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☆ ECB's Lagarde responds to scathing staff survey: 'I'm very proud and honored to lead the institution'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde looks on as she attends the European Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, at the European Parliament, in Brussels, Belgium September 25, 2023. President Christine Lagarde on Thursday said she was "proud and honored" to leead the European Central Bank, after her leadership was slammed in a union-run survey of staff. The survey's qualitative responses suggested some staff believed she had created a negative atmosphere at the central bank, and that she spends "too much time on topics unrelated to monetary policy," IPSO said. Appearing unfazed, former politician and lawyer Lagarde said that the ECB conducted its own surveys in a "way that we can trust." The surveys are conducted by around 60% of employees, and also cover wages, respect in the workplace and workplace satisfaction, she said.

Persons: Christine Lagarde, IPSO, Lagarde Organizations: European Central Bank, European Parliament's, Economic, Monetary Affairs, ECB, IPSO Locations: Brussels, Belgium

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde will likely push back Thursday against expectations for quick interest rate cuts even as Europe's economy sputters and financial markets froth in hopes of cheaper credit that would boost business activity and stock prices. Lagarde has cautioned that the bank will make decisions based on the latest figures about the economy's health rather than making longer-term promises. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said officials discussed prospects for rate cuts at the bank's December meeting, and the U.S. central bank has indicated it would cut its key interest rate three times this year. Rate cuts make riskier investments like stocks more attractive than safer bets like money market accounts and certificates of deposit. Expectations for rate cuts have been fueled by the rapid drop of inflation in Europe to 2.9% in December from the peak of 10.6% in October 2022.

Persons: Christine Lagarde, Lagarde, Jerome Powell, “ Lagarde, Yemen's Houthi Organizations: Central Bank, ECB, U.S . Federal Reserve, Union Locations: FRANKFURT, Germany, Frankfurt, U.S, Europe, Ukraine, Berenberg, Suez, Africa

☆ Gold hovers near 1-week low on firm dollar; U.S. data, ECB in focus
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Three 1kg gold bullion bars worth over 155,00 GBP lay on the counter in a gold dealers in Birmingham's jewelry quarter on December 13, 2023 in Birmingham, England. Gold prices have increased since the Ukraine War but have soared to record highs since the start of the Hamas-Israel war. Other factors are the weakening US dollar and expected rate cuts from the Federal Reserve. Spot gold rose 0.2% to $2,015.83 per ounce by 0424 GMT. Spot silver rose 0.4% to $22.76 per ounce, platinum climbed 0.3% $901.53, and palladium gained 0.1% to $964.07.

Persons: Kyle Rodda Organizations: Federal Reserve, Fed, European Central Bank Locations: Birmingham, England, Ukraine, Israel, U.S

☆ When Will the European Central Bank Start Cutting Rates?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Eshe Nelson | More About Eshe Nelson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For months, rates have been set at the highest in the European Central Bank’s history. Despite the protests of the eurozone’s policymakers, investors have been betting that the central bank will cut rates quite soon — possibly in April. Traders figure rates must come down because inflation has slowed notably — it’s been below 3 percent since October — and the region’s economy is weak. By the end of year, the central bank will have cut rates by more than 1 percentage point, or between five and six quarter-point cuts, trading in financial markets implied. Many of the central bank’s Governing Council are wary of declaring victory over inflation too soon, lest it settle above the bank’s target of 2 percent.

Persons: —, it’s Locations: Europe

☆ European markets head for higher open ahead of euro zone PMI data
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

European markets are heading for a positive open Wednesday as investors look ahead to preliminary purchasing managers' index (PMI) data from the euro zone in January. The composite services and manufacturing PMI data will give investors a gauge of business activity in the single currency area, ahead of the European Central Bank's next meeting on Thursday. Overnight in Asia-Pacific markets, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index surged almost 2%, powered by tech stocks as other regional markets mostly fell. U.S. stock futures tied to the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 climbed Wednesday morning after Netflix reported its subscriber count reached a record in the fourth quarter.

Organizations: European Central Bank's, Netflix Locations: Asia, Pacific, U.S

The Swiss government on Wednesday selected Stefan Walter, a 59-year-old German national who was director-general of the European Central Bank for the last decade, to head the Swiss financial authority known as FINMA. Swiss authorities feared the collapse of such a major lending institution could further roil global financial markets following the failure of two U.S. banks last year. The troubles at Credit Suisse threatened to unhinge Switzerland's position as a leading financial market, and the takeover left the country with only one internationally important bank: UBS. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesA parliamentary panel created after the government-orchestrated merger has been looking into the origins of the deal. Walter, who has a master's degree in international banking from Columbia University in New York, will start the job on April 1, the Swiss government said.

