Analysis: Currencies

Bessent says high US interest rates may have caused housing recession

Parts of the U.S. economy, particularly housing, may already be in recession because of high interest rates, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday, repeating his call for the Federal...

Banks tap Fed Standing Repo Facility in record numbers amid month-end pressures

Federal Reserve liquidity facilities caught fire on Friday as month-end pressures pushed a key lending tool to a record level of usage. The Fed's Standing Repo Facility lent a total of...

US weekly jobless claims fall, economists estimate

WASHINGTON -The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, economists estimated on Thursday, though new job opportunities for those who are laid off...

Yen weakens after BOJ holds rates steady, Fed boosts dollar

NEW YORK -The Japanese yen tumbled against the U.S. dollar on Thursday after the Bank of Japan adopted a less hawkish tone than traders expected, while the greenback was boosted after Federal Reserve...

BOJ chief signals chance of rate hike soon, says wage momentum key

TOKYO -The Bank of Japan kept interest rates steady on Thursday, with its governor sending the strongest signal yet that a rate hike was possible as soon as December depending on the outlook for...

Fed lowers rates, but Powell suggests move may be the last of 2025

WASHINGTON -A policy divide within the U.S. central bank and a lack of federal government data may put another interest rate cut out of reach this year, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on...

US pending home sales flat in September; job market worries likely dissuading buyers

WASHINGTON -Contracts to purchase previously owned U.S. homes were unexpectedly unchanged in September, likely as worries about the labor market and economic uncertainty kept prospective buyers on...

Key US mortgage rate drops to 13-month low, industry group says

The interest rate on the most popular U.S. home loan dropped last week to a 13-month low after a key reading of inflation came in lower than expected, cementing expectations for another Federal...

Japan says economy recovering led by capex in October

TOKYO -Japan's government saw that the economy in October was recovering moderately because of solid capital expenditures in a monthly report issued on Wednesday. The government report...

Trump again targets Fed's Powell on interest rate cuts

SEOUL -U.S. President Donald Trump complained on Wednesday about the Federal Reserve, once again taking aim at central bank chief Jerome Powell for perceived delays in cutting interest rates. ...

Trump slams Fed chair, eyes replacement in a few months

TOKYO -U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said there was a long list of people who could take over the Federal Reserve, slamming current chairman Jerome Powell as the central bank prepared to...

Market liquidity concerns cloud end of Fed's balance sheet drawdown

As Wall Street's expectations have rapidly shifted toward an imminent end to the Federal Reserve's effort to shrink its bond holdings, some analysts also anticipate a return to balance sheet...

Currencies: The balance of power has reversed

You can get burnt playing with fire, especially as the geopolitical situation has changed significantly in recent years. Donald Trump would be well advised to remember this during his negotiations...

Fed poised to cut rates this week, with more easing likely on tap

Federal Reserve policymakers are widely expected to reduce U.S. short-term borrowing costs  this week by a quarter of a percentage point for the second time this year as they look to prevent further...

Countdown to Fed cut: Bond investors scale back on longer-dated Treasuries

NEW YORK -Bond investors are re-examining their holdings of longer-dated Treasuries, with some reducing positions and others even going short relative to their benchmark, as the Federal Reserve...

Bank of Canada poised to cut rates to 2.25% amid economic slowdown

OTTAWA -Economists expect the Bank of Canada to make a second consecutive policy rate cut this week due to a slowing economy and high joblessness. Canada's economy contracted in the...

Japan's leading indicator of service inflation perks up in September

TOKYO -A leading indicator of Japan's service-sector inflation perked up for the second straight month in September, data showed on Monday, backing up the central bank's view that rising labour costs...

Fed hands banks a win with vote to advance 'stress test' overhaul

WASHINGTON -The U.S. Federal Reserve on Friday advanced an overhaul of its annual stress tests of large banks, handing the industry a long-sought win over an exercise that they complain is opaque and...

Fed lays out proposed changes bank stress tests

WASHINGTON -The U.S. Federal Reserve unveiled plans Friday to make its models and scenarios for subjecting large banks to annual stress tests publicly available and responsive to feedback, a major...