September
- Analysis
- Monetary policy
Did central banks get the inflation crisis right?
Rate-cutting cycles in recent decades – such as in the early 2000s, or during the financial crisis of 2007 – have tended to be associated with steep economic downturns.
- Sam Fleming, Colby Smith and Olaf Storbeck
Has the Fed overreacted to the US economy?
The Fed’s decision meets the theoretical economic rules but there is an intuitive question about whether such a large cut was needed right now given the state of the economy.
- Matthew Cranston
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Why no one should be celebrating the Fed’s super-sized rate cut
Having pushed shares to record levels, investors must now ask what an emergency move from the Federal Reserve says about where global markets are heading.
- Updated
- James Thomson
Employment jumps; Traders temper RBA bets; Don’t celebrate Fed
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
- Opinion
- Interest rates
Powell’s jumbo rate cut is a big insurance policy
This super-sized rate reduction is the Federal Reserve chairman’s bid to cement his legacy as he tries to nail a soft economic landing.
- Matthew Cranston
‘Slam dunk’: Fed cuts rates by half of a percentage point
The US Federal Reserve chose a larger interest rate reduction to kick off what is expected to be a steady easing of monetary policy.
- Updated
- Matthew Cranston
ASX touches record; Regal’s Platinum play; Trump blames Harris
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
- Analysis
- Monetary policy
Powell could enter the US Fed hall of fame if he doesn’t ‘screw up’
The central bank chairman is set to begin lowering interest rates this week, but will he successfully pull off the elusive soft landing?
- Colby Smith
Fed on track for quarter-point cut: Wall Street
Economists mostly took the August jobs data and initial policymaker responses in stride, downplaying the probability of a half-point cut this month.
- Timothy Moore
New York Fed president says time for rate cuts has arrived
A more evenly balanced economy has opened the door for a pivot, though John Williams said he has no personal view on the pace of reductions.
- Lucia Mutikani
- Opinion
- Monetary policy
The Fed needs to avoid becoming passive-aggressive
Adjusting policy in a timely manner to sustain economic expansions is difficult. Given the lags in policy transmission, the time to reset the funds rate has arrived.
- Andrew Law
August
- Analysis
- Monetary policy
Jackson Hole bankers pivot to cuts as soft landing comes into view
Global rate-setters have left the Wyoming symposium cautiously optimistic, but acutely aware of the risks of either cutting rates too soon or leaving it too late.
- Colby Smith
Jackson Hole gathering reveals fresh concern for central bankers
Officials from three of the world’s major central banks have signalled they are on course to lower interest rates emerging weakness in labour markets and growth become the chief threat for policymakers.
- Steve Matthews, Mark Schroers and Jonnelle Marte
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Rate cuts locked in, but be careful what you wish for
Jerome Powell gave the market the green light on rate cuts, and stocks rallied. But investors’ extreme positioning ignores an unpredictable market backdrop.
- James Thomson
Wall Street sees strong case for quarter-point cut
For the Federal Reserve to cut rates by 50 basis points, most economists and strategists think August’s jobs report will have to be a major disappointment.
- Timothy Moore
‘Time has come’: Powell says Fed must cut rates
Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell said “the direction of travel is clear” and markets leapt anticipating an interest rate cut next month.
- Updated
- Howard Schneider and Ann Saphir
- Opinion
- Global economy
An enormous error has overstated the US boom
Markets have been caught off guard by a drastic revision of non-farm payrolls, the worst miss since the Lehman crisis.
- Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Cooling US jobs market looms over central bankers at Jackson Hole
The Fed has brought down inflation but must now steer the economy away from recession. This delicate balancing act is on show in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley.
- Colby Smith
- Opinion
- Monetary policy
Central banks need true transparency not fake consensus
The Bank of England isn’t afraid to advertise its differences. That is better for creating trust than the obsession with a united front at the US Fed.
- Mohamed El-Erian
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Fed will cut in September but beware ‘rate cuts equals rally’ mood
First Australia dodges a rate hike, now the US is set to cut rates. Markets are rallying, but history says investors should be careful.
- James Thomson