Stripe co-founder says high interest rates wiped out ‘wackiest’ ideas

John Collison, president and co-founder of Stripe. Christophe Morin | IP3 | Getty Images Rising interest rates crushed technology valuations and had a chilling effect on Silicon Valley. Stripe’s co-founder says it was needed. “Broadly speaking, the effects of higher rates have been quite good,” John Collison, president of the online payments company, told CNBC … Read more

Barclays first quarter earnings, swings back to profit amid overhaul

Signage shines through a window reflecting Barclays head office in Canary Wharf, London, U.K. Bloomberg | Getty Images LONDON — Barclays on Thursday reported first-quarter net income attributable to shareholders of £1.55 billion ($1.93 billion), beating expectations and returning the British lender to profit amid a major strategic overhaul. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected net profit … Read more

Why the Fed keeping rates higher for longer may not be such a bad thing

US Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell arrives to testify at a House Financial Services Committee hearing on the “Federal Reserve’s Semi-Annual Monetary Policy Report,” on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, March 6, 2024.  Mandel Ngan | Afp | Getty Images With the economy humming along and the stock market, despite some recent twists and … Read more

CEO of Norway’s wealth fund issues warning over hot commodity markets

Nicolai Tangen, chief executive officer of Norges Bank Investment Management, during a news conference in Oslo, Norway, on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images The chief executive of the world’s largest wealth fund says there are many wild cards in financial markets right now, but the “big worry” for investors is … Read more

What is a halal mortgage? How interest-free home financing works in Canada – National

The federal government is looking at making Islamic home financing increasingly accessible to help more Canadians break into the housing market. As part of the 2024 federal budget that was released last week, Ottawa said it is “exploring new measures to expand access to alternative financing products, like halal mortgages.” Last month, the federal government started consulting … Read more

Big change in global growth is bullish for commodities: VanEck CEO

Investors should consider commodities due to a “big change” involving international expansion, according to VanEck CEO Jan van Eck. “The world economy started growing again,” van Eck told CNBC’s “ETF Edge” this week. He singles out China, the world’s second-largest economy behind the U.S., as a key driver in the expansion. “China which has been … Read more

European Central Bank should cut rates in June, ECB policymaker says

The European Central Bank should cut interest rates in June to avoid falling behind the inflation curve, according to ECB policymaker François Villeroy de Galhau. “The question is the next Governing Council which will be early June … and here barring a major surprise we should cut rates because we are now confident enough and … Read more

Canada’s income gap is growing. Will Budget 2024 help affordability? – National

Higher interest rates last year contributed to the largest gap in income inequality since 2015, according to a new Statistics Canada report. The findings come one day after the federal government tabled its 2024 budget, which one economist says won’t make many short-term differences in Canadians’ bank accounts. The StatCan report released Wednesday said Canada’s … Read more

Wall Street pushes out rate-cut expectations, sees risk of no action until 2025

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on the “Federal Reserve’s Semi-Annual Monetary Policy Report” on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 6, 2024.  Bonnie Cash | Reuters If there was any doubt before, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has pretty much cemented the likelihood that there won’t be … Read more

ECB June rate cut looks increasingly likely but still caveats: Joachim Nagel

Joachim Nagel, president of Deutsche Bundesbank, during A Bloomberg Television interview following the central bank’s “Annual Report 2023” news conference in Frankfurt, Germany, on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. “ Alex Kraus | Bloomberg | Getty Images European Central Bank policymaker Joachim Nagel said Wednesday that a rate cut for the organization looks increasingly likely for … Read more