Central banking

European Central Bank should only cut interest rates once more this year, IMF Europe head says
World

European Central Bank should only cut interest rates once more this year, IMF Europe head says

This photo taken on Jan. 30, 2025 shows the European Central Bank ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. Zhang Fan/Xinhua via Getty Images The European Central Bank should only enact one more quarter percentage point interest rate cut this year despite wider risks to economic growth, the International Monetary Fund’s Europe chief said Wednesday. “We have […]

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European Central Bank’s Lagarde says she hopes Trump doesn’t fire Fed’s Powell
World

European Central Bank’s Lagarde says she hopes Trump doesn’t fire Fed’s Powell

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde on Tuesday said she hoped that U.S. President Donald Trump would not fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Asked by CNBC’s Sara Eisen if that scenario was a current material risk to markets, Lagarde said: “I certainly hope not … I hope that it is not a risk.” Speaking […]

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CNBC Daily Open: Investors grow wary of U.S. assets as Trump intensifies attacks on Powell
World

CNBC Daily Open: Investors grow wary of U.S. assets as Trump intensifies attacks on Powell

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (not pictured) in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 17, 2025. Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters Yesterday’s edition of this newsletter cautioned that U.S. President Donald Trump’s desire to intervene in the Federal Reserve, as he […]

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CNBC Daily Open: Trump’s threat to intervene in Fed could cause upheaval
World

CNBC Daily Open: Trump’s threat to intervene in Fed could cause upheaval

The Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve building in Washington, DC, U.S., on Feb. 27, 2024. Morah Ratner | Bloomberg | Getty Images An independent central bank is seen by most (including this newsletter) as the bedrock of a functional economy. Officials steer the economy by calibrating the benchmark interest rate on which bank loans and […]

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CNBC Daily Open: Trump’s desire to intervene in Fed could cause chaos
World

CNBC Daily Open: Trump’s desire to intervene in Fed could cause chaos

The Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve building in Washington, DC, U.S., on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Stefani Reynolds | Bloomberg | Getty Images An independent central bank is seen by most (including this newsletter) as the bedrock of a functional economy. Officials steer the economy by calibrating the benchmark interest rate on which bank loans […]

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Turkey’s central bank surprises with 350-basis-point rate hike
World

Turkey’s central bank surprises with 350-basis-point rate hike

Cityscape at sunset on March 4, 2024 in Istanbul, Turkey. Dia Images | Getty Images News | Getty Images Turkey’s central bank surprised markets on Thursday when it raised its key interest rate, the one-week repurchase rate, from 42.5% to 46%, ending the easing cycle it began in December of last year. The decision comes […]

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European Central Bank cuts interest rates, warns of ‘deteriorated’ growth outlook on trade tensions
World

European Central Bank cuts interest rates, warns of ‘deteriorated’ growth outlook on trade tensions

The European Central Bank made yet another 25-basis-point interest rate cut on Thursday as global tariff turmoil has created widespread uncertainty and spurred fears about the euro zone’s economic growth. A rate cut was fully anticipated by markets, with an around 94% chance of a 25-basis-point trim being priced in ahead of the decision, according […]

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South Korea holds rates as it grapples with U.S. tariffs, prepares for snap election
World

South Korea holds rates as it grapples with U.S. tariffs, prepares for snap election

The Bank of Korea (BOK) in Seoul on Dec. 28, 2024. Kim Jae-Hwan | Lightrocket | Getty Images South Korea’s central bank held its policy rate at 2.75% Thursday, as the country grapples with U.S. tariffs and prepares for a snap presidential election. This was in line with a Reuters poll of economists that forecast […]

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Watch Fed Chair Powell speak live on policy to the Economic Club of Chicago
Finance

Watch Fed Chair Powell speak live on policy to the Economic Club of Chicago

[The stream is slated to start at 1:30 p.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks Wednesday afternoon at the Economic Club of Chicago, delivering policy remarks with markets on edge over the effect of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The […]

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Singapore sees zero growth as a possibility this year as it cuts GDP outlook on tariff worries
World

Singapore sees zero growth as a possibility this year as it cuts GDP outlook on tariff worries

View of MAS building, Singapore Lee Yen Nee Singapore on Monday eased its monetary policy for the second straight time, as the city-state sees zero growth this year as a possibility after posting a lower-than-expected GDP expansion of 3.8% for the first quarter. The Monetary Authority of Singapore had eased its policy stance in its […]

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