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☆ Fed hawks, doves, and centrists: How US central bankers' views are changing
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Now, as Fed policymakers note improvement on inflation and some cooling in the labor market, the risks are seen as more balanced and the choices more nuanced. The following chart offers a look at how officials currently stack up on their outlooks for Fed policy and how to balance their goals of stable prices and full employment. Note: Fed policymakers began raising interest rates in March 2022 to bring down high inflation. Their most recent policy rate hike, to a range of 5.25%-5.50%, was in July. Below is a Reuters count of policymakers in each category, heading into recent Fed meetings.

Persons: Jeff Schmid, Adriana Kugler, Louis Fed, James Bullard, Louis, Kathleen O'Neill Paese, Ann Saphir, Paul Simao Organizations: Federal, Federal Open Market, New York Fed, Kansas City Fed's, Fed's, Governors, Interim, Louis Fed, Thomson Locations: Kansas, St

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

"Monetary policy is in a good place for policymakers to assess incoming information on the economy and financial conditions," Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said on Wednesday. The Fed has kept its policy rate unchanged in the 5.25%-5.50% range since July, and after the last meeting over Oct. 31-Nov. 1, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said he is not yet confident policy is restrictive enough. Fed Governor Christopher Waller, a policy hawk like Mester, on Tuesday delivered a similar assessment. Indeed, Waller said, if the inflation decline continues for several more months, rate cuts could be in order to keep policy from becoming overly tight. Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic, who has for months said the Fed policy rate at 5.25%-5.50% is high enough, said Wednesday he feels data backing that view is getting clearer.

Persons: Sarah Silbiger, Loretta Mester, Mester, Jerome Powell, Christopher Waller, Waller, I'm, Thomas Barkin, Barkin, Raphael Bostic, we’ve, Lindsay Dunsmuir, Deepa Babington Organizations: El Progreso Market, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, Cleveland Fed, Richmond Fed, CNBC, Dallas Fed, Reuters, Atlanta Fed, Thomson Locations: El Progreso, Mount Pleasant, Washington ,

☆ Fed's Bowman says she still expects another interest rate hike
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman poses at a conference on monetary policy at The Hoover Institution in Palo Alto, California, U.S., May 3, 2019. Earlier this month, the Fed kept its benchmark overnight lending rate unchanged in the 5.25%-5.50% range for the second consecutive policy meeting. However, Bowman has repeatedly been among a small minority of policymakers who have said they don't think the Fed's job is yet done. Likewise, some signs of interest rate insensitivity among businesses could dull the effects of tighter monetary policy and financial conditions on economic activity and inflation, Bowman said, and overall longer-term economic conditions might mean the Fed's policy rate may need to be higher than pre-pandemic norms. Earlier on Tuesday, Fed Governor Christopher Waller said he is "increasingly confident" the central bank's current policy setting will prove enough to return inflation to the Fed's target.

Persons: Michelle Bowman, Ann Saphir, Bowman, Jerome Powell, Christopher Waller, Lindsay Dunsmuir, Paul Simao Organizations: Federal, Hoover Institution, REUTES, Fed, Thomson Locations: Palo Alto , California, U.S, Salt Lake City , Utah

"Inflation rates are moving along pretty much like I thought," Fed Governor Christopher Waller, a hawkish and influential voice at the central bank, told the American Enterprise Institute think tank on Tuesday. If the decline in inflation continues "for several more months ... three months, four months, five months ... we could start lowering the policy rate just because inflation is lower," he said. Additional Fed rate increases remain a possibility if upcoming data includes an unexpected resurgence of price pressures, he said. But even Bowman, who like Waller is among the Fed's most hawkish officials, stopped short of outright calling for a further increase in the policy rate. New inflation data will be released on Thursday, and policymakers will also have a fresh monthly jobs report and other data in hand before they gather next month.

