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☆ Fed can start cutting interest rates by end of 2024, IMF managing director says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Federal Reserve should be able to start cutting interest rates by the end of 2024, according to Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund. "We remain on our projection that we would see, by the end of the year, the Fed being in a position to take some action in a direction of bringing interest rates down," Georgieva said on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street." Fed funds futures pricing data suggests that the first rate cut could come in September, according to the CME FedWatch Tool. Georgieva said the Fed should continue following economic data, which will signal when it's appropriate to begin reducing the cost of borrowing money. Still, Georgieva warned that keeping interest rates elevated for longer than expected can create risks to financial stability for the rest of the world.

Persons: Kristalina Georgieva, Georgieva, Dow Jones Organizations: International Monetary Fund, World Bank, U.S Locations: U.S, United States

☆ Wall Street wants answers from big banks about the economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Big banks kick off earnings season Friday. “Earnings season just became significantly more important,” said JJ Kinahan, chief executive of IG North America, in a Wednesday note. On one hand, lofty rates could help pad banks’ net interest income, since they can charge a higher borrowing rate for loans and mortgages. Inflation has been a bane on Biden’s presidency, with voters consistently giving him low marks for his handling of the economy. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has said that policymakers want to see more evidence that inflation is headed toward their 2% goal.

Persons: ”, JJ Kinahan, JPMorgan, Wells, You’ll, Carol Schleif, Wall, Jamie Dimon, “, Alicia Wallace, Friday’s, Joe Biden, ” Biden, Bryan Mena, Jerome Powell, Powell Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, IG North America, JPMorgan Chase, BlackRock, Citigroup, PNC Financial Services, BMO Family Office, Federal Reserve, Wall, Traders, Bureau of Labor Statistics, —, Federal, Fed Locations: New York, Wells Fargo, pare

A hotter-than-expected inflation report has pushed back expectations for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut. This means mortgage rates are likely to remain elevated for longer than many forecasters had anticipated. This would keep mortgage rates elevated throughout the summer homebuying season, when many home shoppers will be looking to get a mortgage. "March inflation figures were very bad, which also means bad news for interest rates," Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, said in a blog post reacting to March's CPI data. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Persons: Lawrence Yun, you'll, Fannie Mae Organizations: Federal, Labor Statistics, National Association of Realtors, Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky Locations: Chevron

☆ Dollar firms, yen skids as Fed cut wagers crumble
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. one hundred dollar bills are being shown in this picture illustration taken in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Dec. 15, 2023. Japan intervened in the currency market three times in 2022 as the yen slid toward what was then a 32-year low of 152 to the dollar. The Japanese central bank last month ended eight years of negative interest rates but yen has remained rooted near 151 per dollar levels since then. The euro was last at $1.0744, having dropped 1% on Wednesday ahead of the European Central Bank, or ECB, meeting later in the day. The Australian dollar was little changed at $0.651, while the New Zealand dollar eased 0.17% to $0.598.

Persons: Masato Kanda, Kyle Rodda, Rodda, Kazuo Ueda, Kevin Cummins, Sterling Organizations: Fed, Reuters, Bank of, Bank of Japan, Federal Reserve, U.S, NatWest, Treasury, European Central Bank, ECB, New Zealand Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tokyo, Japan, Bank of Japan, U.S

☆ Income investing opportunities emerge as the outlook for rate cuts moves to September
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Darla Mercado | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

IEI has a 30-day SEC yield of 4.26% and carries an expense ratio of 0.15%. BINC, which is actively managed, has a 30-day SEC yield of 5.6% and a net expense ratio of 0.4%. Investors can use ETFs to tackle that space: Vanguard's Intermediate-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCIT) has a 30-day SEC yield of 5.33%. There's also the iShares 5-10 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (IGIB) , offering a 30-day SEC yield of 5.4%. Hunting dividend payers Higher rates have overshadowed opportunities among dividend-paying stocks, which look less attractive to income investors who can find risk-free yields easily.