Persons: Stefan Walter, Walter, Urban Angehrn, Angehrn, Mark Branson, Marlene Amstad, ” Amstad, SRF, FINMA Organizations: GENEVA, UBS, Credit Suisse, Swiss, European Central Bank, Federal Council, Columbia University Locations: Swiss, U.S, British, New York

☆ Treasury yields pull back as big economic data releases come into view
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

ET, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note was down by around 3.7 basis points at 4.1050% and the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond slipped 3.7 basis points to 4.3418%. U.S. Treasury yields were lower on Wednesday morning as investors brace themselves for two key pieces of economic data in the second half of the week. Two significant pieces of economic data are on the slate this week: a preliminary fourth-quarter gross domestic product growth figure is due on Thursday, followed by the Commerce Department's closely watched personal consumption expenditures price index for December on Friday. Both data points will inform the Federal Reserve as it maps out when and by how much to begin cutting interest rates, which will be a key factor in determining the path of markets and the economy this year. Auctions will be held for $60 billion of 17-week Treasury bills, $61 billion of 5-year notes and $28 billion of 2-year FRNs (floating-rate notes).

Persons: Jim Reid, Bullard, Reid, that's Organizations: Treasury, U.S, Commerce, Federal Reserve, Deutsche Bank's, Global, Bank of Canada, European Central Bank, St Louis Fed, PMI

☆ Dollar hovers near 6-week high on Fed view; yen edges up after BOJ
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Japanese yen , though, ticked higher as expectations rose for a stimulus exit as soon as March, following hawkish comments from the Bank of Japan on Tuesday. "We have seen ECB (European Central Bank) officials push back on rate cut expectations as well, in line with the Federal Reserve." The dollar declined 0.17% to 148.085 yen, after swinging from as low as 146.99 and as high as 148.70 on Tuesday. The Bank of Canada meets on policy on Wednesday, and is expected to leave its key overnight rate unchanged at a 22-year high of 5%. Traders have unwound bullish positions built up in anticipation of U.S. approval of the country's first spot bitcoin exchange traded fund (ETF).

Persons: Mary Daly, Christopher Waller, James Kniveton, Christine Lagarde's, Sterling, Kazuo Ueda, China's, cryptocurrency, Bitcoin Organizations: Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, U.S, San Francisco Fed, ECB, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Bank of Canada, Bloomberg, Traders Locations: U.S

☆ European Central Bank staff slam Lagarde's leadership in union survey
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde received a harsh assessment in a union-run employee survey, with some staff accusing her of fostering a negative atmosphere and focusing on her own career. Many respondents said Lagarde spends "too much time on topics unrelated to monetary policy" and forays too often into political discussion, the ECB union IPSO said alongside the results released Monday. Just over half of the nearly 1,100 respondents rated Lagarde's performance so far as "very poor" or "poor." The survey was conducted between Dec. 12 and Dec. 22, 2023, around the mid-point of Lagarde's eight-year term. The former International Monetary Fund chief and French finance minister took on the job spearheading euro zone monetary policy in November 2019.

Persons: Christine Lagarde, Lagarde, IPSO Organizations: European Central Bank, ECB, International Monetary Fund

☆ JPMorgan says investors wishing for early and aggressive rate cuts will be disappointed
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Rising geopolitical headwinds and the potential for political turmoil could combine to thwart investors' hopes for the Federal Reserve to enact sharp interest rate cuts this year, according to JPMorgan Chase strategists. Markets have been betting that the Fed likely will start lowering its benchmark short-term borrowing rate by May or even as early as March. JPMorgan's investment team said the calculus could be important for investors as stocks and other asset classes look for direction. In recent days, multiple Fed officials have made remarks insisting that they are in no hurry to start cutting rates. For the full year, traders have gone from a strong chance of six cuts to a coin-flip between five and six.

