DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Wall St Week Ahead Artificial intelligence gives real boost to U.S. stock market
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Lewis Krauskopf | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

NEW YORK, May 19 (Reuters) - Recent advances in artificial intelligence are fueling optimism over how businesses can operate more productively in the years ahead. They are also providing a big boost to the stock market. About 25% to 50% of those gains are owed to "the buzz around artificial intelligence," she noted. Indeed, optimism over AI is a key factor supporting a stock market facing numerous headwinds. His firm owns shares of Microsoft, Nvidia and Alphabet.

☆ Signs of pain as easy cash era ends are growing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON, March 30 (Reuters) - The easy-cash era is over and markets are feeling the pinch from the sharpest jump in interest rate in decades. Since late 2021, big developed economies including the United States, euro area and Australia have raised rates by almost 3,300 basis points collectively. Japanese, European and U.S. banks stocks, while off recent lows, are still well below levels seen just before SVB's collapse. Reuters Graphics2/ DARLINGS NO MOREAs the SVB collapse showed, stress in the tech sector can quickly ripple out across the economy. Reuters Graphics4/ CRYPTO WINTERHaving benefited from an influx of cash during the easy-money era, cryptocurrencies have felt pain as rates rose last year, then gained on recent signs that tightening could end soon.

☆ Victims of the Fed: How a year of rate hikes cratered stocks - and fueled the demise of FTX and Silicon Valley Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US central bank has lifted borrowing costs from near-zero to just under 5%, starting with its initial raise on March 16, 2022. Lender Silicon Valley Bank failed and FTX imploded after borrowing costs rose. "Stocks had become reliant on low interest rates as a crutch," Dan Kemp, CIO at Morningstar Investment Management, told Insider. "If valuations had been lower, then the reaction to the Fed's rate hikes would've been far less severe." Rising interest rates in a particular country tend to strengthen its currency, because they attract foreign investors seeking higher yields.

☆ Banks borrowed a record $153 billion from the Fed as SVB's collapse rocked Wall Street
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Banks rushed to borrow unprecedented amounts from the Federal Reserve's traditional backstop following SVB's collapse, new data shows. Lenders took up $153 billion from the Fed's discount window in the week to March 15, topping a previous high of $111 billion. Banks also borrowed $11.9 billion from the Fed's new emergency loan tool launched following SVB's downfall. The global banking system has come under pressure in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank's demise. The move followed a turbulent few days for the regional lender as fears of depositors pulling funds sparked a selloff in its share price following SVB's implosion.

REUTERS/Brendan McDermidORLANDO, Florida, March 14 (Reuters) - When the U.S. yield curve inverts bad things tend to happen. chartCARRY THAT WEIGHTWhile SVB's failure may not be a direct casualty of the inverted yield curve, an inverted curve is a sign that wider financial conditions are not so easy, presenting banks with a far more challenging economic and financial environment. The two-year Treasury yield has been higher than the 10-year yield since last July as the Fed has embarked on its most aggressive rate-raising campaign in decades. Banks make money when the yield curve slopes positively, borrowing cheaply via customer deposits, central bank windows or the short end of the curve, and lending longer term at higher rates - a classic 'carry trade'. A downward-sloping curve stymies this 'carry' and curbs lending, and the consequences are clear when that lasts for as long as eight months.

That has pushed 10-year bond yields across the euro area to levels last seen during the bloc's 2011-2012 debt crisis , . "Equity markets appear expensive when considering the possibility of prolonged higher rates." Patrick Saner, head of macro strategy at Swiss Re, added that rising government bond yields also made risk assets relatively less attractive. And while government bonds were seen vulnerable to further selling, higher yields are still viewed as a buying opportunity. "In sovereign markets now, 10-year German bond yields are north of 2.70%.

