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Interest Rates

Asian Central Banks Face Currency Weakness as US Dollar Strengthens

Central banks across Asia are grappling with the challenge of weakening currencies as the US dollar continues to strengthen, complicating their path towards easing monetary policy. The resilience of the US economy and expectations for delayed Federal Reserve rate cuts have fueled the dollar's rise, putting pressure on
Asian Central Banks Face Currency Weakness as US Dollar Strengthens

Treasury Signals Stable Debt Issuance, Calming Market Jitters

The US Department of the Treasury announced plans to raise approximately $17.2 billion through Treasury securities auctions next week, indicating a stabilization in borrowing needs after several quarters of increases. This news brought some relief to Treasury investors who have been closely monitoring the government's debt issuance
Treasury Signals Stable Debt Issuance, Calming Market Jitters

BOJ Data Hints at Possible Yen-Buying Intervention as Currency Plunges: Nikkei Asia

Data released by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) on Tuesday suggests that the Japanese government may have intervened in the currency market to support the plummeting yen, Nikkei Asia reports. The yen saw a dramatic turnaround against the US dollar on Monday after falling close to 12% since the beginning

Corporate Credit Spreads Remain Tight

Corporate credit spreads widened slightly during the last weekly period, but remained tight overall. This indicates that market participants remain confident in the creditworthiness of borrowers and view the overall economy favorably, according to a report by Moody's Analytics. Moody's Ratings long-term average corporate bond spread
Corporate Credit Spreads Remain Tight

Euro Zone Debt-to-GDP Ratio Declines, but Concerns Remain

The aggregate debt-to-GDP ratio in the Eurozone improved in 2023, declining to 88.6% from 90.8% the previous year, per data released by Eurostat. This marks a step towards pre-pandemic levels, when the ratio stood at 84% in 2019. However, the ratio remains significantly higher than its historical norm

Nomura Bullish on Fixed Income, Cautious in Near Term

Nomura is bullish on the fixed income market over the medium term, citing compelling yields and expectations of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve later this year. "Rates are ultimately in deeply restrictive territory and will need to be cut repeatedly to avoid undue pressure on economies that

BOJ Chief Signals Rate Hikes If Inflation Persists

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda has indicated that the central bank will likely raise interest rates if underlying inflation continues to rise. Speaking at a think tank event in Washington, Ueda acknowledged the challenges of determining the appropriate level of interest rates as Japan has not experienced a sustained

Moody's Analytics: ECB Rate Cut on Track for June

Moody's Analytics expects the European Central Bank (ECB) to implement its first interest rate cut in June, despite persistent inflation within the services sector, according to a research report published on Thursday. While acknowledging the need for further data to solidify the decision, the research firm suggests the

2024 Interest Rate Outlook

Author: Bruce Liegel Over the past three years, US interest rates have increased by the greatest amount in over 50 years, rising from near zero to over 5%. The first stage of the bull market in higher rates is now complete, indicating that over the next 12-18 months, interest rates

The Crisis of Aging

Author: Bruce Liegel The birth rate has been collapsing almost everywhere, with the exception of a few countries. Chart 1 below shows the global fertility rate, with the majority of the world at less than two live births per woman or the replacement level. Where this begins to really impact
The Crisis of Aging