Tensions between Washington and Beijing have intensified, with the U.S. ramping up trade restrictions and sanctions on China due to national security concerns. Since Ukraine’s invasion, there has been a roughly 12% drop in trade between the blocs, and foreign direct investments have decreased by 20% compared to those withinRead More →
Non-farm payrolls rose by 175,000 in the month, falling short of the consensus estimate of 240,000. The unemployment rate increased slightly to 3.9%, contrary to expectations that it would remain at 3.8%. Additionally, a broader measure of unemployment rose to 7.4%, marking the highest rate since November 2021. In lineRead More →
The Fed have deliberated over ‘transitory’ inflation – (they got that wrong). They have teased us about when rates will be cut (still waiting). And now we are told no rate cut but: ‘the next rate move is unlikely to be up!’ Probably better to say and do nothing atRead More →
Inflation has become a persistent challenge for the Fed The battle against inflation persists, gradually impacting the U.S. economy and presenting substantial challenges for the Federal Reserve. Despite concerted efforts to control it, inflation remains stubbornly remains, leaving policymakers in a dilemma – to stimulate economic growth or to curbRead More →
The gross domestic product (GDP) from January to March 2024, grew at an annualised rate of 1.6%, significantly underperforming the projected 2.4%. The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, crucial for the Federal Reserve’s inflation assessments, climbed at an annualised rate of 3.4% for the quarter, marking the largest increaseRead More →
The International Monetary Fund calculates that Russia’s economy will expand more rapidly than all advanced economies this year. According to the latest World Economic Outlook released by the IMF, Russia’s economy is projected to expand by 3.2% in 2024. This growth outpaces the anticipated growth rates for the U.S. atRead More →
Markets have fretted about core inflation recently, now analysts are concerned about a highly specific price gauge within the data – ‘supercore’ inflation. This measure tracks services inflation, excluding food, energy, and housing, which has recently surged, rising 4.8% year-over-year in March 2024 and over 8% on a three-month annualisedRead More →
Despite the recent surge in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), and better than expected PPI data, markets have shrugged off any concern… for now Fickle On Wednesday 10th April 2024 the CPI data announcement pushed the markets down and on Thursday 11th the markets recovered after the PPI data wasRead More →
The U.S. economy is on a rip, with employers adding around 303,000 jobs in March 2024 – the largest increase in almost a year. As the world’s largest economy continues to surge, questions arise about the Federal Reserve’s next move regarding interest rates. Stronger-than-expected Job Growth The unemployment rate fellRead More →
China has reportedly prohibited the use of U.S. processors from both AMD and Intel in government computers and servers. The directive is designed to encourage the use of domestic alternatives. Chinese government agencies are now required to choose ‘safe and reliable’ domestic alternatives for these chips. The sanctioned list featuresRead More →
The U.S. Consumer Price Index, a comprehensive gauge of the cost of goods and services, rose by 0.4% for the month and increased by 3.2% compared to the previous year. The annual rate was marginally higher than expected. The monthly rate was slightly above the forecast of 0.3%. This mayRead More →
In his Capitol Hill testimony on 6th March 2024, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell reiterated that was not yet time to begin cutting interest rates. To fight inflation, which reached a rate of 9% in the summer of 2022, the central bank has significantly increased interest rates in recent times. However, prices are still stubborn, especiallyRead More →
The U.S. national debt has been growing more quickly in recent months, increasing about $1 trillion nearly every 100 days. U.S. debt permanently crossed over $34 trillion on 4th January 2024 according to data from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. It reached $33 trillion on 15th September 2023, and $32 trillionRead More →
U.S. inflation climbed in line with expectations in January 2024, according to the preferred measure the Federal Reserve uses to make decisions on cutting interest rates. The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, excluding food and energy costs, increased 0.4% for the month and 2.8% from a year ago, asRead More →
A U.S. company has gone to the moon – and creates a little piece of history Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C cargo lander, named ‘Odysseus’ after the mythological Greek hero, is the first U.S. spacecraft to soft land on the lunar surface since 1972. Japan, India and China have all had recentRead More →
MOD missile test flops as £17 million weapon plops into sea The Trident missile test is a routine exercise of the UK’s nuclear deterrent, which involves firing an unarmed missile from a submarine into the Atlantic Ocean However, the latest test failed when the missile’s booster rockets didn’t function correctlyRead More →
Is progress on U.S. inflation stalling? That’s the fear spreading through Wall Street as another inflation reading on Friday 16th February 2024 came in hotter-than-expected. The producer price index rose 0.3% in January 2024. The largest increase since August 2024 and higher than the 0.1% forecast. Excluding food andRead More →
Most of the world’s largest tech companies, including Microsoft, Amazon and Google have agreed to tackle what they are calling deceptive artificial intelligence (AI) in elections The tech accord The twenty companies have signed an accord committing them to fighting voter-deceiving content. They say they will deploy technology to detectRead More →
Stocks dropped on Tuesday 13th February 2024 after hotter-than-expected inflation data for January caused Treasury yields to spike The new inflation figure raised doubts that the Federal Reserve would be able to cut rates several times this year, a key part of the equity market bull run case. The consumerRead More →
Job creation in the U.S. surged in January 2024, as the economy continued to defy predictions of a slowdown The U.S. economy added 353,000 jobs and average hourly pay jumped, while the unemployment rate held steady at 3.7%, the Labour Department said. The report extended more job gains that hasRead More →
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said in a U.S. TV interview on Sunday 4th January 2024 that the central bank will proceed carefully with interest rate cuts this year and likely will move at a considerably slower pace than the market expects. Election year rate cuts? In the interview andRead More →
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) held interest rates steady and indicated a willingness stop raising interest rates. But a cut anytime soon is unlikely until inflation is brought fully under control and nearer to the Fed’s 2% inflation target. The Federal Reserve sent a signal that it is finishedRead More →
The U.S. economy grew at a much faster pace than expected in the final three months of 2023. The U.S. easily avoided a recession that many had forecast as inevitable, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Thursday 25th January 2024. Gross domestic product (GDP), a measure of all the goods andRead More →
Progress on U.S. inflation Core prices for personal consumption expenditures (PCE), a preferred measure by the Federal Reserve as a longer-term inflation calculation, rose 2% for the period, while the rate was 1.7%. On an annual basis, the PCE price index rose 2.7%, down from 5.9% a year ago, whileRead More →
The highest coal using countries in the world These countries accounted for about 82% of the global coal production in 2021 according to 2021 data set. China alone produced more than half of the world’s coal, followed by India with nearly 10%. Global coal use in 2023 hits few high GlobalRead More →
Bitcoin rose in volatile trading on Thursday 11th January 2024 after the Securities and Exchange Commission gave the green light for the first-ever spot Bitcoin ETFs to trade in the U.S. Approval The Bitcoin ETF approval is a massive achievement for the crypto industry as a whole, which first attempted to launch aRead More →