Persons: Marko Kolanovic, Kolanovic, Raphael Bostic, Christopher Waller, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Federal Reserve, Chase, JPMorgan, U.S, Fed, European Central Bank, Atlanta Fed, Federal, Market, Traders, Commerce Department Locations: 1H24

☆ UBS sees a 10% spike for gold this year as rate cut speculation swirls
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold prices have increased since the Ukraine War but have soared to record highs since the start of the Hamas-Israel war. Other factors are the weakening US dollar and expected rate cuts from the Federal Reserve. Gold prices could close the year as much as 10% above current levels on the back of potential interest rate cuts, UBS strategists said, despite declines at the start of 2024. Markets are increasingly uncertain that the Fed will begin interest rate cuts in March. Analysts tied the rise to interest rate expectations and the global volatility stemming from the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Persons: Gold Organizations: Federal Reserve, UBS, Federal, Scotiabank, Fed, U.S, Bank of Japan, European Central Bank, World Gold, Analysts Locations: Birmingham, England, Ukraine, Israel, London

☆ Dollar struggles to retain gains even as March rate cut odds recede
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Japan's yen was the notable mover in otherwise quiet trading, as it tiptoed away from Friday's one-month low of 148.80. San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President Mary Daly on Friday said she believes the U.S. economy and monetary policy are in a "good place" and it is premature to think rate cuts are imminent. Short-term interest rate futures market show traders are betting interest rate cuts will start in May, with the probability of a March cut dropping below 50%, down from near 80% in the first weeks of January, according to CME Group data. "The USD holds a fair relationship with the evolving implied pricing for a March Fed cut, where rate cut probability falls the USD rallies, and vice versa," he wrote. Much of the gains have come from investor bets on Fed rate cuts.

Persons: dovish, Mary Daly, Chris Weston, Pepperstone Organizations: U.S, of Japan's, Federal Reserve, San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, Group, NatWest Markets, European Central Bank, ECB Locations: Japan, Europe, U.S

☆ Markets tried to fight the Fed on rate cuts. It didn’t work
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Now there’s roughly a 50/50 chance that the Fed could either cut rates or hold them steady in March, according to futures. A few developments this past week tempered investors’ optimism, and now the possibility of a rate cut in March could be completely thrown out the window, according to economists. He echoed other Fed officials who’ve recently said that beginning to cut rates in March is just not realistic. In addition to officials’ comments, recent economic data also doesn’t bode well for a March rate cut. Markets are expecting twice as many rate cuts this year than what Fed officials themselves estimated in their latest economic projections released in December.

Persons: ’, Christopher Waller, ”, who’ve, Loretta Mester, “, Mary Daly, it’s, Daly, bode, Waller, ” Bill Adams, ” Daniel Altman, Jerome Powell’s, Donald Trump, Christine Lagarde, couldn’t, Jamie Dimon, Trump, Joe Biden, Bank of America’s Brian Moynihan, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Johnson, Lockheed Martin, Levi Strauss, Booz Allen Hamilton, CNN’s Elisabeth Buchwald Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, DC CNN — Federal Reserve, Fed, Brookings Institution, ” Cleveland Fed, Bloomberg, ” San Francisco Fed, Fox Business, Commerce Department, Labor Department, Employers, Comerica Bank, CNN, Biden, Trump, Economic, European Central Bank, ”, JPMorgan, Bank of America’s, United Airlines, The Bank of Japan, Netflix, General Electric, Procter, Gamble, Johnson, Verizon, Lockheed, Haliburton, Tesla, IBM, Bank of Canada, Global, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Co, Visa, Intel, Mobile, Comcast, Capital, US Commerce Department, Chicago Fed, US Labor Department, American Express, Colgate, Palmolive, Booz, National Association of Realtors Locations: Washington, ” San, East, Iran, Davos, Switzerland, Iowa, Swiss, United States

☆ European stocks head for higher open as Davos draws to close; UK retail sales drop
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, comes to a close after drawing a raft of business leaders, politicians, central bankers and campaigners. U.K. retail sales disappointed Friday, coming down by 3.2% in December, significantly more than expected. It was the largest monthly fall since January 2021, when pandemic measures restricted sales, the Office for National Statistics said. The technology sector drove a solid rally Thursday, after Bank of America analysts upgraded their Apple rating to "buy." Asia-Pacific stocks were also higher, with TSMC surging and Japanese inflation cooling to its lowest level since June 2022.