Persons: it's, Michael Carbone, Carbone, Gargi Chaudhuri, Collin Martin, There's, Michael Clarfeld Organizations: Dow Jones, Traders, Federal, Treasury Bond ETF, SEC, Schwab Center, Financial Research, Corporate Locations: Chelmsford , Massachusetts, BlackRock, ClearBridge

☆ Dow drops by nearly 500 points after a surprisingly bad inflation report
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —US stocks fell sharply Wednesday morning after inflation data for March came in higher than expected. That’s up considerably from February’s 3.2% rate and marks the highest annual gain in the past six months. Investors worry this will push back the Fed’s timeline for the rate cuts it has been hinting would come this year. The 10-year Treasury yield, which serves as a standard for mortgage and loan rates, surged after the announcement, approaching 4.5%. Shares of bank stocks fell.

Persons: Dow, “ Today’s, ”, Seema Shah, Wells Organizations: New, New York CNN, Nasdaq, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Asset Management, Treasury, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, Apple Locations: New York, Wells Fargo

☆ Stock futures tick higher as key March inflation report looms: Live updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Stock futures inched higher Tuesday night as investors await key U.S. inflation data that will inform the Federal Reserve's path on rate policy. During Tuesday's regular trading, investors appeared to be in a holding pattern ahead of the March consumer price index report. The CPI report, which is set to release on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. Fed funds futures trading data suggests a 42% likelihood that the central bank will hold steady on rates in June, according to the CME FedWatch Tool. In addition to the big inflation report on Wednesday, investors are also looking forward to the meeting minutes from the Fed's gathering last month.

Persons: Dow, Dow Jones, Quincy Krosby, Krosby Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Stock, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, CPI, Traders, LPL, Delta Air Lines Locations: New York City, Quincy

Last month, 30-year mortgage rates averaged 6.47%, though they've been trending a bit higher in recent weeks, according to Zillow data. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates will affect your monthly and long-term payments. 15-Year Fixed Mortgage RatesAverage 15-year mortgage rates were 6.06% last week, according to Freddie Mac data, which is a five-basis-point decrease from the previous week. Now that the Fed has paused hiking rates, mortgage rates have come down a bit. Once the Fed starts cutting rates, which is likely to happen this year, mortgage rates should fall even further.

Persons: they've, Freddie Mac Organizations: Fed, Investors, Zillow, Federal Reserve Locations: Chevron

☆ Wall Street gets key inflation data next week amid concerns the stock market is overbought
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Economists polled by FactSet anticipate the March consumer price index will show prices rising by 0.3% on a monthly basis, less than February's 0.4% advance. Similarly, the March producer price index is expected to show an increase of 0.5%, according to FactSet consensus estimates. Monday April 8 Tuesday April 9 6 a.m. NFIB Small Business Index (March) Wednesday April 10 8:30 a.m. Consumer Price Index (CPI) (March) 8:30 a.m. Initial Claims (04/06) 8:30 a.m. Producer Price Index PPI Earnings: CarMax Friday April 12 8:30 a.m. Import Price Index (March) 10 a.m. Michigan Sentiment preliminary (April) Earnings: State Street , Wells Fargo , JPMorgan Chase , Progressive , Citigroup

Persons: Stocks, we're, Ross Mayfield, Baird, Mayfield, FactSet, David Einhorn, CNBC's Scott Wapner, he's, Michelle Bowman, Bank's Tom Hainlin, Hainlin, Jamie Myers, JPMorgan Chase Organizations: Federal Reserve, Investors, Treasury Bond, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, . West Texas, Treasury, Fed, Investment Group, Investors Intelligence, American Association of, Walmart, Citigroup, JPMorgan, Index, Treasury Budget NSA, Air Lines, Price Index, Progressive Locations: U.S, Wells Fargo, Michigan

☆ Gold pauses record rally ahead of U.S. jobs data
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Two Argor-Heraeus SA 250 gram gold bars at Solar Capital Gold Zrt. Spot gold was down 0.5% at $2,278.50 per ounce, as of 0328 GMT, after hitting a record high of $2,305.04 on Thursday. "Gold will continue to rally with normal pull-backs," Luca Santos, an analyst at ACY Securities said. Bullion was on track for a third straight weekly gain, up 2.3% so far, also driven by strong central bank buying and demand from momentum-following funds. Traders are currently pricing in about 65% chance that the Fed will cut rates in June, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