Persons: Christopher Waller, Bond, Waller's, Jerome Powell, Michelle Bowman, Bowman, Waller, Austan Goolsbee, Howard Schneider, Ann Saphir, Lindsay Dunsmuir, Andrea Ricci, Paul Simao Organizations: Federal Reserve, American Enterprise Institute, Fed, Spelman College, Utah Bankers Association, Chicago Fed, Conference Board, Thomson Locations: U.S, Atlanta, Salt Lake City

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol along with moderator and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice attend a summit discussion, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, at the Stanford, California, U.S., November 17, 2023. REUTERS/Brittany... Acquire Licensing Rights Read morePALO ALTO, California, Nov 17 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged cooperation on clean-energy supply chains, quantum computing and other innovative technology during a Silicon Valley roundtable on Friday. Yoon and Kim met one on one and together with Biden on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, which ended on Friday. In addition to military and economic cooperation, Yoon and Kishida on Friday signaled work on science and technology would be a central to their relationship-building. "But for President Yoon and myself, this is the Big Game," Kishida said.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Yoon Suk, State Condoleezza Rice, PALO, Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon, David, Joe Biden, Kim, Biden, Kishida, lecterns, Ann Saphir, William Mallard Organizations: Japan's, U.S, State, Economic Cooperation, Stanford, REUTERS, San Francisco Bay Area, University of California, Thomson Locations: Asia, California, U.S, Brittany, PALO ALTO , California, San Francisco, China, North Korea, Washington, Korean, South Korea, San Francisco Bay, Berkeley

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

☆ Fed's Goolsbee expects easing shelter inflation to seal path to 2%
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Nov 17 (Reuters) - Chicago Federal Reserve Bank President Austan Goolsbee on Friday said the U.S. central bank will "do what it takes" to bring inflation down to the Fed's 2% goal, but that inflation looks to be already on that track if housing price pressures ease as expected. "The overwhelmingly important thing of whether we are going to clearly be on path for inflation is what happens to house price inflation," Goolsbee said at the Chicago Fed's annual Community Bankers Symposium. "If we hit the targets that we expect to hit, then we would be on path to get to 2%, and that's what I call the golden path -- no recession, and it gets down -- but that housing inflation is the thing we should really keep an eye on." Reporting by Ann SaphirOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Austan Goolsbee, Goolsbee, Ann Saphir Organizations: Chicago Federal Reserve Bank, Chicago, Thomson Locations: U.S

☆ Japan's Kishida, S. Korea's Yoon Talk Tech, Cooperation in Silicon Valley
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Ann SaphirPALO ALTO, California (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged cooperation on clean-energy supply chains, quantum computing and other innovative technology during a Silicon Valley roundtable on Friday. The two have meet several times since a Camp David summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in August. Yoon and Kim met one on one and together with Biden on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, which ended on Friday. In addition to military and economic cooperation, Yoon and Kishida on Friday signaled work on science and technology would be a central to their relationship-building. "But for President Yoon and myself, this is the Big Game," Kishida said.

Persons: Ann, PALO, Yoon Suk Yeol, Fumio Kishida, Yoon, David, Joe Biden, Kim, Biden, Kishida, lecterns, Ann Saphir, William Mallard Organizations: Economic Cooperation, Stanford, San Francisco Bay Area, University of California Locations: PALO ALTO , California, Asia, San Francisco, China, North Korea, Washington, Korean, South Korea, San Francisco Bay, Berkeley

☆ ECB hawks push back on early rate cut bets
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"It would be unwise to start cutting interest rates too soon," Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel said in a speech. Austria's Robert Holzmann was even more explicit, arguing that the second quarter was simply too soon for a rate cut. Asked if he ruled out an interest rate cut in the second quarter of next year, he said: "That would be a bit early." The ECB held rates unchanged in October, snapping a streak to ten straight rate hikes, fuelling market bets that its record-breaking tightening streak is now over and the next move is a cut. Instead of easing policy, the ECB should tighten further, Wunsch argued, by ending early its bond purchases in the 1.7 trillion euro Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme.

Persons: Joachim Nagel, Ann Saphir, Robert Holzmann, Holzmann, Pierre Wunsch, Wunsch, Nagel, Balazs Koranyi, Francois Murphy, Kirsten Donovan, Andrew Heavens Organizations: European Central Bank policymaker, Kansas City Fed, REUTERS, European Central Bank, ECB, Thomson Locations: Jackson, Jackson Hole , Wyoming, FRANKFURT, VIENNA, Belgian

☆ Fed's Cook says economic risks two-sided, 'soft landing' possible
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"I believe that a 'soft landing' is possible, with continued disinflation and a strong labor market, but it is not assured," Cook said in remarks prepared for delivery to a San Francisco Fed conference on Asian economic policy. "I see risks as two-sided, requiring us to balance the risk of not tightening enough against the risk of tightening too much." Meanwhile, Cook noted, other global central banks have also tightened policy rapidly. "But in a world of uncertainty it is hard to judge the exact size of these spillovers." Reporting by Ann Saphir; Editing by Paul SimaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lisa Cook, Jonathan Ernst, Cook, bank's, there's, Ann Saphir, Paul Simao Organizations: Federal Reserve, of Governors, Capitol, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Federal, San Francisco Fed, U.S, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S

