News from May 2023

Federal Reserve continues to focus monetary policy on fighting inflation

The Federal Reserve started a practice last year that continues in 2023 to combat inflation by increasing short-term interest rates. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) earlier this month set the rate at a range of 5% to 5.25%.

Binance Charity head: 'Major nonprofits are increasingly recognizing the value of crypto donations'

Many nonprofits have started accepting donations in the form of cryptocurrency, including the Alzheimer's Association, the American Cancer Society, Autism Speaks, local chapters of Boys & Girls Clubs, CARE, Make A Wish International and Ronald McDonald House Charities.

India's Assistant Gov. for Monetary Policy: 'We do track real interest rates, (but) there is no one standard accepted definition for it'

India's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has experienced significant tightening over the past year, according to a recent commentary and interview with a Royal Bank of India official in the publication Money Control.

RBI Governor: Monetary Policy on Right Track and 'very satisfying'

Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das expressed satisfaction with the recent cooling off of headline inflation, saying it reached 4.7 percent in April, which he deemed "very satisfying."

Former Coinbase CTO points to 'Fiat Crisis' in wake of $1M bet settlement

Balaji Srinivasan, the former Chief Technology Officer of Coinbase, recently settled a million-dollar bet in what he stated was an attempt to raise awareness about the potential risk of hyperinflation in the economy.

A time for reflection: The role of banks, Fed, and monetary policy in today's volatile economy

The words of investing legends Warren Buffett and Stanley Druckenmiller may seem all too familiar to cautious observers of the current financial climate.

U.K. inflation will drop swiftly, says ex-Bank of England economist; 'Perhaps now is the time to press the pause button and see what happens'

A former Bank of England economist forecasts inflation in the U.K. will decline quickly as officials consider the next steps to ward off rising prices, including increasing the prime rate of interest, according to reports.

Fed to raise interest rate again amid core inflation pressure

The U.S. Federal Reserve’s efforts to curb inflation could move the country closer to recession as it mulls yet another quarter-of-a-percentage-point increase to the benchmark interest rate, moving it to a range of 5% to 5.35%, according to reports.

Bank of England takes measures against inflation with interest rate hike: "It is our job to get it all the way down to the 2% target"

In an announcement on Thursday, 11 May 2023, the Bank of England's Governor, Andrew Bailey, detailed a 0.25 percentage point increase in the Bank Rate, bringing it up to 4.5%.

The Fed's pause: A balancing act amid inflationary pressures

As we navigate the complexities of a recovering economy, the Federal Reserve (Fed) finds itself in a precarious position.

Goldman Sachs: Bank of England may have to raise rates to 5% this summer

As Britain struggles to lower interest rates of inflation among the G7 group of major countries, choppy seas may be ahead as Goldman Sachs is sounding the alarm, warning that the Bank of England may be forced to raise interest rates to 5% by summer.

T. Rowe Price: Global Markets See Mixed Results Amid Banking Turmoil and Cooling Inflation

The T. Rowe Price Global Markets Monthly Update for March 2023 reveals that equities recorded generally positive but widely divergent returns, as turmoil in the banking sector in the U.S. and Europe affected interest rate and growth expectations.

Luxury Market Faces Diverging Trends Amid US Spending Cuts and China's Reopening

The luxury market is set to experience contrasting dynamics in the coming months, with US consumers reducing spending on non-essential goods while China's reopening offers a tailwind for the sector, according to research from J.P. Morgan.

JPMorgan's Dimon: US banking crisis 'not yet over, and even when it is behind us, there will be repercussions from it'

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon predicts that more bank failures could be incoming, an assessment the the Library of Economics and Liberty (EconLib) agrees with.

SBA Finalizes Rules to Bridge Capital Access Gaps for Underserved Small Business Communities

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has finalized two rules aimed at addressing gaps in access to capital for small business owners in underserved communities, in line with the Biden-Harris Administration's efforts to grow the economy from the middle out and bottom-up.

Federal Reserve raises interest rates for 10th time in 14 months

On May 3, the Federal Reserve increased interest rates for the tenth time in 14 months but withdrew from its earlier predictions of additional rate hikes.

Cleveland Fed President Urges Prudence Amid Progress in the Economy

The President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Loretta J. Mester, spoke at the Akron Roundtable Signature Series on April 20th, highlighting the progress made in the economy but cautioning that inflation remains stubbornly high.

Treasury's Nelson on recent OFAC sanctions: 'Illicit fentanyl is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans each year'

The U.S. Department of the Treasury recently announced sanctions for agents that supplied precursor chemicals to Mexican drug cartels that would use them to produce illicit fentanyl intended for U.S. markets.

ECB raises interest rates: 'Underlying price pressures remain strong'

The European Central Bank (ECB) announced a 25 basis point increase in its three key interest rates to combat the ongoing high inflation pressures in the euro area.

Bank of England Deputy Governor Addresses Inflation and Monetary Policy: Debating Interest Rates vs. Monetary Aggregates

Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, Ben Broadbent, recently spoke at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, discussing the effects of monetary policy and whether they should be understood in terms of interest rates and bond yields or monetary aggregates.