Persons: Luca Santos, Santos, Bullion, Hugo Pascal, Pascal, Jerome Powell Organizations: Heraeus, Solar, U.S ., Federal, ACY Securities, NFP, Palladium Locations: Budapest, Hungary, U.S

So we could see mortgage rates start trending down more substantially in just a couple of months. As the Fed lowers its benchmark rate, mortgage rates should move down, too. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates would impact your monthly payments. 15-Year Fixed Mortgage Rates Inch Up (+0.09%)The average 15-year mortgage rate is 5.87%, up slightly from last week. Mortgage Refinance Rates30-Year Fixed Refinance Rates Decrease (-0.31%)The average 30-year refinance rate is 7.50%, 31 basis points lower than last week.

Persons: they're, Jerome Powell, they'll, you'll, refinance, It's Organizations: Federal Reserve, Fed, Zillow, FHA Locations: Chevron

☆ 3 things rattling markets this week
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The S&P 500 tumbled the first two trading days of the new quarter and is down 0.8% for the week after paring back some of its losses on Wednesday. Some Fed officials revealed at the central bank’s policy meeting last month that they see fewer rate cuts than the three they forecast last December for 2024. Traders see a 63% expectation that the Fed cuts rates in June, a drop from more than 70% a week earlier, according to the CME FedWatch Tool. “With Middle East tensions on the rise, OPEC+ supply side measures have pushed crude oil volatility down,” BofA strategists wrote in a Wednesday report. “Adding to a complex backdrop, we now estimate that improving economic growth expectations have helped push global oil markets into a deficit.”The price of gold has also climbed this week.

Persons: New York CNN — Stocks, “, ”, Brent Schutte, Jerome Powell, •, Loretta Mester, Raphael Bostic, Brent, Michael Shvartsman, Gerald Shvartsman, Donald Trump’s, Matt Egan, “ Michael, ” Damian Williams, Bruce Garelick, ” Williams, ” Read, Joe Biden, Sean Lyngaas, China Nicholas Burns, Antony Blinken, Read Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN —, Treasury, FactSet, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management, Hawkish, San Francisco Fed, Stanford University, Wednesday, • Cleveland Fed, Atlanta Fed, CNBC, Traders, Organization of, Petroleum, West Texas, Brent, Bank of America, Trump Media, Trump Media & Technology Group, DWAC, Southern, of, Acquisition Corporation, “, Microsoft, US, Department of Homeland Security, CNN Locations: New York, OPEC, Florida, of New York, Washington, China

Average 30-year mortgage rates ticked up above 6.50% for the first time in more than a week, according to Zillow data. Once the Fed starts cutting rates, mortgage rates should ease. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage Refinance Rates TodayMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's interest rates will affect your monthly payments. 15-Year Fixed Mortgage RatesAverage 15-year mortgage rates inched up to 6.11% last week, according to Freddie Mac data.

Persons: Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland Loretta Mester, Mester, you'll, Freddie Mac, it's Organizations: Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Investors, Zillow, Federal Reserve Locations: Chevron

☆ 10-year Treasury yield edges higher as investors await economic data
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Yields and prices move in opposite directions, and one basis point equals 0.01%. The 2-year Treasury note yield was up around 1 basis point at 4.709%. The 10-year Treasury note briefly broke above 4.4% in intraday trade on Tuesday to notch its highest level since late November. The 10-year Treasury note yield moved higher on Wednesday, building on gains from the previous session as investors await the release of further U.S. economic data. The market moves come as investors track economic data and closely monitor clues from Fed policymakers about the expected number of interest rate cuts in 2024.

