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☆ Banks say they’re meeting climate pledges. A new report says they’re ineffective
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Why gold prices are at record highsFrom central banks to Costco customers, it seems everyone is buying gold these days, reports CNN’s John Towfighi. Central banks see gold as a long-term store of value and a safe haven during times of economic and international turmoil. When interest rates fall, gold prices tend to rise, as bullion becomes more appealing than income-paying assets like bonds. The People’s Bank of China bought gold for the 17th straight month in March, adding 160,000 ounces to bring reserves to 72.74 million troy ounces of gold, according to Reuters. The Honest Company posted a strong fourth quarter in March.

Persons: –, ” Mark Carney, ”, GFANZ, Jamie Dimon, ” Dimon, JPMorgan, CNN’s John Towfighi, China —, Read, Jessica Alba, Ramishah Maruf, Alba’s, Chuck Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, European Central Bank, Glasgow Financial Alliance, UN, Bank of England, ECB, MIT, Columbia Business School, Zero Banking Alliance, United Nations, decarbonization, CNN, JPMorgan Chase, State, JPMorgan, Investors, Federal Reserve, China, People’s Bank of China, Reuters, UBS, The Honest, The Honest Company, Honest, Nasdaq Locations: New York, Glasgow, China, India, Turkey

☆ Banks Made Big Climate Promises. A New Study Doubts They Work.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Eshe Nelson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two and half years ago, bankers and investors attended the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, an annual event normally dominated by activists and policymakers. It was considered a milestone as the financial sector agreed to put its might into tackling climate change. But a recent study, published by the European Central Bank, disputed the effectiveness of those promises. The researchers found that since 2018 the banks had reduced lending 20 percent to sectors they had targeted in their climate goals, such as oil and gas and transport. That seems like progress, but the researchers argued it was not sufficient because the decline was the same for banks that had not made the same commitment.

Persons: ” Organizations: United, Glasgow Financial Alliance, European Central Bank, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia Business School, Zero Banking Alliance Locations: United Nations, Glasgow

☆ European close markets higher on busy week for central bank action
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The regional Stoxx 600 closed up 0.5%, with mining stocks up 2% and media stocks down 0.2%. The benchmark index dropped 1.2% last week, its worst performance since January after a run of consistent gains. European stocks closed higher Monday at the start of a busy a week of key data releases and central bank decisions. U.S. stocks also had a shaky week, though a stronger-than-expected jobs report released Friday boosted sentiment around the economy and earnings. The European Central Bank meets Thursday for its latest monetary policy decision.

Persons: Neel Kashkari Organizations: Federal, Minneapolis, European Central Bank

☆ Biden’s manufacturing industry is expanding, but that could be bad for inflation
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-07 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But a resurgence in the industry could complicate the Federal Reserve’s ongoing inflation fight, either delaying the first interest rate cut or resulting in fewer cuts this year, some economists say. Interest rates have been at a two-decade high since July, after the Fed raised rates aggressively over the prior year and a half. The economy picking up further strength would spook Wall Street because of what it means for interest rates — and some manufacturers say they’re optimistic about the future. The Bank of Canada announces its latest interest rate decision. China’s National Bureau of Statistics releases March inflation data.

Persons: Joe Biden, ”, Tom Barkin, “, Mary Daly, ” Daly, Jerome Powell, Neel Kashkari, ” Kashkari, ” Richard de Chazal, Blair, they’re “, Amazon’s, It’s, Ramishah Maruf, Amazon, haven’t, Read Organizations: Washington CNN, Institute for Supply Management, Congress, Fed, ” Richmond Fed, ” San Francisco Fed, Minneapolis, Dow, Blair Equity Research, Amazon, Fresh, Delta Air Lines, US Labor Department, Index, Bank of Canada, Federal Reserve, National Bureau of Statistics, Constellation Brands, European Central Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, State, National Statistics, The University of Michigan Locations: Richmond , Virginia, ” San, Las Vegas, India, Wells Fargo, Progressive, BlackRock

☆ Goldman Sachs chief economist: Strong case for consecutive ECB rate cuts from June
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailGoldman Sachs chief economist: Strong case for consecutive ECB rate cuts from JuneJan Hatzius, chief economist at Goldman Sachs, discusses the outlook for European Central Bank interest rate cuts.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Jan Hatzius Organizations: European Central Bank