Persons: Read Organizations: Economic, European Central Bank, National Statistics, U.S, Congress, Bank of America Locations: Davos, Switzerland, Asia, Pacific

☆ Trump is building his power at home while global leaders dread his return
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Trump has invigorated an initially lackluster White House bid by leveraging his multiple criminal indictments to create a narrative of political persecution. On Thursday, CNN’s congressional team reported that senators trying to cut an immigration deal with the White House are running into a problem: Trump. The aid measure is being held up by the immigration showdown to which it was linked — perhaps unwisely many Democrats now think — by the White House. It has caused particular consternation in Europe after the transatlantic alliance was constantly rattled by Trump during his White House term. That’s likely to be a pale imitation of what awaits if he gets back to the White House.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Haley, Kevin Roberts –, “, can’t, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s, Biden, he’s, ”, Sen, Kevin Cramer, Trump’s, Vladimir Putin, Mike Quigley of, Jim Sciutto, CNN Max, Putin, Michael McFaul, Obama, ” McFaul, ” Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Alejandro Mayorkas, Mike Johnson, Mitch McConnell, reverberations, America’s, Christine Lagarde, Heritage’s Roberts, Roberts, that’s, ” Roberts, Jamie Dimon, ” Dimon, Philipp Hildebrand, Emmanuel Macron, ” Macron Organizations: CNN, Florida Gov, South Carolina Gov, New Hampshire, Trump, Economic, Business titans, Heritage Foundation, Republicans, Capitol, GOP, Representatives, Republican, North Dakota Republican, Ukraine, Democratic, Congressional Ukraine Caucus, White, Spirit of, Homeland, US, Colorado Supreme, America, tony, European Central Bank, NATO, CNBC, ” BlackRock, Swiss National Bank Locations: Iowa, Washington, Ukraine, New, Davos, Swiss, Mike Quigley of Illinois, Moscow, Russian, Spirit of America, Ted Cruz of Texas, Marco Rubio of Florida, Europe, Iran, Paris, Switzerland, it’s, China, United States, France

☆ Attack is the best market defense in international competition, ECB's Christine Lagarde says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

President of the European Central Bank (ECB) Christine Lagarde attends a session on the closing day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, on January 19, 2024. Being strong means having a strong, deep market. Europe faces an uncertain future in its relationship with its closest international ally, following the U.S. vote. With that in mind, Lagarde said Europe should invest more in its capital markets in order to fund investments, such as, for instance, in the green transition. "Our competitive disadvantage compared to the U.S. is not subsidies but the function of our private capital market."

Persons: Christine Lagarde, Lagarde, Joe Biden, —, Donald Trump, Christian Linder, Linder Organizations: European Central Bank, Economic, Republican, German Finance Locations: Davos, Europe, U.S, United States

People attend the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, January 18, 2024. Javier MileiArgentina's President Javier Milei delivers a speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos on January 17, 2024. Sam AltmanSam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attends the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 18, 2024. He said AGI could be developed in the "reasonably close-ish future," speaking at a private gathering at the Bloomberg House in Davos, Switzerland. AI took a huge leap forward in the last year or two years," Benioff said on a World Economic Forum panel Thursday.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Donald Trump, Ursula von der, Ursula von der Leyen, Jamie Dimon Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan, Adam Galici, Jamie Dimon, Dimon, Larry Fink's, bitcoin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin, Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy, Putin, Javier Milei, Fabrice COFFRINI, FABRICE COFFRINI, Fabrice Coffrini, Milei, Adena Friedman Adena Friedman, Adena Friedman, Friedman, Sam Altman Sam Altman, Sam Altman, Altman, Antony Blinken Antony Blinken, CNBC Putin, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Trump's, it's, Christine Lagarde, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Dmytro Kuleba, Arnd Wiegmann, Trump, Vladimir, Ukraine's, Kuleba, Michelle Yeoh Michelle Yeoh, Mike Coppola, Michelle Yeoh, CNBC's Tania Bryer, Yeoh, Pedro Sanchez Spanish, Pedro Sanchez, Isabel Infantes, Sanchez, Li Qiang Li Qiang, Li Qiang, Li, Isaac Herzog, Kfir Bibas, Herzog, Kfir, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, Atta Kenare, Joe, Biden, Netanyahu, Amir, Sergio Ermotti, MICHAEL BUHOLZER, Ermotti, Marc Benioff Marc Benioff, Salesforce, CNBC's Sara Eisen, Marc Benioff, Benioff, Ray Dalio Ray Dalio, Bridgewater, Ray Dalio, Dalio, Mark Carney Mark Carney, DANIEL LEAL Organizations: Economic, Reuters, European, JPMorgan Chase, CNBC, BlackRock, Getty, Afp, NASDAQ, CNBC Nasdaq, Reuters OpenAI, Bloomberg, State, European Central Bank, Central Bank, Reuters Ukraine's, United Nations Development, Spanish, Getty Images, Hamas, Palestinian, Hezbollah, Turkish, AFP, Iranian, Sergio Ermotti UBS, Getty Images UBS, Credit Suisse, Bridgewater Associates, U.S, Bank of England, UN, OLIVAS Locations: Davos, Switzerland, Ukraine, Gaza, Russia, China, Moscow, WEF, AFP, OpenAI, U.S, Russian, Iran, Europe, United States, Hollywood , California, Madrid, Spain, Beijing, Washington, Lebanese, Tehran, Israel, Hiroshima

