Main Topic: The Federal Reserve's strategy of raising interest rates to combat inflation and bring down the price of goods and services in the economy.
Key Points:
1. Increasing the cost of monthly credit payments helps to reduce overall economic activity and prevent inflation.
2. Higher interest rates make it more expensive for consumers and businesses to borrow money, leading to reduced spending and investment.
3. The goal is to bring down inflation to a target level of 2% and maintain price stability, which is crucial for a strong labor market and a resilient economy.
- The Bank of England raised its benchmark interest rate to 5.25% despite a slowdown in consumer-price rises, leading to speculation about when the central bank will end its monetary tightening.
- House prices in Britain fell by 3.8% in July compared to the same month last year, the sharpest decline since July 2009, but the average house price was still higher than earlier this year.
- The Bank of Japan raised its cap on the yield of Japanese ten-year government bonds from 0.5% to 1%, causing the yield to soar to nine-year highs.
- Turkey's annual inflation rate increased to 47.8% in July, the first rise since October, due in part to a new tax on fuel.
- The euro area's economy grew by 0.3% in the second quarter, with much of the growth attributed to changes in intellectual property shifting by multinationals based in Ireland for tax purposes. Germany's GDP growth rate was zero, and Italy's fell by 0.3%.
Main Topic: The U.S. Federal Reserve's need to raise interest rates further to bring down inflation.
Key Points:
1. Governor Michelle Bowman supports the Fed's quarter-point increase in interest rates last month due to high inflation, strong consumer spending, a rebound in the housing market, and a tight labor market.
2. Bowman expects additional rate increases to reach the Fed's 2 percent inflation target.
3. Monetary policy is not predetermined, and future decisions will be data-driven. Bowman will consider consistent evidence of inflation decline, signs of slowing consumer spending, and loosening labor market conditions.
Experts are divided on whether the US Federal Reserve should raise its interest rate target to 3% to combat inflation and cushion against recessions, with some arguing that raising inflation targets would be futile.
The Federal Reserve raised interest rates to their highest level in 22 years, but experts expect the market to react less dramatically than in the past.
Turkey's central bank surprises markets by raising interest rates more quickly than anticipated.
The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia believes that the US central bank has already raised interest rates enough to bring inflation down to pre-pandemic levels of around 2%.
Turkey's recent interest rate hike has caught the attention of foreign investors who may consider returning to Turkish assets if the country continues to demonstrate a commitment to orthodox monetary policy and economic stability.
The Federal Reserve is considering raising interest rates again in order to reduce inflation to its targeted levels, as indicated by Fed Governor Michelle W. Bowman, who stated that additional rate increases will likely be needed; however, conflicting economic indicators, such as job growth and wage growth, may complicate the decision-making process.
Central banks across major developed and emerging economies took a breather in August with lower interest rate hikes amid diverging growth outlooks and inflation risks, while some countries like Brazil and China cut rates, and others including Turkey and Russia raised rates to combat currency weakness and high inflation.
Wall Street banks are revising their outlooks for Turkish interest rates as inflation rises faster than expected, with JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, and Bank of America suggesting that borrowing costs may need to rise higher or quicker in response to the surge in price growth.
The Bank of Canada is expected to maintain interest rates at 5% despite a contraction in the economy, as inflation remains high and the central bank aims to tame it.
JPMorgan predicts that Turkish interest rates will increase by 10 percentage points in the next two central bank meetings due to fiscal spending plans and higher inflation.
The European Central Bank is expected to maintain interest rates on September 14, although nearly half of economists anticipate one more increase this year in an effort to reduce inflation.
Pakistan's central bank is expected to raise interest rates to address inflation and bolster foreign exchange reserves, following a series of rate hikes earlier this year in response to economic and political crises.
The European Central Bank is facing a dilemma on whether to raise its key interest rate to combat inflation or hold off due to economic deterioration, with investors split on the likelihood of a rate hike.
The European Central Bank has raised key interest rates by 0.25 percentage points to help bring down inflation, although the economy is expected to remain weak for a while before slowly recovering in the coming years.
The European Central Bank has raised its main interest rate for the 10th consecutive time to tackle inflation, but indicated that further hikes may be paused for now, causing the euro to fall and European stocks to rally.
The Russian central bank has raised its key interest rate to 13% in response to inflationary pressures and a weak rouble, and warns that rates will remain high for a considerable period of time, with further rate increases possible in the future.
The Bank of England is expected to raise interest rates to 5.5%, potentially marking the end of its tightening cycle, as concerns about a cooling economy grow among policymakers.
The Federal Reserve is expected to hold off on raising interest rates, but consumers are still feeling the impact of previous hikes, with credit card rates topping 20%, mortgage rates above 7%, and auto loan rates exceeding 7%.
The U.S. Federal Reserve kept interest rates steady but left room for potential rate hikes, as they see progress in fighting inflation and aim to bring it down to the target level of 2 percent; however, officials projected a higher growth rate of 2.1 percent for this year and suggested that core inflation will hit 3.7 percent this year before falling in 2024 and reaching the target range by 2026.
Sweden's central bank has raised interest rates for the eighth consecutive time to combat high inflation, as the country's economy shows signs of improvement, while Norway's central bank also opted to raise rates and signaled the likelihood of another hike in December.
Central banks, including the US Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, and Bank of England, have pledged to maintain higher interest rates for an extended period to combat inflation and achieve global economic stability, despite concerns about the strength of the Chinese economy and geopolitical tensions.
The Bank of Ghana is expected to hold its interest rate at 30% due to pressures from the strong US dollar, as central banks across Africa grapple with balancing inflation control and economic growth.
Thailand's central bank raises policy rate to 2.5% in order to control inflation, going against market expectations.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon warns that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates by another 1.5 percentage points, potentially reaching 7%, which would be the highest since 1990, and urges Americans to be prepared for the possibility.
Turkish annual consumer price inflation rises for the third consecutive month, reaching 61.53% in September due to recent tax hikes and lira weakness, just below expectations; economists predict inflation to reach 70% by year-end.
The Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) decided to raise key interest rates by 25 basis points, aiming to reinforce progress towards the 2% inflation target, as market conditions continue to show inflation risks despite the weakening euro area economy.
Argentina's central bank has raised its key rate for the sixth time this year to 133% in an attempt to control inflation, which has surged above 100% ahead of the presidential election; however, economists believe the rate hike will have little impact as it is coupled with money printing and falls below inflation in real terms.
Argentina's central bank raised the country's benchmark interest rate to 133% from 118% due to worse-than-expected inflation data, exacerbating the economic crisis ahead of the upcoming presidential elections.
Argentina's central bank has raised the benchmark interest rate to 133% as inflation data shows a higher-than-expected increase, exacerbating the country's economic crisis ahead of the upcoming presidential elections.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell stated that the central bank may need to raise interest rates further if economic data continues to show strong growth or if the labor market stops cooling.