☆ European markets set to open higher as momentum returns
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

European markets look poised to open higher Thursday as investors look to build momentum following a shaky start to the new trading quarter. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed higher Wednesday, shaking off some of the negative sentiment after euro zone inflation fell more than expected. Thursday is light on the earnings front, while the release of notes from the European Central Bank's last monetary policy meeting is expected to shine some light on the path for interest rate cuts. In Asia-Pacific, markets rebounded following a selloff in the previous session. Meanwhile, U.S. stock futures inched higher overnight as investors digested comments from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

Persons: Jerome Powell Organizations: Central, Rio Tinto, U.S . Federal Locations: Rio, Asia, Pacific, U.S

☆ Dollar takes a breather ahead of U.S. jobs data
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

European inflation came in softer-than-expected on Wednesday, reinforcing expectations for a European rate cut in June. "The speech broadly affirmed the Fed is on track to cut rates this year, with data determining the timing. The Australian dollar broke above its 200-day moving average as the U.S. dollar dipped overnight and was steady at $0.6568 on Thursday. The Aussie is at a five-month high on the New Zealand dollar with traders expecting New Zealand rate cuts beginning in August but Australian rates on hold until November. The New Zealand dollar rose 0.7% on the greenback overnight to regain a foothold above $0.60.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Sterling Organizations: Federal, Traders, ANZ, Australian, U.S, New Zealand, . U.S, Treasury, PMI, Central Bank Locations: Zealand, ., Europe

☆ Euro zone inflation unexpectedly slows to 2.4% in March, with core print also below forecast
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Inflation in the 20-nation euro zone eased to 2.4% in March, according to flash figures published on Wednesday, boosting expectations for interest rate cuts to begin in the summer. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the rate would hold steady against the previous month at 2.6%. The core rate of inflation, excluding energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, cooled from 3.1% to 2.9%, also coming in below expectations. Markets expect the euro zone's central bank will begin lowering borrowing costs in June — a position reflected in the recent messaging of ECB decision-makers. "Inflation has declined despite a jump in energy inflation, and a boost from an early Easter.

Persons: European Central Bank —, Price, Robert Holzmann, Carsten Brzeski, Kamil Kovar, Kovar Organizations: Reuters, European Central Bank, ECB, ING, Moody's Locations: Rome, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Austrian

☆ Inflation Cools in Eurozone, Nearing Central Bank’s Target
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Melissa Eddy | More About Melissa Eddy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The annual inflation rate across most economies in Europe eased for the third month in a row, nearing the target set by the European Central Bank. The rate was slightly lower than economists expected and brought overall inflation closer to the 2 percent target set by the E.C.B., which will hold its next meeting to set interest rates on April 11. The central bank also keeps a close eye on core inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy prices. That dipped to 2.9 percent in the year through March in the eurozone, ticking below the 3-percent mark for the first time since Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine broke out in February 2022, driving up energy prices. Germany, the eurozone’s largest economy, saw consumer prices rise at an annual rate of 2.3 percent in March, its slowest inflation since June 2021.

Organizations: European Central Bank, Consumer, European Union, Ukraine Locations: Europe, Germany

☆ Oil prices advance as investors reassess U.S. inventories data
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Global oil prices edged up on Thursday, recovering from two consecutive sessions of decline, as investors reassessed the latest U.S. crude oil and gasoline inventories data and returned to buying mode. In the prior session, oil prices were under pressure after U.S. crude oil and gasoline inventories rose unexpectedly last week driven by a rise in crude imports and sluggish gasoline demand, according the Energy Information Administration data. "We... expect U.S. inventories to rise less than normal in reflection of a global oil market in a slight deficit. This will likely hand support to the Brent crude oil price going forward," Bjarne Schieldrop, chief commodities analyst at SEB Research, said in a note. Lower interest rates support oil demand.

Persons: Brent, Bjarne Schieldrop Organizations: Brent, . West Texas, Energy, Administration, American Petroleum Institute, SEB Research, U.S . Federal Reserve, Fed, European Central Bank, JPMorgan Locations: Midland , Texas

☆ Intervention threat curbs dollar's ascent towards new high on the yen
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar was on the front foot on Monday and kept the yen pinned near a multi-decade low, though the threat of currency intervention from Japanese authorities prevented the greenback from heading further north. "Japanese officials' verbal intervention is making 152 a very strong near-term resistance for dollar/yen," said Carol Kong, a currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. "Markets are fully aware of a potential actual FX intervention from authorities, so I think that's keeping dollar/yen from moving substantially higher. "I think there is still a high risk that they will come in to prop up the yen if dollar/yen were to surge materially perhaps to 155. The yuan has been pressured by growing market expectations of further monetary easing to prop up the world's second-largest economy.