Persons: Loretta Mester, Mary Daly, —, Jeff Cox Organizations: Treasury, Traders, Cleveland Federal, San Francisco Fed, PMI, Institute for Supply Management Locations: U.S

☆ Stock futures turn higher following third straight day of losses for the Dow: Live updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during afternoon trading on April 02, 2024 in New York City. U.S. stock futures rose Wednesday night after the Dow Jones Industrial Average registered its third straight losing session. Investors' fears that the Federal Reserve may keep rates higher longer have weighed on stocks this week. The result trounced Dow Jones' estimate of 155,000 and spurred investors' fears that rates may indeed stay higher longer. "I don't think that the Fed really has any reason to cut rates.

Persons: Dow, Jerome Powell, Raphael Bostic, Dow Jones, Larry Tentarelli Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Dow Jones Industrial, Dow, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, Atlanta Fed, CNBC, Federal, ADP, Treasury, Blue Locations: New York City . U.S, U.S

☆ Dow falls more than 440 points to continue second quarter’s weak start
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 418 points, or 1.1%, on Tuesday after declining more than 500 points at its lows. That means the blue-chip index has sunk roughly 800 points during the first two days of the second quarter. On Tuesday morning, the S&P 500 fell 1.1% and the Nasdaq Composite lost 1.5%. The Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, rose 2.5% for the 12 months that ended in February, a faster clip than January’s price increase. Traders pulled back their expectations for a rate cut in June to about 62% from more than 70% a week earlier, according to the CME FedWatch Tool.

Persons: New York CNN — Stocks, Jerome Powell, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, Federal, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, San Francisco Fed, Traders Locations: New York

☆ The Fed's first rate cut is still on pace for June with inflation dropping like a rock, Fundstrat's Tom Lee says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Fed's first rate cut is still on track to come in June, Fundstrat's Tom Lee said. Yet investors are only pricing in a 57% chance of a rate cut by June, per the CME FedWatch tool. AdvertisementThe Fed is still poised to issue its first rate cut in June as the pace of inflation continues to slow, according to Fundstrat's head of research Tom Lee. All that points to a Fed that could be poised to cut rates sooner than markets are expecting, which is good news for stocks. Meanwhile, just 57% of investors are expecting the Fed to issue the first rate cut in June.

Persons: Fundstrat's Tom Lee, —, Tom Lee, Lee, That's, Mohamed El Organizations: Service, Fed, University of Michigan's, France —, Traders Locations: France

☆ Dollar steady as PCE data sets up June rate cut bets; yen in focus
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar was broadly steady on Monday as data showing easing U.S. prices bolstered bets that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates in June, while the yen loitered near 152 per dollar keeping traders on edge on the threat of intervention. The dollar was broadly steady on Monday as data showing easing U.S. prices bolstered bets that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates in June, while the yen loitered near 152 per dollar keeping traders on edge on the threat of intervention. The report also showed consumer spending rising by the most in just over a year last month, underscoring the economy's resilience. The yen touched a 34-year low against the dollar of 151.975 on Wednesday and was last at 151.315 per dollar, a shade stronger, on Monday. In other currencies, the Australian dollar rose 0.21% to $0.654, while the New Zealand dollar was 0.20% higher at $0.599.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Sterling, Shunichi Suzuki, bitcoin Organizations: Federal, Commerce Department's, Reuters, Traders, Citi, Japan, Bank of Japan, Ministry of Finance, Financial Services Agency, New Zealand Locations: Japan

☆ S&P 500 futures are little changed Monday evening: Live updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on April 1, 2024. Futures tied to the S&P 500 were little changed Monday night after the broad market index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped to begin April. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures each dipped lower by less than 0.1%. Futures tied to the 30-stock Dow slipped 118 points, or 0.3%, as shares of UnitedHealth fell. To conclude Monday's session, the Dow fell nearly 241 points, or 0.6%, while the S&P 500 slid 0.2%.

