By Michael S. Derby NEW YORK (Reuters) -Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Susan Collins said on Tuesday that her outlook for monetary policy is consistent with the gradual path of easing shown in the latest central bank forecasts, in comments that framed aggressive rate cuts as risky. The reason to refrain from swift rate cuts comes down to the ongoing threat posed by inflation, even at a time when there are signs of weakness in the job market, Collins said in an interview with Reuters in New York ...

Um, it's a busy day of Fed speak. We're getting Collins on the tape just now. Let's get to Steve Leeman.Morning, Steve. >> Morning, K. Boston Fed President Susan Collins saying it may be appropriate to ease policy a bit further this year if it's supported by the data.Hold on to those two thoughts. I'll come back to them. She says she can sees she sees continued modestly restricted policy stance as being appropriate.So maybe not going as far as the market is priced in. The Fed needs to restore price stabilit ...

Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack told CNBC’s Squawk Box Europe on Monday that the U.S. central bank must keep a restrictive monetary policy stance to bring inflation down to its 2% target. “My forecast is that we’re going to remain above target for probably the next one to two years, and not really getting back down to our objective of 2% until the end of 2027 or early 2028,” Hammack said. At the same time, St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem said he is open to additional interest rate cuts, but emp ...

Core Viewpoint - The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has maintained its benchmark policy rate at 3.6% amid rising inflation, which is currently at its highest level in over a year [1][2]. Economic Indicators - Australia's headline inflation rate for August was reported at 3%, the highest since July 2024, driven by increases in housing, food, and alcohol prices [2]. - The RBA noted that inflation in the September quarter may exceed previous expectations, indicating potential persistence in certain areas [2]. Monetary Policy Actions - The RBA has reduced rates by 75 basis points in 2025, following a period of stability at 4.35% since November 2023, as part of efforts to control inflation [3]. - The central bank's decision to hold rates reflects a focus on curbing inflation while acknowledging the uncertain economic outlook [3][4]. Economic Growth - Australia's GDP grew by 1.8% year-over-year, surpassing the 1.6% forecast by economists and improving from the previous quarter's 1.3% growth [5]. - On a quarter-over-quarter basis, GDP increased by 0.6%, exceeding the 0.5% expected growth [5]. - The growth was primarily driven by domestic spending, including household and government consumption [5].

Group 1 - Asia-Pacific markets exhibited mixed trading patterns, with a focus on the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) interest rate decision [1][2] - The RBA is anticipated to maintain its cash rate at 3.6%, as high inflation limits the potential for monetary policy easing [1][2] - Building approvals in Australia are expected to show a 2.8% increase in August, following a significant 8.2% decline in July [2] Group 2 - Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index experienced a slight increase of 0.1% [3] - Japan's Nikkei 225 index decreased by 0.17%, while the Topix index fell by 0.21% [3] - South Korea's Kospi index rose by 0.27%, and the Kosdaq index advanced by 0.18% [3] - Hong Kong's Hang Seng index futures were trading at 26,735, surpassing the last close of 26,622.88 [3]

By Sinéad Carew and Niket Nishant (Reuters) -Wall Street indexes closed up on Monday with the Nasdaq leading gains as investors bought heavyweight technology stocks and shrugged off the uncertainty of a potential U.S. government shutdown and hawkish remarks from Federal Reserve officials. Technology provided the benchmark S&P's biggest boost as investors bet on growth from artificial intelligence and expectations that the Fed will keep cutting interest rates as it grapples with persistent inflation conce ...

By Michael S. Derby (Reuters) -Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams said on Monday that emerging signs of weakness in the labor market drove his support for cutting interest rates at the most recent central bank meeting. “It made sense to move interest rates down a little bit” and “to take a little bit of the restrictiveness out of there,” to help ensure ongoing health in the job market while still keeping some downward pressure on above-target inflation levels, Williams said during a ...

