The dollar index (DXY00) is down -0.30%, falling back from last Friday's 1-week high.  The dollar continues to see underlying weakness as the FOMC is expected to cut interest rates by about -50 bp in 2026, while the BOJ is expected to raise rates by another +25 bp in 2026, and the ECB is expected to leave rates unchanged in 2026. The dollar is also under pressure as the Fed boosts liquidity in the financial system, having begun purchasing $40 billion a month in T-bills in mid-December.  The dollar is als ...

Uh let's get into a discussion with the team from Charles Schwab. We're going to welcome in Cooper Howard, director of fixed income research and strategy at Charles Schwab Center for uh financial research and Michelle Gibli, director of international equity research and strategy at the Schwab Center for Financial Research. Uh Cooper, I wanted to go to you uh first here because I wanted to talk bonds here a little bit.I think that's part of the reason we've seen some support in the equity market is that we'r ...

Credit cards can be useful tools, but they can also lead to financial ruin. According to the Federal Reserve, the average rate paid on credit card accounts that were assessed interest is 22.83%. At that enormous interest rate, even small amounts of debt can rapidly spiral out of control. This is why it’s so important to understand what actually drives credit card debt, and what you can do to avoid it. Here are eight common contributors to credit card debt, along with strategies to counter them. 1. Carry ...

Financial Inclusion Challenges in Pakistan - 80% of Pakistan's 250 million people are financially excluded [3] - 11 trillion rupees are outside the formal sector [4] - Over 40% of agricultural produce is wasted due to lack of storage [4] - 266 billion children are out of school [5] - Microfinance reaches less than 1 million households despite 30 years of formal microfinance [8][9] Institutional Landscape and its Limitations - Pakistan has approximately 35 commercial banks and 12 microfinance banks, plus nearly 40 non-bank financial institutions [7] - Microfinance serves about 12 million microloans, but only around 4 million unique clients [7][8] - Larger microfinance institutions serve only two to three lakh (200,000-300,000) clients, significantly less than institutions in Bangladesh and India [9] Required Institutional "Killer Apps" - Capital: Need for a spectrum of capital, including tier one and tier two capital, for non-bank financial service providers [12][13] - Funding: Need for diverse funding sources beyond shareholder capital, including capital markets activity (retail TFCs, commercial papers, etc) [14][15] - Risk Predicates: Safety nets like collateral (gold), first loss guarantees, and party passive guarantees are needed to encourage lending to vulnerable populations [16][17] - Technology, Product Strategy, and Channel Strategy: Leveraging Pakistan's high teledensity (around 120 million unique SIMs) and the NADRA database for KYC/AML [20] Banking as a Service (BaaS) - Banks need to evolve from product providers to ecosystem enablers, offering "banking as a service" [21] - BaaS involves banks becoming platforms where fintechs and digital companies can access funding and scale [24] - This can enable instant access to financing for e-commerce merchants and women entrepreneurs [24]

Butus / Shutterstock.com Over the last few years, the Vanguard Value Index Fund ETF Shares (NYSE:VTV) has performed exactly as investors hoped. Growing between 12% and 15% annually over the last three years, as rates have risen, this ETF has benefited from having exposure to multiple cash-generating names in its portfolio across finance, energy, and other sectors. Quick Read The Vanguard Value Index Fund ETF grew 12% to 15% annually over three years but faces compressed future returns from crowded pos ...

The financing comes after Netflix earlier this month agreed to buy Warner Bros. for $72 billion. - Lucy Nicholson/Reuters Netflix is laying the foundation for its deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studios and HBO Max streaming service, securing up to $25 billion in bank financing to fund it. The Los Gatos, Calif., streaming company entered into a $5 billion senior unsecured revolving credit facility and two senior unsecured delayed-draw term-loan facilities totaling $20 billion, according to a Monday ...

The Federal Reserve has opened the door to a new type of central bank account that could reshape how crypto and payment-focused firms access the US banking system, under a tailored approval framework. On Friday, the Fed requested public input on a proposed “payment account.” The account would sit alongside, but remain distinct from, the traditional master account that banks currently use to access Federal Reserve services. The comment period will remain open for 45 days following publication in the Fed ...

Benchmark stock indices Sensex and Nifty surged nearly 1 per cent on Monday as investor sentiment remained positive amid foreign fund inflows and a rally in global markets on expectations of further monetary policy easing by the US Federal Reserve.Photograph: Shailesh Andrade/ReutersBuilding on the previous session's rally, the 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 638.12 points or 0.75 per cent to settle at 85,567.48.During the day, it surged 671.97 points or 0.79 per cent to 85,601.33.The 50-share NSE Nifty climbed ...

Digital assets companies achieved a breakthrough with the passage of a light-touch regulatory law for dollar-pegged stablecoins, clearing the way for broader use of the technology in everyday finance. An industry drive for a broader rewrite of securities and commodities laws to set up favorable regulation of cryptoassets is moving closer to the finish line. A $263 million campaign war chest the crypto industry has amassed in super-PACs is sure to help.Energy companies secured a tax break worth more than $1 ...

This story was originally published on Payments Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Payments Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: The Federal Reserve Board on Friday voted to seek public comment on what would be a new, limited-use bank payment account that could be used by eligible banks and credit unions, according to a press release from the central bank that day. The vote in favor was 6-1, with a dissenting vote from Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr, who said in a separate ...