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☆ Gold prices edge higher as tepid dollar lifts appeal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold prices edged higher on a weaker dollar, although bullion hovered close to three-month lows as traders assessed prospects that more interest rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve were in the offing. Spot gold rose 0.2% to $1,925.78 per ounce by 0341 GMT. Bullion slumped nearly 2% in the previous week as hawkish comments from Fed officials suggested more rate hikes to bring down sticky inflation. Higher interest rates make non-yielding gold less appealing. San Francisco Fed Bank President Mary Daly said on Friday two more rate hikes this year are a "very reasonable" projection.

Persons: Bullion, Christopher Wong, Mary Daly, Wong Organizations: U.S . Federal, San Francisco Fed Bank, P Global Locations: Moscow, Russia

☆ Gold prices edge up on weaker dollar
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 26 (Reuters) - Gold prices edged higher in early Asian trade on Monday, helped by a weaker U.S. dollar, although chances of more interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve this year to tame sticky inflation weighed on bullion's appeal. FUNDAMENTALS* Spot gold rose 0.3% to $1,926.29 per ounce by 0051 GMT. U.S. gold futures were up 0.3% at $1,936.10 per ounce* The dollar index was down 0.2%, making gold more attractive for buyers holding other currencies. * In his congressional testimony last week, Fed Chair Jerome Powell signalled more rate hikes ahead but vowed the central bank would proceed with caution. DATA/EVENTS (GMT)0500 Japan Leading Indicator Revised April0800 Germany Ifo Business Climate New June0800 Germany Ifo Current Conditions New June0800 Germany Ifo Expectations New JuneReporting by Seher Dareen in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu SahuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Mary Daly, Masato Kanda, Seher, Subhranshu Sahu Organizations: Federal Reserve, Francisco Fed Bank, Thomson Locations: Japan, Germany, Bengaluru

☆ Wall Street ends down, snaps weekly winning streak on Fed worries
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Stephen Culp | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

With few market-moving catalysts this week aside from Powell's congressional testimony, all three indexes notched weekly losses, ending a weeks-long rally. The Nasdaq snapped its eight-week winning streak, its longest since March 2019, while the S&P 500 (.SPX) broke its five-week rally, its longest since November 2021. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq logged their biggest Friday-to-Friday percentage drops since early March, when the regional banking liquidity crisis hit. "You can probably count on a rate hike next month, but it's that second hike that the markets are skeptical of," Mayfield added. According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 (.SPX) lost 33.48 points, or 0.76%, to end at 4,348.41 points, while the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) lost 138.09 points, or 1.01%, to 13,492.52.

Persons: Jerome Powell's, Ross Mayfield, Mary Daly, Tom Barkin, Mayfield, Russell, Stephen Culp, Shubham Batra, Shristi, Richard Chang Organizations: YORK, Federal, Nasdaq, Baird, Francisco Fed Bank, Reuters, Atlanta Fed, Financial, Dow Jones, Carmax Inc, Starbucks Corp, Thomson Locations: Louisville , Kentucky, Bengaluru

Spot gold was up 0.8% to $1,927.90 per ounce by 10:25 a.m. EDT (1425 GMT), after dropping to a more than three-month low earlier in the session. Benchmark 10-year Treasury yields slipped to a 10-day low, reducing the opportunity cost of owning non-yielding gold. Spot silver rose 0.9% to $22.44 per ounce, but was set for its biggest weekly drop since October 2022. Platinum was down 0.3% to $920.38, on course for its worst week since August 2022. Palladium could extend this year's near 30% price decline as the rapid rise of electric vehicles threatens to hammer demand for the autocatalyst metal.

Persons: Edward Moya, Jerome Powell, Phillip Streible, Mary Daly, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Treasury, Federal Reserve, Blue, San Francisco Fed, Reuters, Palladium, Thomson Locations: U.S, Chicago, Bengaluru

☆ Oil dips on demand worries as more rate hikes likely
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Arathy Somasekhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

More U.S. interest rate hikes also seemed likelier. San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President Mary Daly said two more rate hikes this year was a "very reasonable" projection. The Bank of England rate rise triggered fund liquidation and energy producers were moving to a "hedge now" mentality, Kissler added. Higher interest rates increase borrowing costs for businesses and consumers, which could slow economic growth and reduce oil demand. Risk-aversion among investors also boosted the value of the U.S. dollar, which pressures oil prices by making the commodity more expensive for other currency holders.

