Growth in China's investment, retail sales and factory output all missed forecasts in January and February and fell to multi-year lows, leaving investors with little doubt that the economy is still losing steam and in need of further support measures.
Tags: Interest rates
U.S. consumer prices edge up, supporting Fed rate rise
U.S. consumer prices increased for a second straight month in March on rising gasoline and housing costs, a sign of an uptick in inflation that should keep the Federal Reserve on course to start raising interest rates this year.
Emerging shares seen lagging developed countries for fifth straight year
The roaring stock market rallies of the United States, Japan and Europe show no sign of reaching most emerging markets, where lackluster economic growth and company profits point to a fifth straight year of lagging performance.
Stocks slip with eyes on earnings; oil ticks up
Equities in major markets slipped on Monday, weighed down by Wall Street on trepidation over first-quarter earnings, while crude prices added to last week's gains on concern about Middle East tensions.
Do not take market-based views at face value: San Francisco Fed
Federal Reserve policymakers should not read too much into financial market prices to glean the views of investors on interest rates or inflation because prices are hard to decipher, according to research released Monday by the San Francisco Fed.
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The Swiss National Bank, battling a rise in the country's currency, could push interest rates further into negative territory if the franc moves in the "wrong direction", a Swiss newspaper reported on Sunday, citing sources close to the bank.
China's slowing economy will be at the forefront as parliament convenes for its annual meeting this week, with a weekend interest rate cut a reminder of the challenge of balancing painful restructuring with combating the onset of deflation.
Greek funding and quantitative easing in Europe, an expected rate cut in Australia and the buoyant U.S. labor market are set to be the focus of an economic week dominated by a host of central bank meetings.
Hours after China's central bank cut interest rates to battle slowing growth and rising deflationary risk, an official survey showed on Sunday that activity in China's factory sector contracted for a second straight month in February.
U.S. consumer prices fell over the past year for the first time since 2009 as gasoline prices continued to tumble, which could allow a cautious Federal Reserve more room to hold off on raising interest rates.
Possible interest rate increases in the months ahead are unlikely to have a major impact on growth in Mexico, central bank governor Agustin Carstens said on Tuesday.
Verbal missteps by the U.S. Federal Reserve have increased the risk of a volatile market reaction when the time comes to raise interest rates, the outgoing president of the Philadelphia Fed said in an interview on Friday.
A blowout jobs report has changed the calculus for investors for what the Federal Reserve might do in coming months, resetting expectations for how markets might behave if the U.S. economy continues to strengthen even as global growth lags.
The dollar traded mixed on Friday after weaker-than-expected headline U.S. fourth-quarter gross domestic product data, which included the fastest pace of consumer spending since 2006 and left intact market expectations of long-term greenback gains.
