Central banking
Watch Fed Chair Jerome Powell testify live before Senate banking panel
[The stream is slated to start at 10 a.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is back Wednesday on Capitol Hill, this time speaking to the Senate banking committee as part of his semiannual monetary policy testimony. In his remarks […]
Read More
Japan’s inflation has been above target for over 3 years, but where is the BOJ?
Customers check out vegetables and other groceries at a supermarket in Tokyo on June 20, 2025. Kazuhiro Nogi | Afp | Getty Images Major central banks have hiked their policy rates in the face of surging inflation since the Covid-19 pandemic — but the Bank of Japan has been an outlier. It has stayed put […]
Read More
Watch Fed Chair Powell testify live on interest rate policy before House committee
[The stream is slated to start at 10a.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivers his semiannual monetary policy testimony to congressional leaders, starting Tuesday with an appearance before the House Financial Services Committee. In prepared remarks, Powell noted the […]
Read More
Powell emphasizes Fed’s obligation to prevent ‘ongoing inflation problem’ despite Trump criticism
Key Points Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday said he expects policymakers to stay on hold until they have a better handle on the impact tariffs will have on prices. The cautious tones could further antagonize President Donald Trump, who has ramped up his long-standing criticism of Powell. Powell will present his speech, along […]
Read More
Fed Chair Powell speaks on Capitol Hill this week with politics front and center
Key Points Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell heads to Capitol Hill this week, with testimony to Congress kicking off Tuesday morning as Powell presents the Fed’s monetary policy report. Multiple White House officials have cranked up the heat on Powell to start lowering rates, and he’s now faced with two key Fed officials who have […]
Read More
Fed Governor Waller says central bank could cut rates as early as July
Key Points Fed Governor Christopher Waller said Friday that he doesn’t expect tariffs to boost inflation significantly so policymakers should be looking to lower interest rates as early as next month. “If you’re starting to worry about the downside risk [to the] labor market, move now, don’t wait,” he said. Most Fed policymakers prefer a […]
Read More
Rice prices more than double in May as Japan core inflation jumps to highest levels since 2023
A worker handles sacks of brown rice at a Shinmei Co. plant in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. Bags of rice are expected to start filling the shelves of Japan’s supermarkets again soon as farmers harvest their new crop, though the increase in supply will do little to tame higher prices. […]
Read More
Switzerland enters era of zero interest rates
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) in Bern, Switzerland, on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. Stefan Wermuth | Bloomberg | Getty Images The Swiss National Bank on Thursday cut interest rates by a further 25 basis points to 0% — adding to concerns over a potential return to negative rates. The reduction was widely expected by markets ahead of the decision, […]
Read More
Fed holds key rate steady, still sees two more cuts this year
WASHINGTON – The Federal Reserve on Wednesday kept interest rates steady amid expectations of higher inflation and lower economic growth ahead, and still pointed to two reductions later this year. With markets expecting no chance of a central bank move this week, the Federal Open Market Committee kept its key borrowing rate targeted in a […]
Read More
Bank of Japan to slow cuts to government bond purchases from April next year as growth risks loom
A pedestrian walks past the Bank of Japan (BoJ) building in central Tokyo on July 28, 2023. Richard A. Brooks | Afp | Getty Images Japan’s central bank on Tuesday said it would slow the cuts to government bond purchases from April next year, while it also held the benchmark rate at 0.5% amid rising […]
Read More