Gold hits fresh all-time peak as U.S. data lifts June rate cut hopes

Gold bars and coins. Brightstars | E+ | Getty Images Gold prices extended their record run on Monday as the latest data showing a slowing U.S. inflation trend boosted expectations that the Federal Reserve could deliver its first interest rate cut in June. Lower interest rates reduce the opportunity cost of holding bullion. Spot gold … Read more

Don’t sweat the prospect of no Fed rate cuts, economist says

Federal Reserve Bank Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference at the bank’s William McChesney Martin building on March 20, 2024 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images News | Getty Images Markets will continue to rally even if the Federal Reserve chooses not to cut interest rates this year, according to Steven … Read more

A UK financial trader dubbed the ringleader of an interest rate manipulation scandal loses an appeal

LONDON — A British financial trader, who has been described as the ringleader in the manipulation of a key interest rate before and after the global financial crisis, lost his appeal Wednesday to have his conviction quashed. Tom Hayes, 44, who was a former trader at U.S. bank Citigroup and Switzerland’s UBS, became in 2015 … Read more

Electric Rate Shopping for Your Business: Buy in Bulk and Pay Less

Buying electricity for your business is like shopping at Costco.  In exchange for your purchase of a giant tub of peanut butter, you get a discounted price per unit. In places you can choose your electricity provider, the same concept applies to buying electricity for a business or commercial property. Since businesses presumably use more … Read more

Nigeria’s central bank hikes interest rate to 24.75% as it battles sky-high inflation, currency crisis

A pedestrian in the Lagos Island district of Lagos, Nigeria, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images The Central Bank of Nigeria on Tuesday hiked its key interest rate by 200 basis points, as Africa’s largest economy looks to recover from a historic currency crisis and soaring inflation. The CBN announced … Read more

Turkish central bank raises key interest rate to 50% as inflation soars

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s central bank raised its key interest rate by 5 percentage points on Thursday, resuming a policy of rate hikes aimed at combating soaring inflation that is causing households severe economic pain. In a surprise decision, the central bank said it was raising the benchmark one-week repo rate to 50%. The bank … Read more

Turkey central bank raises interest rate to 50%

A picture taken on August 14, 2018 shows the logo of Turkey’s Central Bank at the entrance of its headquarters in Ankara, Turkey. ADEM ALTAN | AFP | Getty Images Turkey’s central bank on Thursday raised its key interest rate, the one-week repo rate, from 45% to 50%, citing the continuing need to counter climbing … Read more

Bank of Japan made a landmark rate pivot. Here’s what happens next

Neon advertisements in Osaka’s Dotonbori district in Japan Alexander Spatari | Moment | Getty Images Japan’s central bank on Tuesday finally ended its experiment with negative rates and unconventional easing tools which were aimed at reflating the world’s fourth-largest economy. The Bank of Japan’s decision came just days after Rengo, Japan’s largest federation of trade … Read more

We need to ‘take our time’ to get rate cuts right

The European Central Bank must take its time to get interest rate cuts right, the institution’s chief economist told CNBC, adding that companies should take a hit on profits to allow real wages to rise without fueling inflation. “A lot of evidence is accumulating, but what’s also fair to say is that the transition from … Read more

European Central Bank keeps key interest rate at a record. Inflation is down, so when will it cut?

FRANKFURT, Germany — The European Central Bank left its key interest rate at a record high as it waits for more confirmation that toxic inflation is under control for good — even as high borrowing costs drag on the stalled economy. The decision Thursday comes as central banks around the world, including the U.S. Federal … Read more