News

Wall Street’s Next Test After Fed: $6.5 Trillion ‘Triple-Witching’

(Bloomberg) -- As Wall Street traders come to grips with the Federal Reserve’s plans to slow the pace of interest-rate cuts, Friday’s US options expiration that has historically stoked turbulence offers a final hurdle to end-of-year calm.Most Read from BloombergNew York City’s Historic Preservation Movement Is Having a Midlife CrisisNYPD Car Chases Are Becoming More Frequent — and More DangerousDakar’s Air Quality Plummets as Saharan Dust Descends on SenegalThe quarterly “triple-witching” will s

More hawkish Fed policy committee may increase dissent in 2025

A slightly more hawkish set of Federal Reserve regional bank presidents will become voters on the U.S. central bank's rate-setting panel in 2025, raising the chance that any further interest rate cuts next year could spur more dissents like the one seen on Wednesday from the head of the Cleveland Fed. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has already signaled a pause in the rate cuts in January, saying on Wednesday that policymakers will move cautiously, with further reductions in borrowing costs contingent on seeing more progress in lowering inflation. All 12 regional Fed presidents discuss and debate monetary policy at each of the U.S. central bank's eight annual meetings, and many have said their status as voter or non-voter has no bearing on their sway around the policy-setting table.

NY Fed adds extra daily standing repo operation covering year-end

In addition to its daily SRF operation occurring between 1:30 p.m. and 1:45 p.m. EST, the New York Fed will offer an operation between 8:15 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. each day beginning Dec. 30 through Jan. 3, 2025, it said in a statement. "These additional morning operations are intended to be technical exercises for the purpose of increasing the Federal Reserve’s understanding of how SRF operation times can support effective policy implementation and market functioning during periods of expected money market pressures," the New York Fed said. The SRF is designed to provide liquidity as needed to banks looking to meet short-term funding requirements.

Stock Bulls Balk at Buying the Dip as Fed Creates Confusion

(Bloomberg) -- Bulls stormed into the stock market at the start of trading Thursday, snapping up shares suddenly on sale less than 24 hours after the Federal Reserve’s hawkish pivot sparked a historic rout.Most Read from BloombergNew York City’s Historic Preservation Movement Is Having a Midlife CrisisNYPD Car Chases Are Becoming More Frequent — and More DangerousDakar’s Air Quality Plummets as Saharan Dust Descends on SenegalBut as Thursday’s session wears on and equity indexes trim or lose the

US economy eyes strong finish ahead of heightened policy uncertainty in 2025

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits fell more than expected last week, almost reversing the prior two weeks' increases and suggesting that a gradual labor market slowdown remained in place. Other data on Thursday showed the economy grew faster than previously estimated in the third quarter, driven by robust consumer spending. The upbeat reports came a day after the Federal Reserve delivered a third consecutive interest rate cut, but projected only two rate reductions in 2025, citing the economy's continued resilience and still-elevated inflation.

IMF says Fed taking appropriate action on rates given high US uncertainty

The International Monetary Fund views Wednesday's Federal Reserve interest rate cut and adoption of a more cautious outlook as appropriate given high U.S. economic uncertainty, IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack said on Thursday. "Data from the last few months shows that the labor market continues to cool at the same time that inflation has been somewhat higher than expected, but still trending down toward the target," Kozack told a news briefing. "So with this background, we see the Fed's action as appropriate."

Philly Fed's manufacturing gauge slumps to 20-month low

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said on Thursday that its monthly manufacturing index fell for a second straight month to negative 16.4 - the lowest since April 2023 - from negative 5.5 in November. The regional report from the Philly Fed suggests the factory sector, accounting for just over 10% of the economy, is continuing to struggle finding its footing in the wake of the Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes in 2022 and 2023. While the Fed has shifted to rate cuts in the last half of this year, it is not expected to ease that much further from here and market-based measures of borrowing costs remain notably higher than they were in early 2022 and continue to exert pressure on investment.