This story was originally published on CFO Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily CFO Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: New York Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams said Monday that the labor market shows signs of weakening while noting that monetary policy is still restraining inflation after a quarter-point cut this month in the federal funds rate. The current 4%-to-4.25% range in the central bank’s benchmark interest rate “continues to be what we call restrictive mo ...

Market Overview - U.S. equities opened positively on September 29, 2025, aiming to recover from previous week's losses, with major indexes showing resilience and gains at the start of trading [1][2] - The S&P 500 rose to 6672 points, gaining 0.42% from the previous session, while September has been a winning month overall with the S&P 500 up 2.8%, Dow up 1.5%, and Nasdaq up 2.9% [2] Economic Indicators - Personal spending data indicates resilient final demand, with second-quarter GDP growth revised up to 3.8%, but core inflation in services remains a concern for the Federal Reserve [3] - The upcoming September jobs report is expected to show 43,000 new jobs and an unemployment rate of 4.3%, providing critical insights into the labor market [5] Corporate Developments - Electronic Arts (EA) is set to be acquired by an investor consortium in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $55 billion, representing a 25% premium to EA's unaffected share price [8] - Baker Hughes (BKR) received a significant award from Petrobras for subsea tree systems, expected to boost Brazil's offshore energy sector [12] - Apple (AAPL) shares gained 2.1% on reports of a new AI-powered Siri app, indicating ongoing innovation [12] - Intel (INTC) climbed 3.4% amid speculation of a White House initiative to reduce reliance on overseas chip production [12] - Boeing (BA) advanced 3.6% after regulators restored some oversight powers, signaling increased confidence [12] - AstraZeneca (AZN) plans to list its shares directly on the New York Stock Exchange, replacing its existing ADR listing on Nasdaq [12] - Novartis (NVS) is launching a direct-to-patient platform for its Cosentyx drug in the U.S. [12]

Group 1: Market Performance - Wall Street's major equity averages ended in the green, with Electronic Arts (EA) surging over +14% after reports of advanced talks to go private in a roughly $50 billion deal [1] - Chip stocks rallied, with GlobalFoundries (GFS) climbing more than +8% and Intel (INTC) rising over +4% following news of potential U.S. policy requiring domestic chip manufacturing [1] - Paccar (PCAR) advanced more than +5% after President Trump announced a 25% tariff on heavy truck imports [1] - Costco Wholesale (COST) fell over -2% after reporting weaker-than-expected FQ4 U.S. comparable sales growth, making it the top percentage loser on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 [1] Group 2: Economic Indicators - The core PCE price index rose +0.2% month-over-month and +2.9% year-over-year in August, aligning with expectations [5] - U.S. personal spending climbed +0.6% month-over-month, exceeding expectations of +0.5% [5] - Personal income rose +0.4% month-over-month, stronger than the expected +0.3% [5] - The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index for September was unexpectedly revised lower to a 4-month low of 55.1, weaker than expectations of 55.5 [5] Group 3: Federal Reserve Insights - Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin noted limited risk of further deterioration in unemployment and inflation despite divergence from targets [7] - Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman emphasized the need for decisive action to address labor market fragility [7] - Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack stated the necessity of maintaining a restrictive monetary policy to achieve the 2% inflation target [7] Group 4: Upcoming Economic Data - The U.S. September Nonfarm Payrolls report is anticipated, with expectations of a "soft" report that could support further rate cuts [9] - Additional insights into the labor market will come from JOLTs Job Openings, ADP Nonfarm Employment Change, and Initial Jobless Claims [9][10] - Notable data releases include the Consumer Confidence Index, Chicago PMI, and various PMIs related to manufacturing and services [10] Group 5: Corporate Earnings and Market Movements - Several notable companies, including Nike (NKE), Carnival (CCL), and Paychex (PAYX), are set to release quarterly results this week [12] - Merus N.V. (MRUS) jumped over +38% in pre-market trading after Genmab agreed to acquire the company for $8 billion [20] - U.S.-listed cannabis-related companies saw significant gains in pre-market trading following President Trump's comments on hemp-derived cannabidiol [20]