Summary U.S. bonds set for worst month since SeptWild swings at start of year may continueLONDON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - March madness? After a euphoric January was followed by a somber February, with bonds and equities selling off as strong data renewed rate-hike bets, more wild swings could be next for world markets. February fallsData on Friday showing a key inflation U.S. gauge accelerated last month stoked rate hike bets. The ECB lifted its key rate by 300 basis points since last July to 2.5%. If upcoming data weakens, markets could resume their bullishness, Yardeni Research said.

☆ Investors piled $354 bln into cash since Ukraine war - BofA
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Harry Robertson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Lisi NiesnerLONDON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Global investors have allocated $354 billion to cash since Russia's invasion of Ukraine first shook global financial markets in February 2022, according to data released by Bank of America on Friday. The price shock forced central banks to hike interest rates, clobbering stock and bond markets in the process. Since February 2022, investors have pulled $135 billion from bond funds, BofA said, citing figures from financial data company EPFR. Investors have become more positive at the start of 2023, especially about bonds, even as the Ukraine war drags on. Flows into bond funds continued for the eighth straight week last week, BofA said, at $4.9 billion.

☆ Factbox: The U.S. debt ceiling and markets: Gauging the fallout
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Feb 16 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden is at odds with Republicans in Congress over raising the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, a showdown that looms as a risk factor for markets. Many past debt-limit standoffs have been resolved without significant market fallout but that hasn't always been the case: a 2011 debt ceiling showdown roiled markets and led to a downgrade Standard & Poor's. Here is some background about the debt ceiling debate and its impact on markets:** Though months remain for lawmakers to reach an agreement, there are signs stock investors may already be pricing in risk around the debt ceiling debate. According to Goldman Sachs, while debt limit debates typically have had "limited" impact on the broad market, stocks exposed to government spending have commonly lagged in the weeks prior to the debt ceiling deadline. That led Deutsche Bank's head of global economics and thematic research Jim Reid to note that markets might be caught off guard by major fallout from a debt showdown.

This would take the rate the ECB pays on bank deposits to the highest level since November 2008, after a steady climb from a record low of -0.5% in July. Reuters GraphicsThe ECB said in December that rates would be increased "at a steady pace" until it is happy inflation is heading back down to its 2% target. BNP Paribas also thought the ECB might take out the reference to a "steady pace" of rate hikes or offset it so that a 50-basis-point increase would be "not predetermined (but) still a possible outcome". And an ECB survey showed banks were tightening access to credit by the most since the 2011 debt crisis - usually the harbinger of lower growth and slowing inflation. To some observers, this meant the ECB would be wise not to commit to any future policy move.

Bonds also rose, mirroring hopes of a softer inflation report, and the U.S. dollar was near seven-month lows against a basket of currencies. Europe's STOXX 600 (.STOXX) equity benchmark index rose 0.6% to its highest since April 2022. Roberto Lottici, portfolio manager at Banca Ifigest, said he was concerned markets could potentially even react negatively to any big downside surprise in the U.S. CPI data. Foreign exchange markets elsewhere were quieter ahead of the U.S. CPI data while China's reopening kept a bid under Asia's currencies. The dollar index eased 0.1% to 103.06, not far from a seven-month low of 102.93 hit this week.

☆ Dollar eases, but inflation outlook stays high on investors' radar
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, the Bank of England and the Swiss National Bank will all release rate decisions. Friday's data that showed U.S. producer prices rose 7.4% year-on-year in November, compared with forecasts for a rise of 7.2%, has reminded investors of how sticky inflation is proving. Consumer inflation data for November lands on Tuesday and is expected to show a 6.1% increase in the core reading, which excludes food and energy prices, down from 6.3% in October. Against the yen the dollar rose 0.2% to 136.78. The offshore yuan was mostly flat at 6.977 per dollar, further pressured by worries over a potential spike in COVID cases as China eases its stringent COVID-19 restrictions.

