Daily Archives: January 22, 2016

Pondering The Fed’s Next Move For Monetary Policy

A Fed rate hike at a time when economic worries are on the rise?  Fugetaboutit! In fact, some analysts are talking up the possibility that the central bank may be forced to back-track and reverse last month’s subtle but symbolically important 25-basis-point rate hike—the first since 2006. Perhaps, but there’s no sign of an imminent retreat in the effective Fed funds rate (EFF), which ticked up to 0.37% on Wednesday (Jan. 20)–the highest in a month. That’s an interesting talking point with next week’s Fed meeting on the radar.
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Initial Guidance | 22 January 2016

● US jobless claims rise from historic low, reach 7-mo high | MarketWatch
● Americans’ Economic Expectations Brightened in Jan | Bloomberg
● Philly Fed mfg index slightly ahead of estimates but still negative | Sharecast
● Markit Flash Eurozone PMI: growth cools at start of 2016 | Markit
● ECB’s Draghi calms markets with hint of more stimulus | CNN
● Stocks, oil soar on Fri as Draghi the dove tames global bears | Reuters
● This Time, Cheaper Oil Does Little for the U.S. Economy | NY Times
● Talk of a downturn is in the air, and the numbers are squiggly | Bloomberg