The former secretary of Treasure Lawrence Summers He said worrying signs of a possible sharp decline in activity, combined with strength in other indicators, point to uncertain economic prospects. “We have an extremely difficult economy to interpret,” noted Summers on the show Wall Street Weekfrom Bloomberg Television with David Westin. “People may be reading the […]
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Lula’s attack on the Central Bank worries operators in Brazil
So when President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, only three weeks in office, questioned the need for an autonomous central bank during an interview on national television last week, it did not go over well with the markets. Swap rates soared and the currency plunged after his remarks. Cabinet members came on the scene and […]
Debt Limit Debate Could Hasten End of Fed Tightening
By reducing its bond portfolio by up to $95 billion a month, the central bank drains liquidity from the US financial system, thus complementing its interest rate hikes in the fight to contain inflation. Therefore, an early end to quantitative tightening could provide some relief to the US economy. Through a complex series of reactions, […]
Former Treasury Secretary warns of crisis if inflation targets are raised
The commentary is a response to suggestions from economists, including Olivier Blanchard, former chief economist of International Monetary Fundwho have suggested raising inflation targets from 2% to 3% to avoid recessions. “To assume that some kind of inflation targeting increase would be a salvation would be a costly mistake, ultimately having an adverse effect, as […]
Bond traders sound alarm bells on post-Fed growth
Unlike their stock market counterparts, Treasury traders don’t believe Jerome Powell’s upbeat statements about the economy. In fact, a bond market indicator began flashing red for the first time since the darkest days of the pandemic. After the Federal Reserve raised interest rates on Wednesday and pointed to hikes at the remaining six meetings this […]