Persons: Brent, Mary Daly, Dennis Kissler, China's, Alex Lawler, Sudarshan, Philippa Fletcher, Kirsten Donovan, Louise Heavens, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Fed's Daly Bank of, HOUSTON, . West Texas, Bank of England, San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, EU, BOK, The Bank of, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Norway, Switzerland, San, China, Saudi, OPEC

Her comments followed a hawkish stance by Fed Chair Jerome Powell in his two-day testimony before the Senate Banking Committee earlier this week. Markets calmed briefly and the S&P 500 (.SPX) and the Nasdaq (.IXIC) added some gains in the previous session after Powell said the Fed will proceed with caution. We've heard from the various Fed governors, Powell talk about higher interest rates," said Paul Nolte, senior wealth advisor and market strategist at Murphy & Sylvest. Yields on the 2-year, which best reflects interest rate expectations, dropped to hover at 4.71% on Friday. Investors will also monitor comments from some Fed policymakers due to speak later in the day.

Persons: Mary Daly, Jerome Powell, Powell, We're, We've, Paul Nolte, advancers, Shubham Batra, Shristi, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Starbucks, Dow, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, San Francisco Fed Bank, Reuters, Committee, Murphy, Apple, Microsoft, Dow Jones, 3M, Carmax Inc, Starbucks Corp, NYSE, Thomson Locations: San, U.S, Bengaluru

Last week Fed policymakers decided to hold the policy rate steady at the current 5%-5.25% range, interrupting what had been a string of 10 straight increases aimed at stomping inflation. The unemployment rate has crept up to 3.7% but is lower than the 4% rate Fed policymakers estimate is consistent with a fully employed American workforce on a sustainable basis. That's one more reason, she said, to slow down on rate hikes. "No wonder there's a couple of extra rate hikes," Daly said. Two more quarter-point rate hikes this year, Daly said, is "a very reasonable projection at this point," she said.

Persons: Florence Lo, Mary Daly, Daly, what's, Banks, I've, Ann Saphir, Dan Burns, Andrea Ricci Organizations: REUTERS, San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, Reuters, Thomson

☆ Former Fed Chair Bernanke argues economy must slow further to bring down inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Inflation has cooled in the past several months, according to the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge and the Consumer Price Index, though some Fed officials have said that it’s not cooling fast enough. Indeed, the labor market remains on strong footing. “Overheating in the labor market has played a minor role but an increasing one over time. Overall inflation crept up throughout that year, then the Fed began to raise interest rates in March 2022 from near zero. Despite the failures of three regional banks since March, the Fed still raised interest rates two more times during that period.

Persons: Ben Bernanke, ” Bernanke, Olivier Blanchard, Blanchard, they’re, Mary Daly, ” Daly, isn’t Organizations: DC CNN, Former Federal, Fed, International Monetary Fund, Brookings Institution, Federal Reserve Bank of San Locations: Washington, Washington ,, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco

☆ Morning Bid: Tech politics, debt cap brinkmanship
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Well-choreographed brinkmanship over the debt ceiling standoff looks set to go down to the wire, while technology firms have once again become a battleground in tense geopolitics. As AI-fueled U.S. technology stocks have led the way this year, the S&P (.SPX) has gained almost 10% this year and hit its highest level in nine months on Friday. Minneapolis Fed chief Neel Kashkari said on Sunday he could support holding rates steady at the next meeting. Futures markets see more than an 80% chance of a June pause and still price almost 50bp of cuts by yearend. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ AMERICAS Debt cap tick-tock leaves eerie calm
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The issue dominated much of the G7 finance chiefs meeting in Japan. Dimon claimed any technical default could cause financial panic and JPMorgan had convened a 'war room' internally to deal with the issue. "It's very unfortunate, it's time-consuming, hopefully it won't happen, but it affects contracts, collateral, clearing houses, clients," Dimon said. Chinese stocks underperformed, with the G7 meeting mulling restrictions on investment to the world's second-biggest economy. Bank of England chief economist Huw Pill speaksReuters GraphicsJobless claimsReuters GraphicsReuters GraphicsBy Mike Dolan, editing by Christina Fincher, <a href="mailto:mike.dolan@thomsonreuters.com" target="_blank">mike.dolan@thomsonreuters.com</a>.

☆ Fed report on SVB collapse faults bank's managers — and central bank regulators
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Central bank officials likely will turn their attention to cultural changes, noting that risks at SVB were not thoroughly examined. Future changes could see standardized liquidity requirements to a broader range of banks, and tighter supervision of compensation for bank managers. "[T]he combination of social media, a highly networked and concentrated depositor base, and technology may have fundamentally changed the speed of bank runs,' he said in the report. "Social media enabled depositors to instantly spread concerns about a bank run, and technology enabled immediate withdrawals of funding." Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said he welcomed the Barr probe and its internal criticism of Fed actions during the crisis.

☆ Fed's Goolsbee says mild U.S. recession feasible
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 14 (Reuters) - A U.S. recession is certainly feasible as the Federal Reserve's steep rate-hikes over the past year filters fully through the economy, Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said on Friday, as he again urged the central bank to be prudent on policy. "There is no way you can look at current conditions around the world and in the US and not think that some mild recession is definitely on the table as a possibility," Goolsbee said in an interview with CNBC. He was responding to a question about a forecast from Fed staff that banking sector stress would tip the economy into recession later this year. "The data show that and we've raised rates almost 500 basis points in a year," he added. Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic told Reuters in an interview, also on Friday, the Fed could "hit the mark and hold" with one more rate hike.

