Tag: Fed

President Trump is gradually undermining confidence in the dollar, one tirade at a time

Donald Trump’s latest tirade against the head of the US central bank is so obviously negative for the dollar that you have to wonder whether the President is deliberately trying to undermine the US currency. Remarkably, the answer may indeed be ‘yes’. On Monday, Trump used his social media platform to call Federal Reserve Chair … Continue reading President Trump is gradually undermining confidence in the dollar, one tirade at a time

Trump’s new tariffs are bad for the US – and probably for Britain too

A recent survey by the pollsters Opinium found that, whatever they may think of Donald Trump as a person, a majority of Brits actually like his policies. In most cases this made sense. But the new-found enthusiasm for trade protectionism is worrying and, if I may say so, distinctly un-British. The downsides are already showing. … Continue reading Trump’s new tariffs are bad for the US – and probably for Britain too

Has the Bank of England missed the boat?

The global interest rate cutting cycle has begun, but there is little sign that the Bank of England is ready to jump on board. How much longer will the UK have to wait? This question became even more pressing last week when the European Central Bank (ECB) trimmed official rates in the euro area for … Continue reading Has the Bank of England missed the boat?

Bank of England edges towards a summer rate cut

The Monetary Policy Committee’s decision to leave interest rates on hold at 5.25% this week was unsurprising, but there were some welcome hints that cuts are coming soon. The market reaction was consistent with the slight dovish tilt: 2-5 year government bond yields fell about 5 basis points (these correlate closely with the cost of … Continue reading Bank of England edges towards a summer rate cut