In Haifa’s flea market, forlorn merchants polish their wares on empty streets. Nearly 11 months into the war with Hamas, Israel’s economy is struggling as the country's leaders grind ahead with an offensive in Gaza that shows no signs of ending and threatens to escalate into a wider conflict. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tried to allay concerns by saying the economic damage is only temporary.
The ferocious exchange of fire by Hezbollah and the Israeli military is raising fears of a regional war beyond the tense border. The risks for Lebanon are far greater than in 2006, when a monthlong war with Israel ended in a draw. Lebanon has struggled with years of political and economic crises that left it indebted, without a stable electricity supply, a proper banking system and with rampant poverty.
(Bloomberg) -- Oil advanced after an Israeli strike on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon raised tensions in the Middle East.Most Read from BloombergSydney Central Train Station Is Now an Architectural DestinationChicago Overcomes DNC Skeptics With Calm, Parties and SunNazi Bunker’s Leafy Makeover Turns Ugly Past Into Urban EyecatcherHow the Cortiços of São Paulo Helped Shelter South America’s Largest CityWith Housing Costs High, Democrats Hone YIMBY MessageGlobal benchmark Brent rose toward
"This is where Europe’s principal problem lies: in a range of areas, from artificial intelligence to semiconductors to quantum computing, the US and even China are leaving Europe in the dust."
(Bloomberg) -- In Jackson Hole this weekend, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell outlined two priorities for the months ahead: keeping the US economy afloat while also taking a closer look at what went wrong over the past few years.Most Read from BloombergSydney Central Train Station Is Now an Architectural DestinationChicago Overcomes DNC Skeptics With Calm, Parties and SunNazi Bunker’s Leafy Makeover Turns Ugly Past Into Urban EyecatcherHow the Cortiços of São Paulo Helped Shelter South Americ
(Bloomberg) -- After a strong start to the summer, the outlook for oil prices is unravelling — leaving trading desks, supermajors and Middle East producers grappling with what comes next. Most Read from BloombergSydney Central Train Station Is Now an Architectural DestinationChicago Overcomes DNC Skeptics With Calm, Parties and SunNazi Bunker’s Leafy Makeover Turns Ugly Past Into Urban EyecatcherHow the Cortiços of São Paulo Helped Shelter South America’s Largest CityWith Housing Costs High, Dem
(Bloomberg) -- The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s annual economic symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming is winding down. Most Read from BloombergSydney Central Train Station Is Now an Architectural DestinationChicago's Migrant Surge Is Stirring Trouble for Democrats in DNC Host CityWith Housing Costs High, Democrats Hone YIMBY MessageHow the Cortiços of São Paulo Helped Shelter South America’s Largest CityWith Self-Driving Vans, Hamburg Tries to Make Microtransit WorkHere are some of the key
(Bloomberg) -- US inflation figures in the coming week will reinforce that long-awaited interest-rate cuts are coming soon, while a reading on consumer spending is seen indicating that the central bank has been successful at keeping the expansion intact.Most Read from BloombergSydney Central Train Station Is Now an Architectural DestinationChicago's Migrant Surge Is Stirring Trouble for Democrats in DNC Host CityWith Housing Costs High, Democrats Hone YIMBY MessageHow the Cortiços of São Paulo H
Federal Reserve holdings of mortgage bonds play a “central” role in how monetary policy affects the economy's momentum, academics wrote in a paper to be presented at a central bank research conference Saturday. The paper takes stock of how the Fed uses increases and contractions in its holdings of Treasury and mortgage bonds to augment the changes it does with its interest rate target, actions collectively aimed to influence the economy's momentum. Known as quantitative easing, or QE, Fed purchases of Treasury and mortgage bonds starting in earnest in the spring of 2020 caused central bank holdings to more than double to a peak of around $9 trillion by the summer of 2022.
The Federal Reserve's credibility in the eyes of financial markets helped in its battle against inflation over the past two years, but it had to be earned afresh with interest rate hikes that backed up policymakers' verbal promises to restore price stability, according to new research presented at the Kansas City Fed's annual research conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. A strong perception in financial markets that a central bank is committed to inflation control can make monetary policy more effective, prompting markets to shift financial conditions faster and lowering inflation with a less serious hit to economic growth than would otherwise be the case.