Persons: Dow, UnitedHealth, David Miller, — Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Medicare, Services, Humana, CVS Health, Federal Reserve, Catalyst Capital Advisors, CNBC, Labor, Survey Locations: UnitedHealth

This week, 30-year mortgage rates averaged 6.37%, according to Zillow data. Most major forecasters expect mortgage rates to decline in 2024, but so far we haven't seen any signs of a sustained drop. As we get more data showing that inflation is cooling, mortgage rates should start trending down more definitively. The sooner the Fed can start cutting rates, the sooner mortgage rates will start to fall. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Persons: you'll, Fannie Mae Organizations: Commerce Department, Fed, Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky Locations: Chevron

☆ Crypto investors are bracing for a busy quarter with the Bitcoin halving, ether ETF updates and potential rate cuts
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The most important driver in second quarter for bitcoin and crypto, however, could be the Federal Reserve decision on interest rate cuts. Traders are now pricing in a roughly 61% chance of a first Fed rate cut taking place in June, according to the CME FedWatch Tool . Demand has increased from 40,000 bitcoin at the start of the year to 213,000 bitcoin currently, largely driven by ETF buying ahead of the late April Bitcoin halving, according to CryptoQuant. However, the SEC's decision on whether or not to allow spot ether ETFs to trade, due in May, will "very likely" be market moving, he added. "If it's not priced in today, then it very likely will be a market moving event if it happens," he said.

Persons: Bitcoin, Zach Pandl, Pandl, –, bitcoin, Julio Moreno, Chris Kuiper, — CNBC's Ganesh Rao Organizations: Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal, Metrics, Fidelity Digital Assets, CNBC, Fidelity, SEC Locations: U.S, BlackRock

Average 30-year mortgage rates have dropped nearly 30 basis points from a week ago, according to Zillow data. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates would impact your monthly payments. Mortgage Rates for Buying a Home30-Year Fixed Mortgage Rates Fall (-0.27%)The current average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is 6.32%, down 27 points from where it was this time last week, according to Zillow data. 15-Year Fixed Mortgage Rates Decrease (-0.33%)The average 15-year mortgage rate is 5.64%, down from last week. Mortgage Refinance Rates30-Year Fixed Refinance Rates Increase (+0.69%)The average 30-year refinance rate is 7.69%, 69 basis points higher than last week.

Persons: you'll, It's, refinance Organizations: Federal Reserve, Zillow, FHA Locations: Chevron

☆ The Fed needs to 'kill the zombie' with a high-rate-induced recession before investors should jump in to buy more stocks, strategist says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Investors need to wait for a recession and accompanying rate cuts before putting more cash into stocks, Canaccord's Tony Dwyer says. Under such a scenario, the Fed would leave interest rates higher for longer to induce a downturn, then cut rates, Dwyer says. That's actually good news for investors, Dwyer said, as a downturn is the buying opportunity investors need to wait for:"You need to kill the zombie. A slowing economy could push the Fed to issue rate cuts — the monetary easing tool investors have been eagerly anticipating. Some Wall Street forecasters have warned interest rates could stay higher-for-longer as the Fed is looking to avoid a resurgence in inflation.

Persons: Canaccord's Tony Dwyer, Dwyer, —, Tony Dwyer, Canaccord, that's, haven't, Russell Organizations: Service, CNBC, of Labor Statistics, New York Fed

Mortgage rates have been inching down this week, and they're expected to fall further later this year. Once the Fed begins cutting rates, mortgage rates should trend down more permanently. But until we get more data showing that price growth is moderating, mortgage rates may be somewhat unpredictable. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's interest rates will affect your monthly payments. 15-Year Fixed Mortgage RatesAverage 15-year mortgage rates inched up to 6.21% last week, according to Freddie Mac data.

Persons: you'll, Freddie Mac, it's Organizations: Federal Reserve, Investors, Zillow Locations: Chevron

☆ Dow nears 40,000 as stocks look to close out first quarter on a high note
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The S&P 500 was up 0.1% on Thursday, reaching a new record high. The Dow gained 47 points, or 0.1% also hitting a new high. Thursday was the final day of trading for March and the first quarter of 2024, wrapping up an outstanding quarter for US stocks. For the quarter, the S&P 500 is about 10.2% higher, its strongest first quarter since 2019. Tech stocks like Nvidia and the AI-craze have helped drive stocks higher in the first quarter.

Persons: Dow Organizations: New, New York CNN, Nasdaq, Tech, Nvidia, Federal Reserve Locations: New York

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