Economic News, Page 3

“The case for raising rates has weakened somewhat,” Powell said during a news conference following the central bank’s two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting.

US futures point to a big gain at the open for the broad equities market. European equities staged a rebound in early Wednesday trading although gains were not universal. Equity indices in Asia were mixed on Wednesday as traders await the outcome of high-level trade talks in Washington.

The Fed is widely expected to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged. The two day meetings are taking on added importance because they may be the last before a March 1 deadline to get the deal done.

The Justice Department filed criminal charges on Monday to officially request the extradition of Meng Wanzhou, the CFO of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei. The weakness in China’s economy finally hit home on Monday when Caterpillar reported weaker-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter.

Last week, China announced that its official economic growth came in at 6.6 percent in 2018, the slowest pace since 1990. When this news was released on January 20, it raised concerns. However, the news about Caterpillar and Nvidia shows that the weakness in China is real. It should also

In the US markets are bracing for what is to be another market-moving policy statement from the FOMC. In Brexit news, the UK Parliament is expected to vote on new terms Theresa May will then have to take to Brussels. The Hang Seng Index was the only major market to close

It’s a particularly big week ahead, with stats on the heavy side, the Brexit vote, trade talks, earnings and the FED’s policy meeting.

It’s not just the stats that will influence mortgage rates in the week ahead, with the FED, Brexit, Trade Talks and more in focus…

Despite the meager weekly performance, the news remained upbeat at the end of the week. Most importantly, the fact that the government will be reopening and the Republicans and Democrats will be talking, has to be a positive. Unfortunately, it came at the expense of a great loss to the

The major US indices were up in early premarket trading averaging 0.80% to 1.0%. The German DAX was leading at midday with a gain near 1.40%. The Hong Kong-based Hang Seng led with a gain of 1.65% despite cautious comments from US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.

Eurozone PMI estimates put pressure on the single currency on Thursday. Eurozone economic growth has been losing strength throughout the past year, but this did not stop the ECB from cutting the QE program.

This week’s price action in the U.S. stock and crude oil markets suggests that solid earnings may be enough to keep the stock market buoyed and the OPEC-led supply cuts are enough to underpin crude prices. However, investors are getting antsy with the markets holding in a range. They like

US markets were marginally higher in the early pre-opening session. The French CAC was leading at midday with gains near 0.80%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 were both positive in early trading but gains were small, less than 0.20%.

On Wednesday, investors set aside concerns about U.S.-China trade relations and a weakening global economy to focus on earnings. This shift in investor sentiment paid off as buyers responding to strong quarterly earnings from companies like IBM, United Technologies and Procter & Gamble to send the Dow higher.

The slight adjustments to the stock markets on Monday and Tuesday couldn’t diminish the investors’ positive outlook and the growth of key global indexes has resumed on Wednesday afternoon. The S&P500 futures and FTSE100 have both added 0.4% at the start of the day. Euro Stoxx has grown by 0.6%

Today’s action is going to be dominated by earnings, there are another dozen or so reports from S&P 500 companies after the bell. The French CAC led at midday with a gain near 0.5% and was followed by a near 0.25% advance in the German DAX. Equity markets in Asia

U.S existing home sale slid by 6.8% in December. While application numbers point to a rebound, beyond January may be another story…

Traders are following up on an a report from the Financial Times which said the U.S. had canceled a trade meeting with Chinese officials, scheduled for later this month. The Treasury Department and the U.S. trade representative’s office did not respond to requests for comment. However, White House economic advisor

European and Asian markets are losing ground on Tuesday due to fears around global slowdown. By the start of trading in the U.S., futures on the S&P 500 lost 0.4%, as much as they lost on Monday.

More than 100 big-name S&P 500 companies are expected to release earnings reports this week. The major US indices were down -0.60% to -0.80% in the early pre-market session. The EU markets were down an average -0.50% in early morning trading as Davos Depression sinks in.