Economic News

Treasurys prices slumped late in the day on Friday to close lower for the third straight day in light trading. Prices had been flat for most of the day following the release of second-tier data and further chatter from Federal Reserve officials that did little to change the interest-rate outlook. A late-day rally in the stock market helped push yields to the highs of the day at the close. "I ...

// A bigger than expected reduction in the US current account deficit in the first three months of the year, coupled with improvements in consumer confidence and a dip in inflation expectations, provided a dose of good news for the US economy on Friday. The improvement in the current account deficit raises hopes that imbalances in the world economy may finally be stabilising, though at levels that are probably unsustainable in the long run. Meanwhile, the moderation in public inflation expect ...

Global stock markets were mixed by Friday's close, as earlier signs of a general recovery were put into question by renewed interest rate fears. European and US stocks closed lower, while Asian stocks saw gains. The FTSE 100 fell 0.39%, Frankfurt's Dax shed 0.85%, France's Cac 40 lost 0.63% and the Dow Jones lost 0.1%. However Japan's Nikkei added 2.82%. Also fuelling the fall was news that China would up its reserve requirement, which could dampen economic growth. Inflation fears Earlier  ...

The dollar strengthened against major foreign-exchange counterparts Friday, after better-than-expected data on U.S. consumer sentiment reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve will continue lifting interest rates. Consumer sentiment improved in early June, according to proprietary research from the University of Michigan, whose sentiment index rose to 82.4 from 79.1 in May. It marked ...

By Christopher Swann and Krishna Guha in WashingtonPublished: June 16 2006 15:45 | Last updated: June 16 2006 20:55A bigger than expected reduction in the US current account deficit in the first three months of this year, coupled with improvements in consumer confidence and a dip in inflation expectations on Friday provided a dose of good news for the US economy. // But in a sign that market confidence remains brittle even after the past two days’ equity market rally, US stocks fell. Traders b ...

The dollar’s longest winning run since November came to a halt this week despite robust US inflation data that raised expectations of further monetary tightening in the world’s largest economy. // Having peaked at a seven-week intra-day high of $1.2534 against the euro on Tuesday, the dollar lost ground towards the end of the week to finish 0.2 per cent lower at $1.2635. The dollar also notched up a seven week peak of Y115.41 against the yen on Tuesday, but eased back to end at Y115.00 on Frid ...

LONDON (Dow Jones) -- Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President William Poole warned Friday that rising gasoline and oil prices may be adding to inflation pressures in a way not detected by current data. "Statistical studies to detect pass-through from recent energy price increases have failed to show significant effects in U.S. price data, but stories about widespread pass-through are becomi ...

Treasurys prices were relatively unchanged Friday after two days of selling sparked by fears of inflation and higher interest rates. "It's Friday. More people just watch what the U.S. stock market does and get positions squared before the weekend," said Bill Hornbarger, chief fixed-income strategist at AG Edwards & Co. The 10-year note was last trading up 1/32 at 100-7/32. Its yield, whi ...

The dollar traded higher against the yen and was little changed against the euro early Friday, reacting mildly to a government report that showed the U.S. balance-of-payments deficit narrowed. The current-account deficit shrank in the first quarter to $208.7 billion from $223.1 billion in the fourth quarter. The deficit equaled 6.4% of gross domestic product, down from 7% in the fourth quarter. ...

Treasurys rose early Friday, sending yields lower, as buyers moved back in after two days of selling sparked by inflation and interest-rate fears. The 10-year note was last trading up 6/32 at 100-12/32. Its yield, which moves in the opposite direction of price, fell to 5.078% from 5.099% late Thursday. The 30-year long bond was last up 10/32 at 90-19/32, with a yield of 5.12%. The 2 year was ...