Persons: Carol Kong, That's, BoE, Andrew Bailey, Chris Weston Organizations: Bank of Japan's, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Swiss National Bank, Sterling, Financial Times, ECB, New Zealand Locations: Japan, United States

And perhaps best of all, money — from selling the electricity generated by the wind turbines studding the flat green fields stretching out to the North Sea. A slice of the cash goes to the villagers themselves, with the local buy-in making this windy farming enclave near the border with Denmark a showcase for ways to push ahead with renewable energy projects. The S&P Global Clean Energy Index of shares in companies with clean energy-related businesses has fallen 26% over the past year, even as broader market indexes have surged to records. In sub-Saharan Africa, where half the population lacks access to electricity, renewable projects face even steeper challenges with financing. In Nigeria, where blackouts are an everyday event for about half of the country’s 213 million people, some 14 solar projects have stalled because the finances don’t add up.

Persons: ”, Astrid Nissen, moos, “, Mackenzie, it's, Nissen, Christian Andresen, Andresen, Orsted, Vattenfall, David Shepheard, Edu Okeke, Taiwo Organizations: U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, University College London, Solar, Energie Andresen GmbH, Energy, logjams, World Bank Locations: SPRAKEBUELL, Germany, Denmark, village's, Spain, Italy, Africa, Flensburg, Sprakebuell's, German, Danish, New Jersey, Swedish, North American, Saharan Africa, Nigeria, Katsina, Abuja

☆ Climate change and extreme heat will drive inflation higher, study says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Aruni Soni | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Global warming and extreme heat will drive inflation higher, a new study says. In the next decade, climate change could bump up food inflation by as much as 3.23% per year and headline inflation by as much as 1.18%. "A worst-case emission scenario would cause pressures on food inflation exceeding 4% [per year] across large parts of the world." According to a new study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, the effects of global warming and extreme heat are expected to create persistent increases in headline and food inflation. Related storiesThat could bump up food inflation by as much as 3.23% a year on average globally, and push headline inflation up by as much as 1.18% in the coming decade.

Organizations: Service, Environment, Potsdam Institute, Climate Impact Research, European Central Bank Locations: Africa, South America

☆ European Central Bank’s Lagarde signals June cut but says future rate path uncertain
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-20 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, at the ECB And Its Watchers conference in Frankfurt, Germany, on March 20, 2024. European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde on Wednesday reiterated that policymakers will consider bringing interest rates down in June, but sketched an uncertain path beyond that. "By June we will have a new set of projections that will confirm whether the inflation path we foresaw in our March forecast remains valid," Lagarde said in a speech in Frankfurt. Data available by June will also provide more insight into the path of underlying inflation and the direction of the labor market, according to Lagarde. So, there will be a period ahead where we need to confirm on an ongoing basis that the incoming data supports our inflation outlook."

Persons: Christine Lagarde, Lagarde Organizations: European Central Bank, ECB Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, ECB's

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s central bank raised its benchmark interest rate Tuesday for the first time in 17 years, ending a longstanding policy of negative rates meant to boost the economy. The negative interest rate policy, combined with other measures to inject money into the economy and keep borrowing costs low, “have fulfilled their roles,” Bank of Japan Gov. But it had remained cautious about “normalizing” monetary policy, or ending negative borrowing rates, even after data showed inflation at about that rate in recent months. Ueda said there was “a positive cycle” of a gradual rise of wages and prices, while stressing that monetary policy will remain easy for some time. The Japanese central bank's policy is quite different from those of the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank.

