Week Ending 1st December 2023 US stocks rose Friday afternoon, building on a stellar November, even as investors digested a warning from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell that it would be “premature” to conclude that Fed rate hikes are over or “speculate” when cuts could begin. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) increased about 0.6% to a […]
View PostUK economy avoids recession this year
The UK economy has flatlined but has avoided a recession this year as the chancellor warned high inflation remained the main obstacle to growth. Fresh data from the Office for National Statistics shows that gross domestic product (GDP) – which measures the value of goods and services produced – rose by 0.2% over the month, […]
View PostJobs report adds to case for Fed pause on rate hikes
The case for an end to the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes continues to build for investors. On Friday, the October jobs report showed 150,000 jobs were added to the US economy while the unemployment rate hit its highest level since January 2022. The labor market slowdown is a welcome sign for the Federal Reserve, […]
View PostUK Interest rate held
The Bank of England signals that cuts to borrowing costs are a long way off despite a gloomy forecast that will see the economy fail to grow for more than a year. The British economy is going to be flatlining for the foreseeable future, with next to no economic growth all the way through til […]
View PostChina restricts exports of graphite as it escalates a global tech war
China has unveiled plans to restrict exports of graphite — a mineral crucial to the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) — on national security grounds, the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs said Friday. The announcement comes just days after the United States imposed additional limitson the kinds of semiconductors […]
View PostThird-quarter’s pain is often fourth-quarter’s gain.
September was a lousy month, with the S&P 500 falling nearly 5%. Rising rates and concerns that tighter Fed policy will undercut the economy drove additional weakness in growth and small-cap investments, with the Nasdaq and Russell 2000 indexes both shedding close to 6% for the month. This capped off an overall 3% drop for […]
View PostUK overtakes France and Germany as economic growth bigger than expected
The UK is no longer lagging behind in the G7 group of wealthy countries as revised figures show economic growth was bigger than first thought. The economy grew more than previously thought in the first three months of the year, latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show. The data shows UK economic […]
View PostUS Fed Holds Rates
The Federal Reserve has opted not to increase its base interest rate but did not rule out further hikes as, it said, the full effect of rises has not been felt. The cost of US borrowing had been brought to a 22-year high at the last interest rate meeting in July, after a brief pause […]
View PostThe US economy slower growth in the second quarter
The US economy grew more slowly in the second quarter than previously estimated — a good sign for the Federal Reserve, which is attempting to cool demand to bring down price increases. Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic output, rose at an annualized rate of 2.1% in the second quarter, according to the […]
View PostUS job openings fall below 9 Million
The number of available jobs in the United States shrank for the third consecutive month, dropping below 9 million for the first time since early 2021, according to the latest data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition, a smaller number of workers quit their jobs, businesses hired fewer workers and layoffs […]
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