Powell’s stark message: Inflation fight may cause recession
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve delivered its bluntest reckoning Wednesday of what it will take to finally tame painfully high inflation: Slower growth, higher unemployment and potentially a recession. Speaking at a news conference, Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged what many economists have been saying for months: That the Fed’s goal of engineering a “soft landing” — in which it would manage to slow growth enough to curb inflation but not so much as to trigger a recession — looks increasingly unlikely. “The chances of a soft landing,” Powell said, “are likely to diminish” as the Fed steadily raises borrowing costs to slow the worst inflation in four decades.
Asian stocks slide for 3rd day on economic growth fears
BEIJING (AP) — Asian stocks fell for a third day Friday after unusually large interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve and other central banks to control inflation spurred fears of a possible global recession. Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul and Sydney declined. Japan’s markets were closed for a holiday. Oil prices edged lower. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index fell for a third day after rate hikes by central banks in Britain, Switzerland, Turkey and the Philippines. The Fed hiked its key rate earlier for a fifth time this year and indicated more rises were on the way.
Bank of England raises rates but avoids bolder hike like Fed
LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England has raised its key interest rate by another half-percentage point. Despite facing inflation that outpaces other major economies, the Bank of England avoided more aggressive hikes made by the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks. The U.K. bank on Thursday raised its benchmark rate to the highest level in 14 years. It’s the seventh straight move to increase borrowing costs as rising food and energy prices fuel a cost-of-living crisis that’s considered the worst in a generation. Despite facing a slumping currency, tight labor market and inflation near its highest in four decades, officials held off on acting more boldly as they predicted a second consecutive drop in economic output this quarter.
Bank CEOs questioned on consumer protections, social issues
NEW YORK (AP) — The CEOs of the nation’s biggest banks returned to Capitol Hill for a second day Thursday, and Senate Democrats strongly urged them to do more to help and protect their customers, while Republicans questioned whether banks should weigh in on hot-button social issues. The bank leaders testified at a time when prices for food and other necessities are the highest in decades. JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon, Citigroup’s Jane Fraser and five other chief executives repeated the message they gave to a House panel Wednesday: The U.S. consumer is in relatively good shape but faces threats from high inflation and rising interest rates.
Ford shuffles management, seeks new global supply chain head
DETROIT (AP) — Ford is restructuring its vehicle development and supply chain operations, shuffling multiple executives just days after announcing that it would build up to 45,000 vehicles with parts missing due to shortages. The Dearborn, Michigan, automaker gave some executives new roles and said that its chief financial officer will begin reworking supply chain operations until a new global purchasing chief is hired. The moves come at a time of profound change for Ford and the auto industry, which for more than a century have made a living by selling petroleum-powered vehicles. The company has plans for half of its global production to be electric vehicles by 2030, but like its main competitors, Ford will need to keep selling gas-burning vehicles to fund the massive transition.
Facebook violated rights of Palestinian users, report finds
Actions by Facebook and its parent Meta during last year’s Gaza war violated the rights of Palestinian users to freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, political participation and non-discrimination. That’s according to a new report commissioned by the social media company. The report confirms long-standing criticisms of Meta’s policies and their uneven enforcement as it relates to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Written by the independent consulting firm Business for Social Responsibility, the report found that Meta over-enforced rules when it came to Arabic content and under-enforced content in Hebrew. But the report did not find intentional bias at Meta, either by the company as a whole or among individual employees.
Inflation, unrest challenge Bangladesh’s ‘miracle economy’
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh’s economic miracle is under severe strain as fuel price hikes amplify public frustrations over rising costs for food and other necessities. Protests have erupted in recent weeks, adding to pressures on the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which has sought help from the International Monetary Fund to safeguard the country’s finances. Experts say Bangladesh’s predicament is nowhere nearly as severe as Sri Lanka’s, where months’ long unrest led its long-time president to flee the country. But it faces similar troubles: excessive spending on showcase projects, public anger over corruption and cronyism and a weakening trade balance. Such trends are undermining Bangladesh’s progress toward becoming a more affluent, middle-income country.
Zelenskyy aide: Ukraine needs funds, expand Russia sanctions
BERLIN (AP) — A top Ukrainian government economist says the country’s efforts to defend itself from Russia are placing a severe financial burden on the country that it can only bear with the help of outside support. Oleg Ustenko, chief economic advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said the speed of victory will depend however in large part on the pressure that Ukraine’s allies place on Russia. Ustenko told The Associated Press that it was “ridiculous” for European countries to keep paying for Russian fossil fuels while Moscow wages a war against Ukraine. He called for an EU oil embargo to be brought forward and a price cap imposed on Russian gas.
FTC says Bezos, Jassy must testify in probe of Amazon Prime
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators are ordering Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and CEO Andy Jassy to testify in the government’s investigation of Amazon Prime. The regulators rejected the company’s complaint that the executives are being unfairly harassed in the probe of the popular streaming and shopping service. The Federal Trade Commission issued an order denying Amazon’s request to cancel civil subpoenas sent in June to Bezos, the Seattle-based company’s former CEO, and Jassy. The order also sets a deadline of Jan. 20 for the completion of all testimony by Bezos, Jassy and 15 other senior executives, who also were subpoenaed.
Japan to loosen travel restrictions imposed during pandemic
NEW YORK (AP) — Japan’s prime minister has announced that his nation’s strict border restrictions will be loosened next month. That will allow tourists to easily enter for the first time since the start of the pandemic. In a news conference at the foot of Central Park in New York, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said independent tourists would again be welcomed as of Oct. 11. That means entry isn’t restricted to those traveling with authorized groups. A cap on the number of tourists will also be lifted, as will new visa requirements imposed in response to the pandemic.
Source: valdostadailytimes.com