☆ Leaders at Davos see a global economy moving toward a new normal
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Lucy Handley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

President of the European Central Bank (ECB) Christine Lagarde attends a session on the closing day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, on January 19, 2024. The pandemic saw spending fall and people's savings grow, while global trade was also disrupted. The World Trade Organization (WTO) expects trade to increase by 3.3% in 2024, per a forecast released in October. "Around the world, inflation is coming down, and we have seen it in November [in] both headline inflation and core inflation," she said. Speaking on the same panel, WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala agreed that the economy is "maybe moving towards normalization" but she described it as "not normal, because trade growth is still trending below GDP growth."

Persons: Christine Lagarde, Lagarde, Ngozi Okonjo Organizations: European Central Bank, Economic, Bloomberg, World Trade Organization, ECB Locations: Davos, Switzerland

☆ Dollar headed for second weekly gain on tempered rates outlook
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Dollar bills and Japanese currency Yen lying on a table on August 03, 2016 in Berlin, Germany. The dollar headed for a second weekly gain in a row on Friday on signs of resilience in the U.S. economy and caution about rate cuts from central bankers. Weekly gains on the risk-sensitive Australian and New Zealand dollars of 1.7% and 2.1% are set to be the largest since November and June respectively. Rabobank revised its one-month forecast for dollar/yen to 148 from 144, expecting further unwinding of bets on the pace of U.S. rate cuts to support the dollar. An unexpected rise in British inflation also drove a sharp pullback in bets on Bank of England interest rate cuts, and leant support to sterling.

Persons: Jane Foley, Christopher Waller, Bitcoin Organizations: New, Bank of Japan, Rabobank, Federal, Bank of Locations: Berlin, Germany, U.S, New Zealand, Asia, Europe, Bank of England

☆ Inflation isn’t beaten yet and risks of a new price shock are rising
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The job is not yet done,” François Villeroy de Galhau, the governor of France’s central bank, said this week in Davos. Those “upside risks to inflation” include supply chain fragmentation, trade protectionism, climate shocks and armed conflicts, according to Gopinath. As soon as central banks start lowering interest rates “people feel better, they start spending more,” she said. Now the bank has to keep interest rates high “for as long as necessary” to put inflation firmly on the path back to 2%, she added. Meanwhile, container shipping costs along many of the world’s busiest trade routes have doubled — and in some cases tripled — since the middle of December, according to data from London-based shipping consultancy Drewry.

Persons: Sergio Ermotti, ”, “ It’s, Galhau, Gita Gopinath, Francois Villeroy de, Stefan Wermuth, Gopinath, Mary Callahan Erdoes, Christine Lagarde, “, Joe Biden, Vincent Clerc, CNN’s Richard Quest, Tobias Meyer, ” Robert North Organizations: London CNN, UBS, Economic, Federal Reserve, International Monetary Fund, Bloomberg, Getty, JPMorgan, Central Bank, IMF, Oxford University, Drewry, Oxford Economics, Maersk, DHL Locations: Iran, Africa, Davos, Switzerland, Red, United States, Europe, United Kingdom, France’s, Israel, Pakistan, British, Yemen, Suez, London, Asia

☆ European markets head for mixed open as banking officials at Davos temper rate cut expectations
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

European markets are heading for a mixed open Thursday as investors continue to monitor news and comments from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. A number of European central bank officials at Davos have been hawkish about interest rate cuts, warning that despite progress tackling inflation, markets have gotten ahead of themselves in terms of expectations for spring rate cuts.