☆ Dollar seesaws as inflation outlook stays high on investors' radar
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, the Bank of England and the Swiss National Bank will all release rate decisions. Friday's data that showed U.S. producer prices rose 7.4% year-on-year in November, compared with forecasts for a rise of 7.2%, has reminded investors of how sticky inflation is proving. Consumer inflation data for November lands on Tuesday and is expected to show a 6.1% increase in the core reading, which excludes food and energy prices, down from 6.3% in October. Against the yen the dollar rose 0.2% to 136.87. Reporting by Rae Wee; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Bradley Perrett and Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ It’s not the most wonderful time of the year for markets. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —The holidays are meant to be the most wonderful time of the year. But for investors, this week just might be the most stressful time of the year. Then there’s the anticipated central bank meeting. “Most central banks will be reluctant to cut rates in 2023 given the need to cool wage growth.”It has all given the equity and fixed markets a jolt. Maybe investors will be able to relax and take a deep breath before the Fed announcement and press conference later that day.

ORLANDO, Fla., Dec 8 (Reuters) - When Yogi Berra famously said it's difficult to make forecasts, especially about the future, he probably didn't have financial market analysts in mind. However, this is precisely where clients might reasonably expect their well-remunerated investment bank and fund management experts to earn their corn. The median earnings growth forecast was just under 8%. Right now the S&P 500 is below 4000, down 17% year to date and on course for one of its biggest falls in 80 years. A Reuters poll of 41 strategists published on Nov. 29 showed that the S&P 500 will end next year at 4200, up 6.8% from Wednesday's close.

☆ Here's what most investors think will happen with the stock market next year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Carmen Reinicke | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Investors aren't feeling bullish on stock market performance in 2023, especially after a dismal yearly return in 2022. More than half of those surveyed by Deutsche Bank on their expectations for the coming year said they expect a zero or negative return in the S & P 500 . Nearly 40% said they think the S & P 500 will slip 10% or more, and nearly 20% expect the index to end the year flat or down 5%. Another negative annual return on the S & P 500 would mark a milestone for stocks not seen in roughly two decades. After the rough performance of 2022, investors aren't expecting things to get much better.

☆ Shares and pound splutter as UK dishes out budget gruel
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/3] Pound and Dollar banknotes are seen in this picture illustration taken June 13, 2017. Pound and UK Gilt recover from 'mini budget' turmoilOvernight in Asia, grim signals from Micron Technology about excess inventories and sluggish demand sent chipmaker stocks sprawling. Mainland Chinese shares also wobbled, with blue chips there (.CSI300) falling 0.5% having ripped 10% higher this month. Traders will also scrutinise speeches from Fed officials on Thursday for hints about rate hikes. Crude oil steadied in Europe after settling more than a dollar lower overnight, following the resumption of Russian oil shipments via the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and as rising COVID-19 cases in China weighed on sentiment.

"The softer inflation data took some wind out of the dollar's sails," said Joe Manimbo, senior market analyst at Convera in Washington. "The dollar is steadier because we're having this residual, geopolitical skittishness as well as signs of a fairly sturdy U.S. economic backbone in the forms of U.S. retail sales." Retail sales rose 1.3% in October, more than the 1.0% increase that economists polled by Reuters had forecast. The dollar briefly pared losses on release of the retail sales data, but later fell against the euro to trade little changed against major currencies. Yields fell further on the market's benign inflation outlook.

☆ Poland missile relief dents dollar; stocks retreat
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationLONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Global stocks eased from two-month highs on Wednesday while the safe-haven dollar fell, after Poland's president said a missile that hit his country was probably a stray Ukrainian defence projectile, dispelling fears that it originated from Russia. Data on Wednesday showed U.S. retail sales rose by 1.3% in October, compared with expectations for a 1.0% rise, showing consumers were undeterred by high inflation last month. This gave a bump to the dollar, which cut some of the day's losses and weighed heavily on European shares. The dollar, which acts a safe haven in times of geopolitical or market turmoil, rallied overnight, before falling throughout the European session. Gold rose 0.2% on the day to $1,776 an ounce, supported by a slightly weaker dollar, while Brent crude futures fell 0.6% to $93.33 a barrel, having retreated from an overnight high of $94.79.