☆ Dollar eases as US inflation cools
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE, April 13 (Reuters) - The dollar was on the back foot on Thursday after cooler-than-anticipated U.S. inflation data lifted risk sentiment and stoked expectations that the Federal Reserve will be done with its monetary tightening after hiking one last time next month. The dollar index , which measures the currency against six major peers, eased 0.03% to 101.44, hovering around a one week low of 101.40 after sinking 0.6% overnight. "While disinflation trends continue and broadened across headline, core and supercore measures, the CPI report is hardly an all clear on inflation," strategists at Saxo Markets said. Taylor Nugent, an economist at National Australia Bank, said the CPI data and the minutes provided ample fodder for those reading the Fed tea leaves, noting that inflation showed welcome, but not overwhelming progress. The Japanese yen weakened 0.04% to 133.20 per dollar, while sterling was last trading at $1.2486, up 0.04% on the day.

☆ Gold ticks up as U.S. inflation data fuels bets for rate hike pause
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold prices inched higher for a third consecutive session on Thursday, as milder-than-expected U.S. inflation data prompted bets that the Federal Reserve might raise rates just once more before pausing. U.S. gold futures rose 0.3% to $2,031.40. Gold prices rose over 1% on Wednesday after data showed the U.S. Consumer Price Index rose 0.1% last month, compared with expectations of a 0.2% increase, after advancing 0.4% in February. Recession concerns are "allowing gold prices to ride on its safe-haven status ... while technical conditions are revealing some moderation in upward momentum on recent highs," IG's Yeap said. Spot silver fell 0.3% to $25.39 per ounce, platinum lost 0.3% to $1,011.86 and palladium dipped 0.5% to $1,452.08.

☆ Dollar eases as U.S. inflation cools
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An image of the U.S. dollar bill and a euro coinThe dollar was on the back foot on Thursday after cooler-than-anticipated U.S. inflation data lifted risk sentiment and stoked expectations that the Federal Reserve will be done with its monetary tightening after hiking one last time next month. The dollar index , which measures the currency against six major peers, eased 0.03% to 101.44, hovering around a one week low of 101.40 after sinking 0.6% overnight. "While disinflation trends continue and broadened across headline, core and supercore measures, the CPI report is hardly an all clear on inflation," strategists at Saxo Markets said. Taylor Nugent, an economist at National Australia Bank, said the CPI data and the minutes provided ample fodder for those reading the Fed tea leaves, noting that inflation showed welcome, but not overwhelming progress. The Japanese yen weakened 0.04% to 133.20 per dollar, while sterling was last trading at $1.2486, up 0.04% on the day.

☆ Gold ticks up as US inflation data fuels bets for rate-hike pause
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Kavya Guduru | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Gold advances for third consecutive sessionMarkets pricing in 25-bp rate hike in MayApril 13 (Reuters) - Gold prices inched higher for a third consecutive session on Thursday, as cooler-than-expected U.S. inflation data spurred bets that the Federal Reserve might raise rates once more next month before pausing hikes. Spot gold was up 0.1% at $2,016.99 per ounce, as of 0332 GMT. Gold prices rose more than 1% on Wednesday after data showed the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.1% last month, compared with expectations for a 0.2% increase, after advancing 0.4% in February. Gold is considered an inflation hedge, but rising interest rates reduce the appeal of non-yielding bullion. Recession concerns are "allowing gold prices to ride on its safe-haven status... while technical conditions are revealing some moderation in upward momentum on recent highs," IG's Yeap added.

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoWASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - Several Federal Reserve policymakers last month considered pausing interest rate increases after the failure of two regional banks and a forecast from Fed staff that banking sector stress would tip the economy into recession. But even they concluded high inflation remained so paramount they pressed on with a rate hike despite the risk. Fed staff assessing the potential fallout of banking sector stress projected a "mild recession" starting later this year, with a recovery in 2024-2025, the minutes showed. "Some participants noted ...they would have considered a 50-basis-point increase ... in the absence of the recent developments in the banking sector," the minutes said. "Participants observed that inflation remained much too high and that the labor market remained too tight; as a result they anticipated that some additional policy firming may be appropriate," the minutes said.

☆ Dollar drops as inflation cools more than expected
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Karen Brettell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In the 12 months through March, the CPI increased 5.0%, the smallest year-on-year gain since May 2021. Economists at Goldman Sachs said after the data that they no longer expect the Fed to raise rates in June. The dollar index fell 0.60% on the day to 101.49 and is down from around 102.11 before the data. The dollar dipped to 133.13 Japanese yen , down 0.47% on the day, from around 133.85 before the data. Retail sales data on Friday will be analyzed next for how consumer spending is being affected by higher prices.