Persons: “, Kazuo Ueda, Ueda, Harumi Taguchi, Haruhiko Kuroda, ___ Yuri Kageyama Organizations: TOKYO, ” Bank of Japan Gov, Bank of, Analysts, P Global Market Intelligence, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of Japan Locations: Japan, Bank of Japan, U.S, China

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is pressing ahead with a plan to use the profits generated from billions of euros of Russian assets frozen in Europe to help provide weapons and other funds for Ukraine, a senior official said Tuesday. The move comes as Ukraine runs dangerously low on munitions, and U.S. efforts to get new funds for weapons have stalled in Congress. A small group of member countries, notably Hungary, refuse to supply weapons to Ukraine, so these windfall profits would be divided up. The European Central Bank, or ECB, has warned in the past against seizing Russian assets as this could undermine confidence in the euro currency and EU markets. But Borrell said that no assets would be taken, only the windfall profits they make.

Persons: Josep Borrell, “, ” Borrell, Borrell, Alexander De Croo Organizations: Ukraine, EU, European, Parliament, European Central Bank, ECB, Belgian Locations: BRUSSELS, Europe, Brussels, Ukraine, U.S, Russian, Belgium, Hungary, russia, ukraine

☆ Japan's central bank just raised interest rates for the first time in 17 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Yuri Kageyama | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewTOKYO (AP) — Japan's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate Tuesday for the first time in 17 years, ending a longstanding policy of negative rates meant to boost the economy. The short-term rate was raised to a range of 0 to 0.1% from minus 0.1% at a policy meeting that confirmed expectations of a shift away from ultra-lax monetary policy. The negative interest rate policy, combined with other measures to inject money into the economy and keep borrowing costs low, "have fulfilled their roles," the bank said in a statement. The Japanese central bank's policy is quite different from those of the US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank. Analysts expect the Bank of Japan to continue to move slowly on further raising interest rates.

Persons: —, Kazuo Ueda, Haruhiko Kuroda Organizations: Service, Business, Bank of, Bank of Japan, US Federal Reserve, European Central Bank Locations: Japan, Bank of Japan, U.S, China

☆ Fed and other banks to make 'major progress' on rates this year, BIS chief says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank look poised to make "major progress" in cutting interest rates this year, according to the central bank of central banks. BIS serves as a bank and forum for national central banks, and as such has close understanding of their monetary policies. During its March meeting, the ECB held interest rates steady, but hinted at a June rate cut as it trimmed its annual inflation forecast. The Fed and the Bank of England are expected to shine future light on their plans for interest rates during their monetary policy meetings this week. The Bank of Japan is meanwhile predicted to lift interest rates on Tuesday, according to a Reuters poll, marking a major turn in its nearly two-decade-long cycle of negative interest rates.

Persons: Carstens, Annette Weisbach, disinflation, Philip Lane, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, BoE Organizations: Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank for International, CNBC, BIS, ECB, Bank of England, Goldman, Bank of Japan

☆ Why European stocks may soon start to outperform US equities, according to JPMorgan
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Aruni Soni | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

There are five reasons why European stocks may soon start to outperform US equities, according to JPMorgan. According to JPMorgan, European equities may soon outperform their American peers. Even though European stocks are also susceptible to a hiccup because of increasingly hyped-up trades, the firm says fallout would be much worse in the US stock market. Third, the Citigroup Economic Surprises Indices shows that European economic activity momentum has begun moving above that of the US. AdvertisementLastly, JPMorgan sees an improving economic picture in China, which is a green flag for export-heavy European markets.

Persons: —, Mislav Matejka, There's Organizations: JPMorgan, Service, outstripping, MSCI, Citigroup, European Central Bank, ECB Locations: China

☆ European markets set to open lower after hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

European markets were poised to open slightly lower on Friday as investors digested U.S. inflation data that dented confidence in the outlook for Federal Reserve interest rate cuts this year. U.S. inflation data is being closely monitored on Wall Street ahead of the Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting starting next Tuesday. The central bank is widely expected to hold its benchmark interest rate next week, although market participants will be searching for clues about when and by how much the Fed could start cutting interest rates over the coming months. Asia-Pacific markets fell on Friday, led lower by Hong Kong's Hang Seng index. U.S. stock futures edged lower in overnight trading as investors sought to look beyond the latest inflation reading.

