- 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%.
Global stock markets and Wall Street futures are rising as traders await signals on interest rate plans from the Federal Reserve conference, with investors hoping that the Fed officials will signal an end to interest rate hikes despite concerns about inflation not being fully under control yet.
Wall Street slightly increased ahead of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's upcoming speech, with futures for the Dow and S&P 500 rising 0.2%; traders hope Powell will indicate that the Fed is done raising interest rates and may cut them next year.
The Central Bank of Turkey is expected to continue its policy tightening, but doubts remain as to whether the pace of tightening will be sufficient, given the high inflation rate; meanwhile, the focus in the US is on the jobs market and the unemployment rate's impact on inflation, and pessimism reigns for the euro due to concerns about the ECB's ability to raise interest rates.
Turkey's central bank raises interest rates to 25% in an effort to combat inflation, surpassing economist expectations and leading to a rally of the Turkish lira.
Turkey's central bank surprises markets by raising interest rates more quickly than anticipated.
The recent increase in the average interest rate for refinancing has been influenced by the Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes and the effects of inflation.
Despite concerns over rising deficits and debt, central banks globally have been buying government debt to combat deflationary forces, which has kept interest rates low and prevented a rise in rates as deficits increase; therefore, the assumption that interest rates must go higher may be incorrect.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warns that additional interest rate increases could be necessary in the fight against inflation, stating that although progress has been made, inflation remains too high and the Fed will hold policy at a restrictive level until it is confident that inflation is moving sustainably down towards their goal.
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%.
The European Central Bank (ECB) will maintain high interest rates for as long as necessary to combat persistent inflation, according to ECB President Christine Lagarde, amid efforts to manage a stagnating economy; however, the ECB is also considering longer-term economic changes that may contribute to sustained inflation pressures.
The Bank of England may have to increase interest rates if the US Federal Reserve decides to raise rates to cut inflation, in order to prevent the pound from weakening and inflation from rising further.
Wall Street rises ahead of new inflation and jobs data that could impact Federal Reserve's policy decisions, as futures for the Dow Jones and S&P 500 increase, while Dollar General falls 16% and software company Salesforce rallies 6% in premarket.
The latest inflation data suggests that price increases are cooling down, increasing the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates unchanged in their upcoming meeting.
The Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge increased slightly in July, suggesting that the fight against inflation may be challenging, but the absence of worse news indicates that officials are likely to maintain interest rates.
The U.S. is currently experiencing a prolonged high inflation cycle that is causing significant damage to the purchasing power of the currency, and the recent lower inflation rate is misleading as it ignores the accumulated harm; in order to combat this cycle, the Federal Reserve needs to raise interest rates higher than the inflation rate and reverse its bond purchases.
The Bank of Israel has maintained its benchmark interest rate but warned of potential rate hikes if inflation does not continue to moderate and the shekel weakens further. Despite signs of easing inflation, the central bank highlighted the possibility of higher borrowing costs in the future. The shekel has depreciated by over 8% against the US dollar this year, contributing to higher inflation. The bank sees the economy growing at a rate of 3% in 2023 and 2024 but warns of risks if the proposed judicial overhaul leads to increased risk premium and further devaluation of the shekel.
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.
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.
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem suggests that interest rates may not be high enough to bring inflation back down to target, indicating a hawkish approach after keeping borrowing costs at a 22-year high; Macklem highlights the need for more restrictive monetary policy to restore price stability and reduce inflation.
The Wall Street Journal reports a notable shift in the stance of Federal Reserve officials regarding interest rates, with some officials now seeing risks as more balanced due to easing inflation and a less overheated labor market, which could impact the timing of future rate hikes. In other news, consumer credit growth slows in July, China and Japan reduce holdings of U.S. Treasury securities to record lows, and Russia's annual inflation rate reached 5.2% in August 2023.
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 has implemented its 10th consecutive interest rate increase in an attempt to combat high inflation, although there are concerns that higher borrowing costs could lead to a recession; however, the increase may have a negative impact on consumer and business spending, particularly in the real estate market.
Wall Street stocks set for higher open as August inflation suggests the Federal Reserve won't raise interest rates, while Arm's IPO and oil prices remain in focus.
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.
Goldman Sachs strategists predict that the Federal Reserve is unlikely to raise interest rates at its upcoming meeting, but expect the central bank to increase its economic growth projections and make slight adjustments to its interest rate projections.
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%.
Turkey's central bank raises interest rates to 30% as it seeks to combat high inflation and stabilize the weakening lira.
U.S. stocks are expected to open lower and the dollar is soaring after the Federal Reserve indicated that interest rates will remain higher for a longer period, while the Bank of England faces a tough rate decision and the Swiss National Bank has paused its rate-hiking cycle.
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.
Central banks around the world may have reached the peak of interest rate hikes in their effort to control inflation, as data suggests that major economies have turned a corner on price rises and core inflation is declining in the US, UK, and EU. However, central banks remain cautious and warn that rates may need to remain high for a longer duration, and that oil price rallies could lead to another spike in inflation. Overall, economists believe that the global monetary policy tightening cycle is nearing its end, with many central banks expected to cut interest rates in the coming year.
The Federal Reserve is paying attention to "real" interest rates, which measures rates adjusted for inflation, and is using this to inform its decisions regarding future rate hikes and inflation.
