The leader of the main French business federation, Patrick Martin, said on Wednesday he had got it wrong on U.S. President Donald Trump, saying French firms who applauded pro-business policies in January did not imagine he would go ahead with tariffs. Trump stunned business leaders on both sides of...
World Economy News
Bessent says US Treasury to take stronger role in bank regulation, easing undue burdens
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday his department will play a greater role in banking regulation to better balance costs and benefits and ensure that lenders can finance growth in the U.S. economy. In prepared remarks to an American Bankers Association conference, Bessent...
Fed minutes may show scope of tariff debate ahead of Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’
How concerned Federal Reserve officials were over stagflation risks as they met last month may become more clear on Wednesday in a readout of a gathering held before President Donald Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement shook markets and made forecasts for higher inflation and slower growth more...
Fed’s Daly sees time to tread slowly, carefully on policy
San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President Mary Daly on Tuesday became the latest U.S. central banker to say there’s no rush to cut interest rates, what with the economy and the labor market still solid and a lot still unclear about the size and scope of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs....
https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/feds-daly-sees-time-to-tread-slowly-carefully-on-policy/
Trump says US taking in $2 billion a day from tariffs
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States is taking in $2 billion per day from tariffs. He made the comment without providing details during an event at the White House. Trump has imposed an array of tariffs on other countries since taking office in January. The Treasury...
https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/trump-says-us-taking-in-2-billion-a-day-from-tariffs/
India’s trade deal frenzy offers a Trump hedge
Donald Trump’s penchant for dealmaking is rubbing off on India. The world’s fifth-largest economy is feverishly negotiating trade deals with the European Union and the UK, and is warming up to joining a China-backed bloc that it previously shunned. The outreach will protect the South Asian country...
https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/indias-trade-deal-frenzy-offers-a-trump-hedge/
China expresses ‘grave concern’ at WTO about ‘reckless’ Trump tariffs
China told the World Trade Organization on Wednesday that the United States’ decision to impose what it has called reciprocal tariffs on Beijing threatens to further destabilise global trade. “The situation has dangerously escalated. …As one of the affected members, China expresses grave concern...
US wholesale inventories unrevised in February
U.S. wholesale inventories increased steadily in February, the government confirmed on Wednesday, amid front-loading of imported goods like lumber and professional equipment by businesses ahead of tariffs. Stocks at wholesalers rose by an unrevised 0.3%, the Commerce Department’s Census Bureau...
https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/us-wholesale-inventories-unrevised-in-february/
ECB’s Rehn sees stronger case for ECB rate cut in April amid trade war
Downside risks have materialised since March that support the case for cutting interest rates at the European Central Bank’s April meeting, ECB policymaker Olli Rehn said on Wednesday. “Since the March meeting, many of the risks identified at that time have now either materialised or are...
Goldman Sachs says markets pricing in 70% probability of Ukrainian peace deal
U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs said bond pricing inferred that markets believed there was 70% probability of a Ukraine peace deal, up sharply from before the November election of U.S. President Donald Trump. “Our modeling suggests that current market pricing for a peace deal has risen from...