[1/5] San Francisco drag queen Khmera Rouge performs onstage during the GAYPEC event hosted at Beaux Night Club in the Castro District of San Francisco, California, U.S., November 15, 2023. San Francisco is known for its large and politically active LGBTQ population, and its myriad gay bars, including the venue for Wednesday's event, Beaux. Most at the event, as it turned out, were not APEC delegates. Stephanie Wong and Khoa Tran, founders of San Francisco tech startup reverylab.com, said they came because they were curious -- and they thought it would offer networking opportunities. Mark Anthony Catalan, a university student and a volunteer at the APEC summit, said he was sceptical.

Persons: Khmera Rouge, Brittany Hosea, frocks, Rafael Mandelman, Castro, Evan Low, Stephanie Wong, Khoa Tran, Mark Anthony Catalan, Ann Saphir, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Beaux Night, Castro District of, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Asia Economic Cooperation, Reuters, Pew Research, APEC, San, Thomson Locations: Francisco, Castro District, Castro District of San Francisco , California, U.S, San Francisco, . California

[1/5] Protesters taunt people in suit, during a rally in opposition to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 15, 2023. REUTERS/Loren Elliott Acquire Licensing RightsSAN FRANCISCO, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Protesters took to the streets of San Francisco early on Wednesday morning ahead of a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, obstructing some entrances to the APEC conference. Global leaders and CEOs of major U.S. corporations will all be at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in San Francisco, offering tempting targets to protest. Protesters supporting spiritual group Falun Gong, which is banned in China, lined motorcade entry points into the convention center area. Supporters of China also turned out near where Biden and Xi will meet, waving Chinese and U.S. flags as well as posters with both flags together.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Biden, Pema Doma, Xi, ”, Gong, Xi's, Ann Saphir, Peter Henderson, Josie Kao Organizations: Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, APEC, Global, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, Police, Chinese Communist Party, U.S . Department of Homeland Security, U.S, Secret Service, Thomson Locations: Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, San Francisco, Israel, Tibet, United States, China, Francisco

☆ Fed President Daly warns against calling time on rate-rising cycle too soon - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Mary Daly poses for a photograph at the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank's annual Economic Policy Symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, U.S. August 25, 2023. REUTERS/Ann Saphir/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 15 (Reuters) - San Francisco Federal Reserve President Mary Daly warned against calling time on rate-rising cycle too soon, in an interview to Financial Times on Wednesday. Daly refused to rule out another interest rate increase, given uncertainty about whether the central bank has done enough to push consumer price growth back down to its 2 per cent target. She indicated little concern about the recent sharp fall in US government bond yields, which has loosened financial conditions, according to FT. Reporting by Urvi Dugar in BengaluruOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mary Daly, Ann Saphir, Daly, Urvi Organizations: Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Kansas City Federal, REUTERS, San Francisco Federal, Financial Times, Thomson Locations: Jackson Hole , Wyoming, U.S, Bengaluru

REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSAN FRANCISCO, Nov 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Monday said negotiations on the trade section of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework will need further work, a setback for the Biden administration which had hoped to announce substantial outcomes this week. Yellen told a news conference there has been "very substantial progress" on three of the four areas under discussion by the 14 IPEF member countries, but there are "remaining issues" on trade. She said there had been "significant progress" on the trade pillar, "but it looks not to be complete, like something that is likely to require further work." People familiar with the talks said that an announcement of outcomes is more likely on clean energy cooperation and anti-corruption pillars of the IPEF. Both agreed that the U.S. and China should seek fair trade relations and a level playing field on which their companies can compete, Yellen added.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Lifeng, Carlos Barria, Biden, Yellen, Joe Biden, IPEF, Donald Trump, David Lawder, Ann Saphir, Tom Hogue, Lincoln Organizations: Treasury, APEC, Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, . Treasury, Reuters, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, San Francisco . U.S, Pacific Partnership, Thomson Locations: U.S, Asia, San Francisco , California, Pacific, San Francisco ., China, CHINA, Beijing, San Francisco