Organizations: Economic Locations: Davos, Switzerland

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares traded mixed Thursday as pessimism spread among investors about any imminent interest rate cut in the United States. Wall Street slipped following another signal that it may have gotten too optimistic about when the Federal Reserve will deliver the cuts to interest rates. Yields climbed after a report showed sales at U.S. retailers were stronger in December than economists expected. Higher yields can crimp profits for companies, while also making investors less willing to pay high prices for stocks. Higher yields hurt all kinds of investments, and high-growth stocks tend to be some of the hardest hit.

Persons: Australia's, Korea's Kospi, Seng, Brent, Stan Choe, Yuri Kageyama Organizations: TOKYO, Nikkei, Shanghai, Federal Reserve, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, U.S, Treasury, Amazon, Fed, Traders, CME Group, European Central Bank, U.S . Bancorp, Sporting Goods, Spirit Airlines, JetBlue Airways, JetBlue, U.S ., AP Locations: United States, Hong, U.S, New York

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Cutting interest rates too soon could threaten Europe’s progress in battling the inflation that has ravaged the economy, the head of the European Central Bank said Wednesday amid widespread speculation that the bank soon will lower rates from record highs. But higher prices have spread through the economy in the form of high prices for services and higher wages. Meanwhile, sluggish economic growth and the impact of higher interest rates on economic activity have sparked bets on rate cuts. Higher rates are the typical antidote to high inflation because they make it more expensive to borrow and buy things, reducing demand for goods. “The first question for next week's European Central Bank meeting is how the bank will react to current market pricing,” Brzeski wrote in a preview of the meeting.

Persons: Christine Lagarde, Lagarde, Carsten Brzeski, ” Brzeski, “ Organizations: European Central Bank, Bloomberg, ECB, U.S . Federal, Wall Street, Union, ING, Central Bank Locations: FRANKFURT, Germany, Davos, Switzerland, Israel, Europe, Ukraine

☆ Dollar at one-month high as rate cut expectations ease on Fedspeak
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The dollar index hovered at a one-month high against a basket of currencies on Wednesday as remarks by Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller dampened expectations for a March rate cut. "I will need more information in the coming months confirming or (conceivably) challenging the notion that inflation is moving down sustainably toward our inflation goal," before backing rate cuts, he said on Tuesday. Market expectations of a rate cut in March have eased to a 62.2% chance versus an 76.9% view in the prior session, according to CME's FedWatch Tool. "Rate cuts are coming but not as soon as some might be hoping for," Sycamore said. Meanwhile, the euro was hanging near a one-month low at $1.0875 after its steepest one-day percentage drop in two weeks, following comments from several ECB policymakers this week that maintained uncertainty over the timing of rate cuts.

Persons: Christopher Waller, Waller, CME's, Tony Sycamore, Christine Lagarde, Sycamore, Sterling, Rodrigo Catril Organizations: Federal Reserve, IG, European Central Bank, Treasury, Bank of Japan, National Australia Bank Locations: U.S, Asia

Zelensky and Trump loom over DavosTwo people are having an outsize impact at the World Economic Forum, and one of them isn’t even there. One is Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, who put on a full-court press of business and global leaders at the forum in Davos, Switzerland. Zelensky isn’t the only leader at Davos worried about Trump. The Ukrainian leader has sought to shore up global business support. And the annual wine tasting hosted by Anthony Scaramucci, the financier and former Trump official, well, ran out of wine.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump, Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, Andrew, Trump, Putin, “, ” Zelensky, Republican Party ”, DealBook, thumped, JPMorgan Chase, Steve Schwarzman, Blackstone, Ray Dalio, David Rubenstein, Carlyle, Michael Dell, John Kerry, Biden’s, Anthony Scaramucci, Christine Lagarde, Christopher Waller, Nelson Peltz’s, James Gorman, Morgan Stanley, Mary Barra, General Motors —, Bob Iger, Disney’s, Murray Auchincloss, Bernard Looney, Auchincloss, Yi Fuxian Organizations: Trump, Economic, Ukraine, Republican Party, Republican, JPMorgan, Congress Center, Dell, European Central Bank, Fed, Disney, General, BP, University of Wisconsin – Locations: Davos, Switzerland, Europe, Ukraine, American, Iowa, Bridgewater, China, Beijing, Russia, Britain, U.S, Asia, University of Wisconsin – Madison

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