUTERS, U.S . Council, Economic, Reuters NEXT, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Israel, Gaza, U.S, New York, joblessness

☆ Prefabricated home shipments on the rise in a pricey property market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Amina Niasse | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

That appears to be boosting demand in the prefabricated housing market, a sector that has lost market share in the past decade. "There's going to be continued interest in prefabricated homes because it's a window to building." As of May, the most recent month for which data is available, the average price of a prefabricated home was $129,900, according to Census data. Most modular construction factories are concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, where modular market share outpaces the national average of 2%, said Devin Perry, executive director of business improvement programs at the NAHB. "This is providing opportunities for modular to grab more market share."

Persons: Brian Abramson, Abramson, Danushka Nanayakkara, Devin Perry, Perry, Amina Niasse, Dan Burns, Andrea Ricci Organizations: Census, Reuters, Homes, Mortgage, Association, National Association of Homebuilders, Thomson

There are reasons for the central bank to be, as policymakers have said, "careful" in approving any further rate increases. "We think real rates are higher due to very strong US growth," analysts from Citi wrote ahead of this week's Fed meeting. As of the September meeting, Fed officials said they still felt one more rate hike would be necessary. But Powell has also said growth needs to slow - and if it doesn't, it means the Fed's policy rate will need to move higher. It's a good thing that the labor market's strong," Powell said at his press conference following the end of the Sept. 19-20 policy meeting.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Brendan McDermid, Powell, Nancy Vanden Houten, Dana Peterson, Consumers, Howard Schneider, Dan Burns, Paul Simao Organizations: Federal, Economic, of New, REUTERS, Federal Reserve, Treasury, Citi, Fed, Reuters Graphics Reuters, U.S, Investors, Gross, Oxford Economics, Conference Board, Conference Board's, Thomson Locations: of New York, New York City, U.S, WASHINGTON, joblessness

☆ Fed's reverse repo facility drawdown looms large in balance sheet debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Michael S. Derby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Inflows have dropped sharply in recent months to around $1 trillion in the face of the Fed's aggressive policy tightening underway since last year. Fed officials, for their part, have said repeatedly they’ve got a lot of room to cut their holdings of Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities, a process that complements Fed rate increases. So far, reverse repos have “come down very smoothly,” Lorie Logan, president of the Dallas Fed said earlier this month. In his view, if reverse repos stopped contracting that could become a meaningful sign liquidity levels were getting tight enough for the Fed to change gears. "We still have a very large balance sheet" so the balance sheet cuts can likely continue over the next year and half to two years, she said, adding when it comes to getting to the finish line, "it's going to take a while."

Persons: they’ve, ” Lorie Logan, Logan, “ I’ve, Wells Fargo, Roberto Perli, Lou Crandall, Wrightson ICAP, Crandall reckons, Loretta Mester, Michael S, Dan Burns, Andrea Ricci Organizations: Fed, Dallas Fed, New York Fed, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Cleveland Fed, Thomson Locations: Treasuries, Wells

☆ Yellen: Possible long-term yields will come down, but 'no one knows for sure'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

U.S. Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen prepares for the start of the Development Committee Plenary on the fourth day of the annual meeting of the IMF and the World Bank, following last month's deadly earthquake, in Marrakech, Morocco, October 12, 2023. REUTERS/Susana Vera/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday said the sharp rise in long-term bond yields is reflective of confidence in the U.S. economy and expectations that interest rates will be higher for longer as a result. Yellen, in a televised interview with Bloomberg, said it was also possible that yields on longer-dated bonds will come down, but "no one knows for sure." Reporting By Dan BurnsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Susana Vera, Dan Burns Organizations: IMF, World Bank, REUTERS, . Treasury, Bloomberg, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, U.S

☆ Soaring Treasury yields threaten long-term performance of US stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Lewis Krauskopf | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

This year’s climb in Treasury yields is changing that calculus, as government bonds offer income that is viewed as risk-free to investors who hold them to term. The 10-year Treasury yield has climbed about a full percentage point since then. The term premium is the added compensation investors expect for owning longer-term debt and is measured using financial models. Stocks have averaged a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 17.8 over the last 10 years, while the term premium has averaged -0.3%. That compares with a historical average forward P/E of 15.6 and a term premium of 1.4% since 1985.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, ”, Quincy Krosby, Elon Musk, John Lynch, Lynch, LSEG, Matthew Miskin, Keith Lerner, ” Lerner, Lewis Krauskopf, Dan Burns, Ira Iosebashvili, Marguerita Choy Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Soaring U.S, Treasury, U.S . Federal Reserve, . Treasury, BofA Global Research, LPL, Comerica Wealth Management, Reuters Graphics, John Hancock Investment Management, UBS Global Wealth Management, Advisory, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S

In the United States, the manufacturing sector pulled out of a five-month contraction on a pickup in new orders, and services activity accelerated modestly amid signs of easing inflationary pressures. HEADACHE FOR THE ECBIn the euro zone, business activity drooped as demand fell in a broad-based downturn across the region, causing the bloc to enter the fourth quarter on the wrong foot and suggesting it may slip into recession. "The flash PMIs mark a poor start to October for the euro zone, especially after showing some early signs of recovery in September," said Rory Fennessy at Oxford Economics. Suggesting a recession is well underway in Germany, Europe's largest economy, business activity contracted there for a fourth straight month as the downturn in manufacturing was matched by a renewed decline in services, its PMI showed. In France, the euro zone's second-largest economy, business activity remained in contraction territory in October, PMI data showed, improving just slightly from September's near three-year low.