☆ Stocks pare losses, dollar falls after Biden defuses tensions over Poland blast
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Global stocks pared losses and the dollar fell on Wednesday after U.S. President Joe Biden told G7 and NATO partners that a missile blast in Poland was caused by a Ukrainian defence missile, dispelling fears that it originated from Russia. This is whatever it was, but it was not an attack on Poland and Biden’s comments took the tension out of it," Societe Generale strategist Kit Juckes said. When the missile struck, NATO member Poland first said a Russian-made rocket was responsible and summoned Russia's ambassador to Warsaw for an explanation after Moscow denied it was responsible. Biden said the United States and its NATO allies were investigating the blast but early information suggested it may not have been caused by a missile fired from Russia. With geopolitical tensions injecting some volatility into the broader markets, benchmark 10-year Treasury yields were almost unchanged on the day at 3.807%.

☆ Futures tick higher as investors await retail sales data, earnings
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Wall Street ended Tuesday higher despite geopolitical worries, after slower U.S. producer price growth data added to improved inflation outlook for the world's largest economy. Investors awaited key retail sales figures due at 8:30 am ET on Wednesday for further cues on the strength of the U.S. economy. Retailer Walmart Inc (WMT.N) jumped 6.5% in the previous session on lifting its annual sales and profit forecasts, helped by steady demand for groceries despite higher prices. ET, Dow e-minis were up 65 points, or 0.19%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 8 points, or 0.2%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 20.25 points, or 0.17%. Other megacap growth and technology companies such as Amazon.com (AMZN.O) gained 0.3%, while Apple (AAPL.O) and Alphabet (GOOGL.O) were subdued.

The surge in stocks and bonds, and steep dollar slide last week sparked one of the biggest loosening of financial conditions in decades. "We see this as another example of the inherent challenges that come from trying to slow the pace of hikes without easing financial conditions." chartchartEvery time investors and traders begin to price a Fed 'pivot', market conditions loosen, and inflationary pressures rise. Policy decisions affect financial conditions immediately, but the full effects of changing financial conditions on inflation are felt much later, Powell told reporters. Related columns:- Fed 'pivot' draws closer, but the word has had its day (Nov. 11)- China reopening may add inflation headache (Nov. 9)- Hedge funds capitulate on Fed pivot (Nov. 6)By Jamie McGeever; Editing by Andrea RicciOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Futures point to fresh gains on Wall Street
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Raindrops hang on a sign for Wall Street outside the New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S., October 26, 2020. The S&P 500 has now rallied over 10% from its mid-October closing lows, while the Nasdaq has climbed nearly 8%, aided by better-than-expected earnings reports and hopes of a Fed slowdown. ET, Dow e-minis were up 130 points, or 0.39%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 16.25 points, or 0.41%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 66 points, or 0.57%. Shares of megacap companies extended gains in premarket trading, with Apple Inc (AAPL.O) up 0.5% after a near 9% surge in the previous session. Reporting by Shubham Batra and Sruthi Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak DasguptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Gold is in its worse slump since 1869 as inflation-adjusted yields turn sharply positive, says Deutsche Bank
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Gold prices are down for seven consecutive months, the longest decline since 1869, according to Deutsche Bank. The fall in gold prices is happening as real bond yields have turned sharply higher. But Deutsche Bank analysts also noted that such a losing streak hasn't been seen in the half century that followed the US coming off the gold standard, ending the Bretton Woods currency exchange regime. Meanwhile inflation-adjusted bond yields have turned sharply higher amid aggressive rate hikes from the Federal Reserve and other central banks. Gold, however, has still outperformed most other notable assets despite the sharp decline this year, according to Deutsche Bank research strategist Jim Reid.

Search resuls for: "Jim Reid"

25 mentions found