Persons: Philip Lane, Kong's Organizations: Federal Reserve, Federal, European Central Bank, CNBC, ECB Locations: U.S, Asia, Pacific

☆ European Central Bank chief economist says we need to 'take our time' to get rate cuts right
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The European Central Bank must take its time to get interest rate cuts right and will have a clearer picture of inflationary pressures in June, the institution's chief economist told CNBC. Lane, also a Governing Council member, said the euro zone central bank's March meeting had been an "important milestone" in the accumulation of evidence, and showed the "disinflation process has been ongoing." During the meeting, the ECB held rates and released updated macroeconomic projections, which lowered its inflation forecast for this year to 2.3% from 2.7%. Inflation in the 20-nation bloc eased to 2.6% in February. In a press conference following the March meeting, ECB President Christine Lagarde said market pricing on the timing of rate cuts — which indicate a start in June as of Thursday — "seems to be converging better" with the central bank's view.

Persons: what's, we've, Philip Lane, Steve Sedgwick, Lane, Christine Lagarde Organizations: European Central Bank, CNBC, ECB

☆ Currency market subdued ahead of fresh U.S. economic data
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The currency market was sedate on Thursday, with the U.S. dollar consolidating against major peers as market players awaited more data out of the world's largest economy for clues on the direction of Federal Reserve policy. With the Fed widely expected to hold rates steady at its meeting next week, attention will be on the bank's updated economic projections. The dollar index , which measures the greenback against a basket of six currencies, was mostly flat at 102.77. Sources told Reuters that Japan's central bank will debate ending negative rates next week if big firms' wage talks yield strong results. Elsewhere, the euro was holding steady against the dollar at $1.0949, ahead of remarks by several European Central Bank officials on Thursday.

Persons: Kyle Rodda, Jerome Powell, Sterling, bitcoin Organizations: U.S, Federal Reserve, Fed, U.S ., PPI, Bank, Reuters, European Central Bank Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, U.S

☆ ECB has 'fairly stable view' that inflation is easing: Chief economist
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailECB has a 'fairly stable view' that inflation is on its way to 2%: Central bank's chief economistPhilip Lane, chief economist of the European Central Bank, discusses the path ahead for interest rates, saying the central bank needs to take its time to get rate cuts right.

Persons: Philip Lane Organizations: ECB, Central bank's, European Central Bank

☆ Dollar steadies as traders weigh hotter-than-expected inflation
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. dollar held steady against a handful of rival currencies on Wednesday, as traders weighed what impact hotter-than-expected inflation data could have on chances of an interest rate cut at the Federal Reserve's June meeting. The U.S. dollar held steady against a handful of rival currencies on Wednesday, as traders weighed what impact hotter-than-expected inflation data could have on chances of an interest rate cut at the Federal Reserve's June meeting. The U.S. consumer price index, or CPI, increased solidly in February, beating forecasts and suggesting some stickiness in inflation. That has left analysts wondering whether the Fed will have sufficient data to justify more than a couple of rate cuts all year. The dollar index , which measures the greenback against a basket of peer currencies, was little changed at 102.91.

Persons: Powell, Matt Simpson, Kazuo Ueda's, bitcoin Organizations: U.S, Federal, Fund, U.S ., CPI, Bank of Japan, Traders, European Central Bank Locations: U.S

☆ 2024 is the year of the rate cut pivot — here's when the world's central banks will budge
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

EIU also expects the Bank of Japan will exit its negative interest rate policy in the second quarter. Markets currently expect the Fed to start with a 25-basis-point rate cut in June. Euro zoneThe European Central Bank last week also held its policy rate at a record high of 4%, signaling that it won't cut rates before June. JPMorgan said in a research note that the Turkish central bank may cut its policy rate in November and December, keeping its year-end policy rate forecast of 45%. IndonesiaIndonesia's central bank kept its benchmark policy rate at 6% in its recent meeting.

Persons: EIU, Jerome Powell, LSEG, Nomura, Perry Warjiyo, CNBC's JP Ong, BOK, Goldman Sachs, Goohoon Kwon, Kwon Organizations: Getty, Economist Intelligence Unit, Bank of Japan, United, United States U.S, Federal, Fed, European Central Bank, ECB, Swiss National Bank, UBS, Bank of Canada, Bank of, JPMorgan, Reserve Bank of, ANZ, New Zealand Auckland Savings Bank, Bank, Bank Indonesia, BMI, Fitch Solutions, U.S, Oxford Economics, Macquarie Locations: Czech, China, Japan, United States, Switzerland Swiss, Bank of Canada, Turkey, Turkish, Reserve Bank of Australia, New, Indonesia, South Korea, Asia

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