• August 21, 2024

Mexican Peso Weighs on Emerging FX After Fed Meeting Minutes

(Bloomberg) -- The Mexican peso was the biggest loser among emerging-markets currencies on Wednesday as investors assessed a range of risks — from local politics to a frailer US economy. Most Read from BloombergThe Serious Work That Free Play Can DoThe peso trimmed some losses after weakening as much as 2.2%. It took a leg down after minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting showed several officials saw a case for cutting interest rates last month. The Brazilian real and the Colombian peso

Dollar drops as jobs revised lower, some Fed officials wanted July cut
  • August 21, 2024

Dollar drops as jobs revised lower, some Fed officials wanted July cut

The release comes before a highly anticipated speech by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at the Kansas City Fed's Jackson Hole economic symposium on Friday, which will be watched for any new clues on his view of the labor market. "It probably puts more weight on Powell's appearance at Jackson Hole," said Vassili Serebriakov, an FX strategist at UBS in New York. Markets are looking for clarity on the likely size of a rate cut at the Fed's Sept. 17-18 meeting, and whether borrowing costs are likely to be lowered at each subsequent Fed meeting.

Fed Minutes Show Several Saw Case for Cutting Rates in July
  • August 21, 2024

Fed Minutes Show Several Saw Case for Cutting Rates in July

(Bloomberg) -- Several Federal Reserve officials acknowledged there was a plausible case for cutting interest rates at their July 30-31 meeting before the central bank’s policy committee voted unanimously to keep them steady.Most Read from BloombergThe Serious Work That Free Play Can Do“Several observed that the recent progress on inflation and increases in the unemployment rate had provided a plausible case for reducing the target range 25 basis points at this meeting or that they could have su

Gold Near Record as Jobs Revision, Fed Minutes Support Rate Bets
  • August 21, 2024

Gold Near Record as Jobs Revision, Fed Minutes Support Rate Bets

(Bloomberg) -- Gold traded near a record high as Federal Reserve minutes and a downward revision of US payrolls reinforced expectations that policymakers will cut interest rates in September.Most Read from BloombergThe Serious Work That Free Play Can DoSeveral Federal Reserve officials acknowledged there was a plausible case for cutting interest rates at their July 30-31 meeting before the central bank’s policy committee voted unanimously to keep them steady. Swap traders now expect a quarter-po

  • August 21, 2024

Fed minutes: Most officials favored a rate cut in September if inflation continued to cool

Most Federal Reserve officials agreed last month that they would likely cut their benchmark interest rate at their next meeting in September as long as inflation continued to cool. The minutes of the Fed’s July 30-31 meeting, released Wednesday, said the “vast majority" of policymakers “observed that, if the data continued to come in about as expected, it would likely be appropriate to ease policy at the next meeting.” In July, the policymakers kept their benchmark rate at 5.3%, a near-quarter-century high, where it's stood for more than a year.

Ovintiv Explores Sale of Oil Operations in Uinta Basin
  • August 21, 2024

Ovintiv Explores Sale of Oil Operations in Uinta Basin

(Bloomberg) -- Ovintiv Inc. is considering a possible sale of its operations in the Uinta Basin, which could fetch as much as $2 billion, people with knowledge of the matter said.Most Read from BloombergThe Serious Work That Free Play Can DoDenver-based Ovintiv is working with an adviser to gauge buyer interest in the asset, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential information. Ovintiv’s operations in the Central Basin of Utah involves drilling in about 2,600 feet of

Government: US economy added 818,000 fewer jobs than first reported in year that ended in March
  • August 21, 2024

Government: US economy added 818,000 fewer jobs than first reported in year that ended in March

The revised total adds to evidence that the job market has been steadily slowing and likely reinforces the Federal Reserve's plan to start cutting interest rates soon. The Labor Department estimated that job growth averaged 174,000 a month in the year that ended in March — a drop of 68,000 a month from the 242,000 that were initially reported. The revisions released Wednesday were preliminary, with final numbers to be issued in February next year.