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Fed Holds Rates; Why Powell Won't Say if He Will Stay on Fed Board
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The Federal Reserve entered a new holding pattern on interest rates yesterday and signaled little urgency to resume cuts after contentious reductions at officials’ three previous meetings. And Fed Chair Jerome Powell, at the post-meeting press conference, deflected queries on whether he will remain on the central bank’s board after his chairmanship ends.
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Fed Holds Rates Steady for First Time Since July
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The Fed's decision to hold the benchmark federal-funds rate steady in a range between 3.5% and 3.75% was approved on a 10-2 vote. Officials made fairly modest changes to the postmeeting statement explaining their decision, retaining language that typically has signaled openness to further moves without suggesting any hurry to make them.
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Why Powell Won’t Say if He Is Staying on the Fed Board
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For the fourth time since summer, Fed Chair Jerome Powell declined to say whether he will remain on the central bank’s board after his chairmanship ends May 15. “Again, I don’t want to get into this,” he said at a news conference after the Fed's latest meeting. The answer never changes. That is the point.
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Central Banks Around the World
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Bank of Canada Stands Pat on Rates, Warns of Uncertainty
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The Bank of Canada kept its policy rate unchanged at 2.25% for the second straight time, and warned that the level of uncertainty stemming from U.S. trade policy and geopolitical risks has ramped up.
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Sweden’s Central Bank Holds Key Rate, Policy Shift Unlikely Soon
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Sweden’s central bank held its key policy rate at 1.75% Thursday and reiterated that the next move is unlikely to happen any time soon. The decision was in line with a Wall Street Journal poll.
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Brazil’s Central Bank Holds Rate High, Signals March Cut
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Singapore’s Central Bank Stands Pat as It Raises Inflation Forecasts
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Dollar Gains After Bessent Says Strong Currency Is U.S. Policy
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U.S. Companies Still Slashing Jobs to Reverse Pandemic Hiring Boom
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The new era of corporate cost-cutting is hitting American workers with full force. Big companies from Amazon.com to UPS are slashing jobs, looking to shrink their head counts after years of breakneck growth.
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Fidelity to Launch a Stablecoin
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Fidelity Investments said Wednesday it will launch a stablecoin, becoming one of the nation's first mainstream investment companies to issue its own cryptodollar.
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Deutsche Bank Offices Searched by German Prosecutors
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German prosecutors searched Deutsche Bank’s offices in Frankfurt and Berlin as part of an investigation into allegations of money laundering. The Frankfurt prosecutor’s office said it was conducting a preliminary investigation into managers and employees of Deutsche Bank on suspected money laundering.
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8:30 a.m.: Canada payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies
8:30 a.m.: U.S. international trade in goods and services
8:30 a.m.: U.S. unemployment insurance weekly claims report - initial claims
8:30 a.m.: U.S. revised productivity and costs
9:30 a.m.: ECB’s Piero Cipollone participates in New Year's forum
10 a.m.: U.S. monthly wholesale trade
6:30 p.m.: Japan labor-force survey
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5 a.m.: EU unemployment
5 a.m.: Preliminary flash estimate EU GDP
8:30 a.m.: U.S. PPI
8:30 a.m.: Canada GDP
1:30 p.m.: St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem speaks at University of Arkansas luncheon
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The S&P 500 rallied past 7000 for the first time shortly after Wednesday's open.
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Gold leapt to new highs Wednesday, posting its biggest one-day advance in almost six years and settling above $5,300 a troy ounce for the first time.
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Speculation is rife that the U.S. and Japan could act jointly to support the yen. That is prompting traders to ask: Does intervention work?
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Confidence among businesses in the eurozone jumped more than expected in January, in line with a rise in consumer confidence at the start of the year.
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U.K. house prices rose at a slower pace in 2025 compared with the year before, as uncertainty about the government’s budget plans weighed on buyer demand.
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chinese leader Xi Jinping moved to improve ties in Beijing on Thursday as Britain’s relations with the U.S. have slipped following President Trump’s tariff increases and calls for the seizure of Greenland.
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More than a dozen Chinese provinces have cut their economic growth targets for the year, stoking speculation that Beijing will follow suit and set a lower national goal for 2026.
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WSJ Pro Central Banking brings you central banking news, analysis and insights from WSJ’s global team of reporters and editors. This newsletter was compiled by Michael Maloney in New York and Nihad Ahmed in Barcelona.
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