Central banking
Fed holds rates steady, takes less confident view on inflation
Key Points The Federal Reserve left unchanged its overnight borrowing rate in a range between 4.25%-4.5%. The decision followed three straight cuts since September 2024. The post-meeting statement offered a somewhat more optimistic view on the labor market while dropping a key reference from the December statement that inflation “has made progress toward” the Fed’s […]
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European Central Bank to cut rates again with Trump threat and U.S. divergence in focus
The European Central Bank is widely expected to kick off its 2025 meetings with another interest rate cut on Thursday, as traders aim to gauge how far the central bank is willing to diverge from a stalled Federal Reserve. Money markets on Wednesday were pricing in 35 basis points worth of rate cuts for the […]
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Bank of Japan hikes policy rates by 25 basis points to highest since 2008
Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda responds to questions during a Governors talk on Japanese inflation and monetary policy at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group 2024 Fall Meeting in Washington, U.S., October 23, 2024. Kaylee Greenlee Beal | Reuters The Bank of Japan hiked rates by 25 basis points Friday […]
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Singapore eases monetary policy for the first time since 2020, warns of growth slowdown
The Monetary Authority of Singapore building in Singapore. Wei Leng Tay | Bloomberg | Getty Images Singapore on Friday loosened its monetary policy for the first time since 2020, citing a faster than expected decline in inflation and warning about a growth slowdown. The Monetary Authority of Singapore said it would slightly reduce the slope […]
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Bank of Japan is expected to hike rates this week, CNBC survey shows
Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda delivers a speech at the start of issuance of new yen banknotes at the Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo on July 3, 2024. Str | Afp | Getty Images The Bank of Japan is expected to raise its benchmark interest rate this week by 25 basis points, according […]
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Traders bet on more Bank of England rate cuts in 2025 after data shocks
Piccadilly Circus is seen at dusk, on 7th January 2025, in London, England. Richard Baker | In Pictures | Getty Images LONDON — Traders bet on more Bank of England rate cuts this year after weak retail sales data added to the latest in a run of data surprises this week. Sales volumes fell 0.3% […]
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Bank of Korea leaves rates unchanged at 3% in a surprise move
The Bank of Korea (BOK) in Seoul on Dec. 28, 2024. Kim Jae-Hwan | Lightrocket | Getty Images South Korea’s central bank Thursday held its benchmark policy rate at 3% in a surprise move, having delivered two back-to-back cuts in its previous meetings amid a slowing economy. Economists polled by Reuters had estimated a 25-basis-point […]
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UK homeowners brace for higher mortgages as borrowing costs spike
Sunlight illuminates the front of a row of Victorian-era houses in a terraced street in Bristol, England. Matt Cardy | Getty Images News | Getty Images LONDON — Hundreds of thousands of U.K. homeowners are facing the prospect of higher mortgage rates after a spike in U.K. borrowing costs. Major high street lender Virgin Money […]
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A global bond sell-off is deepening as investors pare Fed rate cut expectations
The Eccles Building, location of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and of the Federal Open Market Committee. Brooks Kraft | Getty Images A sell-off in global bond markets is accelerating, fueling concerns over government finances and raising the specter of higher borrowing costs for consumers and businesses around the world. Bond yields […]
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BOJ deputy governor flags chance of rate hike next week
Shoppers in Tokyo, Japan, on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2022. James Whitlow Delano | Bloomberg | Getty Images The Bank of Japan will debate whether to raise interest rates next week, as prospects of sustained wage gains heighten and the U.S. policy outlook becomes clearer in President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural address, Deputy Governor Ryozo Himino said. […]
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