Central banking
Powell sees inflation outlook in check, no need to hike rates because of oil shock
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, in a wide-ranging talk at Harvard University, said Monday that he sees inflation expectations as grounded despite rising energy prices so the central bank doesn’t need to respond with higher interest rates. As his term leading the central bank nears an end, Powell avoided questions about the longer-term direction of […]
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Watch Fed Chair Jerome Powell speak live to an economics class at Harvard
[The stream is slated to start at 10:30 a.m. ET. CNBC Television will start the stream when the event begins. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above.] Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks Monday to the Harvard University Principles of Economics class. This will be one of Powell’s final scheduled […]
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‘All bets are off’: European borrowing costs hit 15-year highs as investors brace for rate hikes
Crowds of pedestrians and shoppers walk along Weinstrasse toward Marienplatz in Munich, Germany, on March 14, 2026. Michael Nguyen | Nurphoto | Getty Images European government bonds continued to sell off on Friday, building on a rout that has seen multiple countries’ borrowing costs hit multi-decade highs in recent weeks. Thursday saw the yield on […]
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Bank of Korea’s newly appointed chief pledges ‘balanced’ policy
Economic Adviser and Head of Research of the Bank for International Settlements Hyun Song Shin leaves after attending the G20 Finance Ministers, Central Bank Governors and Finance & Central Bank Deputies meetings, at the Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar on July 17, 2023. Punit Paranjpe | Afp | Getty Images South Korean economist Shin Hyun-song, best known for […]
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Banks eye three ECB rate hikes this year as former Governor says he sees no stagflation — yet
The Euro Sculpture at Willy-Brandt-Platz in the financial district of Frankfurt, Germany, on March 6, 2025. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Brokers now forecast multiple European Central Bank interest rate hikes this year as the specter of higher inflation and lower growth piles pressure on central banks to act. J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley and […]
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Japan wanted inflation and Iran war could grant that wish. But it’s not the type Tokyo desires
TOKYO, JAPAN – FEBRUARY 05: Tourists and shoppers walk through the Tsukiji shopping area on February 5, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. Tomohiro Ohsumi | Getty Images News | Getty Images The Bank of Japan has long stated that sustained levels of inflation will help it move ahead with policy normalization, after having ended the world’s […]
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China leaves March benchmark lending rates unchanged for 10th straight month
BEIJING, CHINA – NOVEMBER 11: The national flag of China flies in front of the headquarters of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) on November 11, 2025, in Beijing, China. The PBOC serves as the country’s central bank, overseeing monetary policy, financial regulation, and currency issuance. (Photo by Cheng Xin/Getty Images) Cheng Xin | Getty […]
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Europe’s central banks are no longer in a ‘good place’ as Iran war upends forecasts
A projection of a Euro currency sign is pictured on the facade of the European Central Bank (ECB) headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on Dec. 30, 2025. Kirill Kudryavtsev | Afp | Getty Images Before the war on Iran began in late February, Europe’s central banks enjoyed a more benign inflation outlook as […]
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Here are the five key takeaways from this week’s Fed meeting
Key Points Federal Reserve policymakers kept their key interest rate at a range of 3.5% to 3.75% at the conclusion of their March meeting. At his press conference, Fed Chair Jerome Powell faced questions about the oil price shock since the Iran war. The Fed’s dot plot suggests a rate cut could be in the […]
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Fed votes to hold rates steady, notes ‘uncertain’ impacts from Iran war
WASHINGTON – The Federal Reserve on Wednesday voted to hold its key interest rate steady as policymakers navigate their way through higher-than-expected inflation readings, mixed signs on the labor market – and a war. In a widely expected decision, the Federal Open Market Committee voted 11-1 to keep the benchmark federal funds rate anchored in […]
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