Powell says U.S. Fed has time to assess data before deciding to cut
BNN Bloomberg
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled policymakers will wait for clearer signs of lower inflation before cutting interest rates, even though a recent bump in prices didn’t alter their broader trajectory.
Powell said recent inflation figures — though higher than expected — did not “materially change” the overall picture. He reiterated his expectation that it will likely be appropriate to begin lowering rates “at some point this year.”
“On inflation, it is too soon to say whether the recent readings represent more than just a bump,” Powell said Wednesday in a speech at Stanford University in California. “We do not expect that it will be appropriate to lower our policy rate until we have greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably down toward 2%.”
The Federal Open Market Committee held interest rates steady last month. Officials narrowly maintained their outlook for three interest-rate cuts this year, even as key inflation metrics have picked up in 2024. Powell and other Fed officials have repeatedly said they are in no hurry to cut rates, and that their moves will depend on incoming data.
St. Patrick’s Day will test restaurant bar sales as Canadians drink less, with declining consumption and shifting habits weighing on industry revenues.
New York Stock Exchange-parent Intercontinental Exchange said on Tuesday it has launched a product to bring greater transparency to the private credit market, an asset class beleaguered by heightened investor concerns.
Oil tankers are crossing the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s actions to choke traffic through the shipping route have not hurt the U.S. economy, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told CNBC on Tuesday, reiterating the Trump administration’s position that the war should be over in weeks, not months.
Canada’s annual inflation rate slowed in February to 1.8 per cent, but many economists believe the new Statistics Canada data may be the dip before a spike driven by oil prices and the war in Iran.
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Canadian and U.S. stock markets gained ground on Wednesday as oil prices fell and tech stocks rose on both sides of the border.
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Daily oil exports from the Middle Eastern Gulf, home to top exporter Saudi Arabia and other major producers, have dropped by at least 60 per cent in the week to March 15 compared to February due to disruptions and output cuts amid the U.S.-Iran war, according to shipping data and Reuters calculations.
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Member countries of the International Energy Agency could release more oil into the market later “as and if needed” after they have already agreed the largest-ever reserve release, Executive Director Fatih Birol said on Monday.
Oil prices are down, and stocks are up Monday, though such moves have been quick to reverse since the war in Iran began.
Statistics Canada says the annual rate of inflation dipped below two per cent in February as the end of last year’s federal “tax holiday” helped take some steam out of the yearly price comparisons.