U.S. Secretary of Treasury, Janet Yellen hosts a Finance Ministers? Meeting plenary at the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 13, 2023. "This is a decision I disagree with," she said at a news conference at the close of the APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting in San Francisco, California. The ratings agency on Friday lowered its outlook on the U.S. credit rating to "negative" from "stable," citing large fiscal deficits and a decline in debt affordability. The rise in long-term interest rates would create a challenge to debt sustainability if it lasts, Yellen acknowledged.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Carlos Barria, Yellen, Biden, David Lawder, Ann Saphir, Tom Hogue Organizations: Treasury, Ministers, APEC, Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, . Treasury, Monday, APEC Finance, Internal Revenue Service, House Republicans, Thomson Locations: Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S

Prices of futures contracts that settle to the Fed's target rate were pricing in only about a 5% chance the Fed will raise its policy rate any higher than the current 5.25% to 5.50% range. Core inflation, which excludes energy and food, rose 4%, the slowest pace in more than two years. "You can say goodbye to the rate hiking era," said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management. The Fed is now seen as more likely than not to deliver its first rate cut in May, and end 2024 with the short-term benchmark rate a full percentage point lower than today, based on rate futures pricing. "The Fed for now will maintain its tightening bias, erring on the side of caution," she wrote.

Persons: Brian Jacobsen, Jerome Powell, aren't, Kathy Bostjancic, Ann Saphir, Lucia Mutikani, Chuck Mikolajczak, Chizu Nomiyama, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Federal Reserve, Labor Department, Energy, Traders, Annex Wealth Management, Nationwide, Thomson Locations: U.S

☆ Fed's Goolsbee sees inflation falling fast without jobless surge
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee speaks as he heads into the Kansas City Fed's annual economic symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, U.S., August 24, 2023. A Labor Department report earlier on Tuesday showed the consumer price index rose 3.2% in October from a year earlier, down more than 3 percentage points from January. The Fed targets 2% inflation by a different measure, the personal consumption expenditures price index, which was 3.4% in September. Going forward, Goolsbee said he's focused on inflation data and sees overheating as a lesser risk than an external shock. "The key to further progress over the next few quarters will be what happens to housing inflation," he said.

Persons: Austan Goolsbee, Ann Saphir, Goolsbee, he's, Paul Simao Organizations: Chicago Fed, Kansas City, REUTERS, Chicago Federal, Detroit Economic, Labor Department, Fed, Thomson Locations: Kansas, Jackson Hole , Wyoming, U.S

[1/7] Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives at San Francisco International Airport to attend the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S., November 14, 2023. He is due to meet U.S. President Joe Biden at an undisclosed location in the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday morning and then attend the annual summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, who with Blinken opened the APEC ministerial session, said the San Francisco meeting came at a time of "great uncertainty and challenges" for the region. As Biden arrived in San Francisco, shortly before Xi was due to land, dueling demonstrators greeted the U.S. president's motorcade from the airport. Earlier on Tuesday, a small aircraft flew circles over the APEC summit venue in downtown San Francisco, trailing a banner that read "END CCP FREE CHINA FREE HK FREE TIBET FREE UIGHUR," referring to China's treatment of Uyghurs, which the Biden administration calls "genocide."

Persons: Xi Jinping, Brittany Hosea, Antony Blinken, Xi, Joe Biden, Biden, Janet Yellen, China Nicholas Burns, Blinken, Katherine Tai, John Kirby, Nancy Pelosi, Michael Martina, Ann Saphir, David Brunnstrom, Trevor Hunnicutt, David Lawder, Chris Reese, Josie Kao Organizations: San Francisco International Airport, APEC, Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, U.S, San Francisco Bay Area, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, Air China, . Trade, San, White House, Biden, China, Chinese Communist Party, Thomson Locations: Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, United States, Beijing, San Francisco Bay, Air, China, Washington, San Francisco, Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Taiwan, Tibet, Hong Kong, CHINA, TIBET

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 12 (Reuters) - A lively crowd gathered on a sunny Sunday in San Francisco to protest a meeting of cross-Pacific political leaders and a wide spectrum of other issues, prominently including those calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. The home of 1960s counterculture, San Francisco has retained an anti-authoritarian sensibility even as tech companies and employees have made the city a global influencer. The action could become confrontational on Wednesday, with protesters calling to block attendees from entering the San Francisco conference center. San Francisco is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic slower than many cities, with some major retailers abandoning Market Street. San Francisco tourism is much reduced from pre-pandemic levels, according to data from hotel analytics firm STR published in June.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Biden, Roberto Ruiz, Sarah R, Marty Brewer, Ann Saphir, Matt McKnight, Peter Henderson, Grant McCool Organizations: FRANCISCO, Pacific, Protesters, Economic Cooperation, Police, APEC, San, Market, Geoscience, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, Israel, Francisco's, Asia, Francisco, Gaza

