In an effort to combat deflation, China’s central bank temporarily stopped buying the country’s government bonds. The Peoples Bank Of China “may be attempting to signal to all market participants that rates have come down too low and too fast,” says Peter Alexander, founder of Shanghai-based consulting firm Z-Ben Advisors.

Fed Governor Bowman says additional rate cuts no longer warranted. “The rate of inflation declined significantly in 2023, but this progress appears to have stalled last year with core inflation still uncomfortably above the Committee’s 2 percent goal,” she reasons.

UN predicts the world economy will growth at a subdued 2.8% pace in 2025. “We are in a period of stable, subpar growth,” says Shantanu Mukherjee, chief of the Global Economic Monitoring Branch at the Economic Analysis and Policy Division at the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

The six biggest US banks quit climate coalition ahead of Trump’s inauguration. Analysts interepret the withdrawals as an effort to blunt so-called anti-woke attacks from Republican politicians, which are expected to increase once the president-elect takes office.

TSMC, world’s biggest chipmaker, posts record 2024 revenue as AI demand fuels sales. “TSMC has benefited significantly from the strong demand for AI,” says Brady Wang, associate director at Counterpoint Research.

US mortgage rates rebound, approaching 7% again, bsaed on the average 30-year mortgage rate. “The continued strength of the economy has put upward pressure on mortgage rates, and along with high home prices, continues to impact housing affordability,” advises Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, in a statement.