Out of the U.S Early in the week, economic data took a back seat, in spite of weak private sector PMI and consumer sentiment figures. On Wednesday, the FOMC rate statement and press conference was the main event. A more hawkish than anticipated FED Chair, who failed to downplay monthly rate hikes, spooked the markets....Read More

Supply chain shortages have hit virtually every industry, but it’s the microchip shortage that’s having the biggest impact. Experts estimate the global chip shortage cost the U.S. economy $240 billion in 2021.  Some U.S. manufacturers have less than five days’ worth of inventory, according to the Commerce Department.  At Optimal Design near Chicago, a chip...Read More

Since the beginning of the year, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been sharing details on the U.N.’s primary focuses this year. One of his global calls is to switch to “emergency mode” in the global fight against the coronavirus and to accelerate the steps to eliminate the vaccine inequality between different continents and countries....Read More

And now it’s starting to backslide. The workforce reductions — coupled with ongoing challenges of low pay and spotty benefits for workers — have economists and policy experts sounding the alarm: If this industry falters further, it could spell trouble for the entire labor market as working parents scramble to find care for their kids....Read More

The post-Fed sentiment was the catalyst for the latest leg higher in the dollar this week. Powell & co. offered a more hawkish tilt and that was enough to see markets scramble to price in five rate hikes by the Fed this year. In turn, the dollar has surged higher as yields also climbed –...Read More

Even so, the average business owner “sees a very strong environment right now,” said Oren Klachkin, the lead economist for U.S. industry and regional research at Oxford Economics. “They want to ramp up investment because they want to meet that demand — and they have every reason to invest.” Jeff Somple, the president of Mack...Read More

“It is not a sanction-proof economy, but it is a sanction-resistant economy,” Daniel Drezner, an international politics professor at the Fletcher School at Tufts University, said of the Russian economy. “The sanctions that would legitimately hurt the Russian economy would also legitimately hurt the global economy.” The United States and its allies realize they need...Read More

By George Mwangi Special to Dow Jones Newswires Kenya’s economy is expected to grow by 5.9% in 2022 following an 8.0% expansion in the prior year, the country’s Central Bank Governor Patrick Njoroge said Thursday. In November, the bank projected the economy to grow by 6% in 2021 and 6.4% in 2022. Economic growth is...Read More

The rupee is expected to depreciate today due to higher crude oil prices and concerns over rising geopolitical tensions between the US and Russia. The rupee on Tuesday depreciated by 16 paise against the US dollar on account of month-end dollar demand from oil importers and a stronger American currency in overseas markets. Pessimistic outlook...Read More

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting supply chain shortages have contributed to the highest U.S. inflation rate since the 1980s, resulting in a reporter’s question about the impact of rising prices that elicited a curse this week from President Joe Biden. The consumer price index has increased 7% over the past 12 months, driven in part...Read More