☆ APEC San Francisco Protesters Span Gamut of Political Issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Ann Saphir and Matt McKnightSAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A lively crowd gathered on a sunny Sunday in San Francisco to protest a meeting of cross-Pacific political leaders and a wide spectrum of other issues, prominently including those calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. The home of 1960s counterculture, San Francisco has retained an anti-authoritarian sensibility even as tech companies and employees have made the city a global influencer. The action could become confrontational on Wednesday, with protesters calling to block attendees from entering the San Francisco conference center. San Francisco is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic slower than many cities, with some major retailers abandoning Market Street. San Francisco tourism is much reduced from pre-pandemic levels, according to data from hotel analytics firm STR published in June.

Persons: Ann Saphir, Matt McKnight, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Biden, Roberto Ruiz, Sarah R, Marty Brewer, Peter Henderson, Grant McCool Organizations: FRANCISCO, Reuters, Pacific, Protesters, Economic Cooperation, Police, APEC, San, Market, Geoscience Locations: San Francisco, Israel, Francisco's, Asia, Francisco, Gaza

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen attends a press conference after a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, ahead of a U.S.-hosted APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S., November 10, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria Acquire Licensing RightsSAN FRANCISCO, Nov 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Friday said the ransomware attack on the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China that disrupted China's largest bank had not interfered with the market for U.S. government debt. "We have not seen an impact on the Treasury market," Yellen said, adding that she and China Vice Premier He Lifeng spoke about the issue during talks in San Francisco this week. The ICBC's access to an electronic settlement platform for U.S. Treasury securities remained suspended on Friday, a day after confirmation of the ransomware attack. "The Treasury Department and the United States has given "as much assistance as we possibly can to the firm in dealing with this issue," she said.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Lifeng, Carlos Barria, Yellen, David Lawder, Ann Saphir, Diane Craft Organizations: Treasury, APEC, Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, . Treasury, Industrial, Commercial Bank of, U.S, China, Treasury Department, Thomson Locations: U.S, Asia, San Francisco , California, Commercial Bank of China, San Francisco, United States

"I stressed that companies must not provide material support to Russia's defense industrial sector and that they will face significant consequences if they do," Yellen told reporters at a news conference in San Francisco. "We are determined to do all that we can to stem this flow of material that aids Russia in conducting this brutal and illegal war," Yellen said, warning that any companies aiding Moscow's war effort could face sanctions. "We would like to see China crack down on this, especially when we're able to provide information," she said. Yellen stressed the Chinese firms in question were private and said she was not suggesting that this was occurring with knowledge of the Chinese government. Reporting by David Lawder and Ann Saphir, writing by Andrea Shalal and Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Lifeng, Carlos Barria, Yellen, David Lawder, Ann Saphir, Andrea Shalal, Alistair Bell Organizations: . Treasury, APEC, Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: U.S, Asia, San Francisco , California, China, Moscow, San Francisco, Russia

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Friday that she agreed with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng to "intensify communication" on economic issues but warned him to crack down on Chinese companies that give material support to Russia for its war in Ukraine. "During our discussions, we agreed that in-depth and frank discussions matter, particularly when we disagree," Yellen said. "And I emphasized that the current uncertain global landscape makes it particularly crucial that we maintain resilient lines of communication going forward." "We would like to see China crack down on this, especially when we're able to provide information," Yellen said. Discussing the Israel-Hamas war, Yellen spoke of the need "to prevent escalation and expansion of the conflict in the Middle East," the Treasury said in a statement.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Lifeng, Yellen, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Carlos Barria, Donald Trump's, Liao Min, Liao, Eric Beech, David Lawder, Ann Saphir, Andrea Shalal, David Ljunggren, Chizu Nomiyama, Andrea Ricci, Grant McCool, Christian Schmollinger, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: FRANCISCO, . Treasury, Economic Cooperation, Communist Party, Treasury, U.S, APEC, REUTERS, Industrial, Commercial Bank of, Finance, Ministry of Finance, Fund, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, San Francisco, Asia, China, RUSSIA, Israel, U.S, San Francisco , California, Commercial Bank of China, Washington, Beijing, United States

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