U.S. Federal Reserve holds interest rate, saying it will take ‘longer than expected’ to start cutting

The U.S. Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday and signaled it is still leaning toward eventual reductions in borrowing costs, but that cuts could be delayed as recent inflation numbers have strayed further from its two per cent target. Indeed, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said it was likely to take longer than previously expected for Fed officials … Read more

Expectations of future monetary policy impact stock markets more than rate announcements: RBI paper

A RBI working paper has found that equity markets are affected more by the changes in the market’s expectations of future monetary policy than the policy rate surprise. File | Photo Credit: Reuters Equity markets are impacted more by the expectations of future monetary policy than the policy rate surprises on the day of announcement … Read more

Sack Andrew Bailey as Bank of England boss, says Liz Truss – POLITICO

Excerpts were released over the weekend and include a scathing view of Britain’s financial establishment. She describes the Treasury, the Bank of England and the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) as a “three-headed hydra” that “wanted to stick as closely to EU law as possible.” But the now-backbench MP went further in the interview, saying … Read more

Canada’s need to improve productivity has reached emergency level, says Bank of Canada official

A senior Bank of Canada official says the need to improve productivity has reached an emergency level as the economy faces a future where inflation may be more of a threat than in the past few decades. In a speech, senior deputy governor Carolyn Rogers says an economy with low productivity can only grow so … Read more

auto loan rates: Upbeat on demand, car cos revise forecast upwards again

The country’s car industry has for the second time revised upwards its growth projections for this fiscal to more than 8%, nearly twice the rate projected at the start of the year. Passenger vehicle sales in the local market are expected to grow by 8.1-8.2% to 4.23 million units in FY24, buoyed by better-than-expected economic … Read more

Bank of Canada holds key interest rate at 5% again, saying it’s still too soon for rate cuts

The Bank of Canada has held its key interest rate at five per cent again, saying that it’s still too soon to consider rate cuts while underlying inflation persists. Economists were widely expecting the central bank to hold the rate. The bank said in a note on its website that it was still concerned about underlying inflation, which strips … Read more

Bank of Canada worries a rate cut now could overheat the spring housing market

The Bank of Canada is trying to thread a needle. It’s keeping rates higher for longer at least in part because it’s worried a rate cut now could undermine the last two years of pain and progress. “We don’t want to keep monetary policy this restrictive for longer than we have to. But nor do … Read more

UK inflation lower than expected – POLITICO

Consumer prices in the United Kingdom stood at 4 percent in January, unchanged from December and defying expectations of a renewed pick-up, data released by the Office for National Statistics showed Wednesday. Analysts polled by Reuters ahead of the release had projected inflation to accelerate to 4.2 percent at the start of the year. Core … Read more

High interest rates aren’t to blame for housing crisis, Bank of Canada governor says

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says the central bank can’t solve the housing crisis with interest rates because the root cause is a supply shortage. Macklem faced multiple questions on housing affordability during an appearance before the finance committee on Thursday — one week after the bank yet again kept its key overnight interest rate at … Read more

Govt to Set up More Medical Colleges Utilising Existing Hospital Infrastructure: FM Sitharaman

Home Education Govt to Set up More Medical Colleges Utilising Existing Hospital Infrastructure: FM Sitharaman Interim Budget 2024-25: During the presentation of the final budget of the Modi 2.0 government, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the government’s plans to establish additional medical col FM Sitharaman said the empowerment of women through entrepreneurship, ease of living … Read more