• October 3, 2024

The Dollar Stages a Small Comeback

Evidence of U.S. economic strength is buoying the currency after it was hit by recession fears in recent months. Upbeat economic data has led traders to pare back expectations for rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. Higher rates typically support a currency by making it more attractive to yield-seeking investors.

  • October 3, 2024

U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Slightly Higher Than Expected

According to Odaily, the number of initial jobless claims in the United States for the week ending September 28 reached 225,000, slightly above the expected 220,000. The previous week's figure was revised from 218,000 to 219,000.The four-week moving average of initial jobless claims for the same period was 224,250, a slight decrease from the previous week's revised average of 225,000, which was initially reported as 224,750.Continuing jobless claims for the week ending September 21 stood at 1.826 million, lower than the anticipated 1.832 million. The previous week's figure was revised down from 1.834 million to 1.827 million.

  • October 3, 2024

Swift to Launch Digital Asset Trials in 2025

According to Cointelegraph, banks across North America, Europe, and Asia are gearing up to participate in new digital asset trials initiated by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT). SWIFT announced on October 3 that it will commence a digital asset trial on its network in 2025. The trial will focus on experimenting with transactions involving multiple digital currencies and assets.The primary objective of these trials is to explore how the banking network can offer financial institutions unified access to various digital asset classes and currencies. Initial use cases will concentrate on payments, foreign exchange, securities, and trade, enabling multi-ledger delivery-versus-payment and payment-versus-payment transactions.In its announcement, SWIFT emphasized the rapid growth of unconnected platforms and technologies within the digital asset economy, leading to an increasingly fragmented landscape. This fragmentation, according to SWIFT, poses significant challenges to global adoption by creating a complex web of 'digital islands.'SWIFT aims to leverage its unique position to interlink these disparate networks with each other and with existing fiat currencies. This initiative is intended to enable its global community to seamlessly transact using digital assets and currencies alongside traditional forms of value.Cointelegraph reached out to SWIFT for comments regarding which digital assets are likely to be part of its blockchain trials in 2024 but did not receive a response at the time of publication. This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

  • October 3, 2024

Fed Faces Potential Challenges Ahead of November Meeting

According to PANews, the Federal Reserve may encounter additional complexities in the October employment report, which is expected to be released before the upcoming meeting on November 6-7. Lydia Boussour, a senior economist at EY, stated that any significant slowdown in wage growth and a substantial rise in the unemployment rate could lead data-dependent Fed policymakers to consider another 50 basis point rate cut. However, Neil Dutta, head of economic research at Renaissance Macro Research, anticipates two significant 50 basis point rate cuts in November and December due to complications arising from strikes and hurricane damage.

  • October 3, 2024

Fed Chair Powell Signals No Rush to Cut Rates Amid Upcoming Job Reports

According to Odaily, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has indicated that the Fed is not in a hurry to lower interest rates and prefers a gradual approach to rate cuts. However, this patience will be tested with a series of highly anticipated employment reports set to be released starting this Friday. If there are any new signs of deterioration in the job market, the Fed may be compelled to make a significant rate cut of 0.5 percentage points initially, followed by another substantial cut, even though policymakers currently expect to reduce rates by 25 basis points in both November and December.The latest employment market data, expected to be released on Friday, is anticipated to reinforce a trend of moderate cooling. Economists predict that 146,000 jobs were created last month, with the unemployment rate remaining steady at 4.2%. This report is largely in line with the creation of 142,000 jobs in August.