Inflation

Last week’s moves by the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank to set the path for easier monetary policy going forward helped bolster expectations for increased inflation despite global […]

Présentation PowerPoint In nearly ten years of expansion, US inflation has averaged 1.5% per year on the PCE index, vs a target of 2%. At cycle peak, we would expect […]

As a result of the recent decline in oil prices, US inflation is expected to slow significantly in the short term, with a low point in the region of 1.5% […]

More and more market observers voice the opinion that caution should be exercised in the present financial environment, and this is due to various factors. Last week`s bond sell-off in […]

More and more market observers have focused attention on the financial difficulties currently facing the Fed and the US Treasury. The administration continues deficit spending, and at a certain point […]

In a recent briefing Janet Yellen seems to have declared that she was surprised that inflation has been so low. Official statistics put inflation at 1.3% on an annual basis, far below the magical 2% that is supposed to be the be all and end all of Fed aspirations for northward heading prices.

It may be that nominally independent central banks are not really as independent as they seem.

Switzerland’s central bank on Thursday softened its longstanding warning about the strong franc but still said that it was "highly valued, " suggesting Swiss officials aren’t fully satisfied yet with the franc’s weakening against the euro.

"The Swiss franc nevertheless remains highly valued, and the situation on the foreign exchange market is still fragile," the SNB said in a statement after its quarterly policy review.