Persons: Rebecca Cook, Chris Williamson, Christine Lagarde's, Rory Fennessy, Williamson, Ajay Banga, Dan Burns, Jonathan Cable, Lindsay Dunsmuir, Andrea Ricci Organizations: Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle, REUTERS, P Global, Composite, Federal, Commerce Department, Reuters, P, P Global Market Intelligence, P Global PMI, September's, European Central Bank, Oxford Economics, PMI, European Union, Bank of, Palestinian, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Dearborn , Michigan, U.S, United States, joblessness, Germany, Europe's, France, September's, Britain, Gaza, Ukraine

☆ US budget gap soars to $1.7 trillion, largest outside COVID era
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Treasury Department said the deficit was the largest since a COVID-fueled $2.78 trillion gap in 2021. For September, the final month of the fiscal year, the deficit fell to $171 billion from $430 billion in September 2022. The fiscal 2023 deficit would have been $321 billion larger, but was reduced by this amount because the Supreme Court struck down Biden's student loan forgiveness program as unconstitutional. Reuters GraphicsRECORD INTEREST COSTSThe 2023 deficit marks an abrupt end to two years of falling deficits for Biden as COVID-19 spending faded. Fiscal 2023 outlays fell $137 billion, or 2% from the prior year to $6.134 trillion.

Persons: Elizabeth Frantz, Joe Biden's, Biden, Donald Trump, Kevin McCarthy, Biden's, Janet Yellen, Shalanda Young, outlays, Gross, David Lawder, Dan Burns, Andrea Ricci Organizations: U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, Social Security, Treasury Department, Representatives, . House, Management, Treasury, Reuters Graphics, Federal, Federal Reserve, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Ukraine, Israel, U.S

☆ U.S. budget deficit jumps 23% to nearly $1.7 trillion as Social Security, health costs rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The U.S. Capitol building is seen in Washington, U.S., April 6, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Friday posted a $1.695 trillion budget deficit in fiscal 2023, a 23% jump from the prior year as revenues fell and outlays for Social Security, Medicare and interest costs on the federal debt rose significantly. The Treasury Department said the deficit was the largest since a COVID-fueled $2.78 trillion gap in 2021 and marks a major return to ballooning deficits after back-to-back declines during President Joe Biden's first two years in office. The deficit comes as Biden is asking Congress for $100 billion in new foreign aid and security spending, including $60 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel, along with funding for U.S. border security and the Indo-Pacific region. Reporting by David Lawder and Dan Burns; Editing by Andrea RicciOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Elizabeth Frantz, Joe Biden's, Biden, Donald Trump, Kevin McCarthy, David Lawder, Dan Burns, Andrea Ricci Organizations: U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, Social Security, Treasury Department, Representatives, . House, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Ukraine, Israel, U.S

☆ Analysis: Middle East throws central banks yet more unknowns
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Mark John | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Now, to complicate matters for a professional caste which prides itself on being data-driven, the Middle East is throwing a new set of real but unquantifiable risks into their equations. Unless the picture changes dramatically in coming days, the European Central Bank, U.S. Federal Reserve, Bank of England and Bank of Japan are already expected to keep their policy rates on hold in meetings over the next two weeks. ECB rate-setter Yannis Stournaras, the governor of the Greek central bank, argued that Europe had broadly managed to absorb the effects of rising energy costs triggered by the Ukraine war and hoped it could do the same if further shocks emerged. For now, the conflict remains largely confined to Israel and Gaza, something S&P Global Market Intelligence said in a study this week was already "muddying the waters" for central banks. As the Fed's Powell put it: "Our institutional role at the Federal Reserve is to monitor these developments for their economic implications, which remain highly uncertain".

Persons: Jerome Powell, David Westin, Brendan McDermid, Powell, Huw Pill, Yannis Stournaras, Tetsuya Hiroshima, Fed's Powell, Dan Burns, Balazs Koranyi, Francesco Canepa, Maria Martinez, Leika, Kevin Yao, David Milliken, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Federal, Anchor, Bloomberg, Street, Economic, of New, REUTERS, Bank of England, International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank, U.S, Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, Fed, ECB, Reuters Graphics, Reuters, Tokai, Toyota Motor Corp, P Global Market Intelligence, Thomson Locations: of New York, New York City, U.S, Israel, Ukraine, Iran, Hormuz, Europe, United States, Japan, Gaza, Washington, Frankfurt, Berlin, Tokyo, Beijing, London

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