Wall St Week Ahead-US small caps struggle as elevated interest rates take a toll

Wall St Week Ahead-US small caps struggle as elevated interest rates take a toll

The prospect of interest rates remaining elevated as the Federal Reserve battles inflation is further clouding the outlook for shares of smaller U.S. companies, which have lagged broader markets this year. Small cap stocks surged at the end of 2023, as expectations grew that the Fed was done raising interest rates and would soon begin … Read more

Indian rupee to keep in a tight range amid constant RBI intervention: Reuters poll

Indian rupee to keep in a tight range amid constant RBI intervention: Reuters poll

The Indian rupee will hew a close path to the U.S. dollar over the coming three months as regular interventions from the Reserve Bank of India keeps the currency on a tight leash, a Reuters poll of analysts found. The RBI has kept the rupee in a narrow range against the dollar and is only … Read more

Federal Reserve: Fed cites lack of progress on inflation, holds rates steady

Federal Reserve: Fed cites lack of progress on inflation, holds rates steady

Washington: The Federal Reserve signaled fresh concerns about inflation as it reaffirmed it needs more evidence that price gains are cooling before cutting interest rates from a two-decade high. Officials unanimously decided to leave the target range for the benchmark federal funds rate at 5.25% to 5.5% – where it’s been since July – following … Read more

Federal Reserve: When will Fed cut rates? As US economy flexes its muscles, maybe later or not at all

Federal Reserve: When will Fed cut rates? As US economy flexes its muscles, maybe later or not at all

WASHINGTON – Ever since the Federal Reserve signaled last fall that it was likely done raising interest rates, Wall Street traders, economists, car buyers, would-be homeowners – pretty much everyone – began obsessing over a single question: When will the Fed start cutting rates? But now, with the U.S. economy showing surprising vigor, a different … Read more

Wall Street: Wall Street sells off ahead of jobs report, investors digest Fed comments

Wall Street: Wall Street sells off ahead of jobs report, investors digest Fed comments

NEW YORK: The three major U.S. stock indexes fell more than 1% each and the S&P 500 had its biggest daily percentage drop since Feb. 13 on Thursday as Federal Reserve officials took a cautious approach in comments on the outlook for interest rate cuts, and investors braced for Friday’s U.S. monthly jobs report. Investors … Read more

Fed’s Williams says rate cuts likely to happen ‘later this year’

Fed’s Williams says rate cuts likely to happen ‘later this year’

New York Federal Reserve President John Williams sees the U.S. central bank on track to cut interest rates “later this year,” despite stronger-than-expected inflation and labor market data in January, according to an interview with Axios. “My overall view of the economy basically hasn’t changed based on one month of data,” Williams said in an … Read more

RBI: Key gauge shows traders expecting fewer rate cuts

RBI: Key gauge shows traders expecting fewer rate cuts

Mumbai: Overnight indexed swaps (OIS), the principal financial market gauge for gauging which way interest rates are headed, show that traders have reduced the extent of rate cuts they expect from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) this year, following a vigilant tone on inflation and liquidity by the central bank. A slower-than-expected inflation decline … Read more

Dollar poised for weekly decline; US jobs data up next

Dollar poised for weekly decline; US jobs data up next

The dollar fell broadly on Friday in a bout of positive risk sentiment following upbeat big tech earnings on Wall Street, while traders awaited U.S. jobs data due later in the day to gauge how soon the Federal Reserve could begin easing rates. The closely watched nonfarm payrolls report later on Friday comes on the … Read more

US Fed meet outcome today: Can Powell soothe nerves of D-Street? Here’s what experts feel

US Fed meet outcome today: Can Powell soothe nerves of D-Street? Here’s what experts feel

The US Federal Reserve’s two-day monetary policy meeting will conclude later today, and at the end of it, the central bank is widely expected to leave the federal funds rate unchanged. According to the CME FedWatch tool, 98% of the respondents see the federal funds target range unchanged at 5.25-5.50%. So, a status quo on … Read more

Fed pivot will dominate year of rate cuts in turn of global cycle

Fed pivot will dominate year of rate cuts in turn of global cycle

The coming 12 months are shaping up as the year of the interest-rate cut. After racing ahead with the most aggressive tightening campaign in decades during 2022 and 2023, central banks around the world are poised to begin easing monetary policy as inflation continues to retreat. The shift is captured by Bloomberg Economics, whose aggregate … Read more