The greenback rose more than 10% in 2022 against other major currencies – close to the highest level in two decades – as investors worried about a global recession rushed to raise dollars, which are considered a safe haven in turbulent times. Adding to the dollar’s appeal is the Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate hike … Read more
“We have front-end loaded these large rate hikes and are now getting closer to where we need to be,” Fed Chairman Jerome Powell told reporters. Of course, Powell said, another “unusually large” raise could also be on the table. But Wall Street has looked further. What happened after: Investors cheered Powell’s apparent pivot. The S&P … Read more
Instead, concern has shifted to what a booming labor market and rising costs for everything means for stocks and bond portfolios, particularly if it morphs into a resilient mix of higher growth and inflation. How to call such a scenario? “Boomflation,” said Kent Engelke, chief economic strategist at Capitol Securities Management, indicating that annual wage … Read more
(Kitco News) Gold breached the coveted $ 1,800-an-ounce level on Thursday due to rising geopolitical tensions between the US and China. But Friday’s upcoming employment report could disrupt the momentum, analysts say. December gold futures rose $ 33 on Thursday, hitting a daily high of $ 1,812. At the time of writing, prices were at … Read more
The S&P 500 Index may be in the process of securing two major bullish SPXs, -0.12% milestones. First, the S&P rose from that mid-June low to the major resistance at 4170. A two-day close above that level would be quite bullish and set the stage for a downtrend line challenge that defines this bear market. … Read more
Personal finances can be particularly daunting for members of the LGBTQ + community, who have faced exclusion and discrimination from their families and from financial and governmental institutions. According to an analysis by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, gay men earn about 69 cents per dollar to their straight peers and lesbians earn about 89 … Read more
The rally in the bond markets in recent times has been surprising. As hopes rise that inflation may have peaked and evidence of a U.S. economic slowdown, the 10-year Treasury benchmark makes BX: TMUBMUSD10Y it fell from the roughly 3.5% level it reached in mid-June to nearly 2.5% earlier this week. A drop of 100 … Read more
Whenever the Federal Reserve begins to tighten financial conditions, markets try to guess how far the central bank will go. Indeed, now in an era where it provides its future policy estimates in a framework known as “the dots,” the Fed yes is providing indications on where the fed funds rate will land. For 2023 … Read more
Even more aggravating: Exxon and Chevron announced last week that they would spend billions of dollars of their earnings buying back their own shares, fattening investors’ wallets. The oil companies are certainly not alone, but they have helped bring buybacks back into the spotlight. The stock buyback debate has been raging for four decades and … Read more
WASHINGTON – Leaders of a Senate committee will propose legislation that would assign oversight of the two largest cryptocurrencies, bitcoin and ether, to the federal agency that regulates milk futures and interest rate swaps. Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow and high-ranking Republican John Boozman of Arkansas are planning to introduce a bill on August … Read more