However, the major benchmarks shed gains quickly, briefly turning lower, as investors focused on underlying inflation pressures which rose in line with economists' estimates. US inflation, Fed rates and MarketsRichmond Fed President Thomas Barkin also poured cold water on market optimism after flagging that there was still time before inflation falls back to the Fed's 2% goal. San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly said there was "more work to do" on Fed rate hikes. Among the 11 major S&P sectors, consumer discretionary (.SPLRCD) was the worst hit, while materials (.SPLRC) and healthcare (.SPXHC) were the top gainers. Reporting by Sruthi Shankar and Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak DasguptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Morning Bid: Stocks defy negativity in CPI vigil
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Federal Reserve's interest rate stance hinges on incoming data such as Wednesday's consumer price report, but fears of recession remain just that. And so investors return to scrutinising the Fed to see if the central bank forces the recession by tightening ever further. With Fed policy meeting minutes due later in the day, the runes of what must have been a tense gathering of officials in the middle of the regional banking shock will be eyed closely. Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari reckoned recession was still a risk but inflation wouldn't get back close to the 2% target until next year. Hong Kong stocks (.HSI) underperformed overnight - with geopolitical tensions high surrounding Taiwan and Chinese military operations around the island.

☆ San Francisco Fed leader Daly likely not a major player in SVB saga, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Steve Liesman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"She was not in the chain of command," one former Fed bank president told CNBC. "Supervisory action taken by the San Francisco Fed staff would have been cleared by Washington." Daly and Fed board officials declined to comment for this report. San Francisco Federal Reserve President Mary Daly reacts at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council Town Hall, Los Angeles, California, U.S., October 15, 2019. A review of what went wrong will likely point more heavily to Washington, its supervisory bureaucracy and the board leadership than to San Francisco.

[1/2] An employee holds the door open at the Silicon Valley Bank branch office in downtown San Francisco, California, U.S., March 13, 2023. Supervision of large banks like SVB, which was the 16th biggest U.S. bank at the time of its failure, is a shared responsibility of bank examiners employed by the regional Fed bank and Fed Board staff in Washington. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said this week he wants to identify "what went wrong here". Bank examiners at San Francisco Fed had flagged escalating problems at the Santa Clara-based bank suggesting issues with its ability to meet short-term cash needs like depositor withdrawals. As San Francisco Fed chair, Mehran headed the search committee that hired Daly for the top job at the bank in 2018.

Two of the Fed's 12 regional bank presidents resigned as a result of that scandal and Powell launched a fast overhaul of the central bank's ethics rules as criticism mounted. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a longtime Powell opponent, saying she had lost confidence as well in San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly, whose bank was responsible for supervising SVB. Still, turbulence in financial markets and the banking system is likely to feature prominently in Powell's post-meeting news conference, which is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. EDT (1830 GMT). The U.S. central bank will release its policy statement and new economic projections from Fed officials at 2 p.m. EDT. Market expectations are tilted heavily towards the Fed approving another quarter-of-a-percentage-point rate increase, which would lift its benchmark overnight interest rate - the federal funds rate - to the 4.75%-5.00% range.

☆ US Sen. Scott pushes for new Fed inspector general, slams Fed over bank regulation,
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Senator Rick Scott said on Monday he will introduce legislation to create an independent inspector general to oversee the Federal Reserve, as he called the U.S. central bank "unable or unwilling to properly regulate" banks in a letter to Fed Chair Jerome Powell. "I am proposing legislation to establish a presidentially-appointed and Senate-confirmed inspector general for the Federal Reserve," Scott told Powell in the letter. The Federal Reserve is responsible for supervising - monitoring, inspecting and examining - certain financial institutions to ensure that they comply with rules and regulations, and that they operate in a safe and sound manner. Scott's legislation stems from concern in Congress that the Federal Reserve's current inspector general is not independent enough to serve as a check on the central bank. Scott also urged the Fed chief to use the central bank's policy meeting this week to examine the bank failures and identify accountable Fed personnel.

☆ Tech pressure, Yellen everywhere: How Washington scrambled as SVB collapsed
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Yellen heads to the White House, Brainard meets with her staff and holds Zoom calls in her wood-paneled office in the West Wing. Treasury staff hustle to get Yellen on CBS News' "Face the Nation" program on Sunday, in an attempt to reassure markets. White House officials draft news releases with various scenarios, uncertain until shortly before 6 p.m. if an acquisition can still happen. As he leaves Delaware to return to the White House, Biden tells reporters he will make a statement on Monday. Treasury and White House officials reach out to members of Congress and their staffs throughout the evening to explain the plan, with discussions continuing into Monday.

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