Bloomberg Daybreak Asia: Cautious Start for APAC Trade
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
19 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Why did stocks tumble this week?
The stock market had a tough week, with the S&P 500 and tech-stock-heavy Nasdaq retreating sharply on Thursday and Friday following a batch of concerning news on inflation, jobs, and tariffs. The S&P 500 fell 2.7% from an early-week high while the Nasdaq lost 3.9% of its value from its peak on Thursday. Here's why stocks retreated, and what could happen next. The stock market sell-off began in earnest following the Federal Reserve's controversial decision to keep interest rates at 4.25% to 4.5%. President Trump has advocated for Fed Chairman Jerome Powell to cut rates aggressively, recommending a 3% reduction. Related: Goldman Sachs revamps Fed interest rate cut forecast for 2025 Lower interest rates support stock prices because they increase household and business spending, fueling revenue and profit growth. Powell's reluctance to lower rates remains a headwind for stocks this year. Powell cited risks of tariffs driving inflation higher later this year and a "solid" economy for the decision to leave rates unchanged. Many viewed his hawkish tone during his press conference as an indication that rates may not get cut at the next meeting in September either. The decision drew the ire of President Donald Trump, who has previously called Chairman Powell "Mr. Too Late" and a "numbskull" for not already reducing interest rates. The President renewed his calls for Powell to resign following the Fed meeting. Despite White House pressure, the Fed's dual mandate targets low unemployment and inflation, which dictates its decisions on monetary policy. The Fed's mandate purposefully excludes political jawboning. Unfortunately, the Fed's dual goals are contradictory. While Fed rate cuts boost economic activity and lower unemployment, they increase inflation. The opposite is true when it raises rates. This dynamic often means that the Fed hesitates for fear of causing more economic problems than it solves. Unfortunately, that often means that the Fed falls behind the curve when setting interest rates at appropriate levels, forcing it to act more aggressively than it might otherwise because the economy has gotten too hot or cold. That chasing can lead to greater uncertainty, causing stock market volatility. The stock market's sell-off earlier in 2025 was primarily due to higher-than-expected import tariffs and the risk that they would boost inflation, zapping economic activity. Those worries fell when President Trump paused many tariffs on April 9, kickstarting a massive stock market rally that sent the S&P 500 and Nasdaq up over 28% and 38%, respectively. More Layoffs: Intel's recent layoffs take an unexpected turnWalmart makes more cuts customers won't likeLooking for a job? Job ads probably won't help you find one However, now that President Trump's tariff pause expired on August 1, he's announced new tariffs ranging from 10% to 41%, including a 35% tariff on Canada, up from 25%. Canada was our third-largest trading partner in 2024. The higher tariffs are problematic, given that they occur even as the impact of tariffs left in place earlier this year seems to be increasing inflation. The Personal Consumption Expenditures index showed inflation increased to 2.6% in June, up from 2.4% in May and 2.2% in April. The higher and faster inflation rises, the more likely business and household spending will shrink, dinging corporate revenue and earnings growth at publicly traded companies. The stock market was also hit by disappointing jobs data. Stocks perform best when the economy creates more jobs and wages grow, creating extra discretionary income. Related: Jobs report shocker resets Fed interest rate cut bets On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said the US economy only added 73,000 jobs in July, far fewer than the 100,000 expected and 147,000 in June. As a result, the unemployment rate increased to 4.24%, its highest level this cycle. Meanwhile, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) showed the number of open jobs fell to 7.4 million in June from 7.7 million in May. In case that wasn't concerning enough, Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that US employers announced 62,075 layoffs in July, up 29% from June and 140% year over year. Stocks have had a remarkable rally, and it's not shocking that they might take a break. August is a notoriously weak month for stock market returns, and recent gains have lifted the S&P 500's forward price-to-earnings ratio, a key valuation measure, to lofty levels. According to FactSet, the S&P 500's forward P/E ratio was 22.4 on Friday, near the highs set in February before tariff announcements caused a sell-off, and up from about 19 in April, when stocks were near the lows. With valuation arguably rich and inflation and jobs uncertainty growing, stocks could experience more volatility than usual this month. Long-term investors are likely best off simply recognizing that pullbacks are common. According to Capital Group, a money manager with $2.2 trillion under management, the S&P 500 retreats 5% to 10% about once per year. Short-term investors may want to take a different approach, locking in recent gains and looking for lower entry points in the coming weeks. Related: Morgan Stanley resets S&P 500 target for 2026 The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
UPI
3 hours ago
- UPI
Federal Reserve governor Kugler resigns, creating vacancy for Trump
Adriana Kugler announced she will be leaving as Federal Reserve governor on Aug. 8. Photo by Federal Reserve Aug. 2 (UPI) -- One of the seven members of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Adriana Kugler, announced she is stepping down next week, creating an opening for President Donald Trump to fill. Her term was set to expire in January but Kugler said Friday she will depart in seven days. President Joe Biden appointed Kugler, a 55-year-old labor economist, in September 2023. Governors' terms are for 14 years, and Kugler filled an opening. "The Federal Reserve does important work to help foster a healthy economy and it has been a privilege to work towards that goal on behalf of all Americans for nearly two years," Kugler said in her resignation letter to Trump. "I am proud to have tackled this role with integrity, a strong commitment to serving the public, and with a data-driven approach strongly based on my expertise in labor markets and inflation." Kugler said she plans to return to teaching public policy at Georgetown University in the fall. She was a vice provost for faculty at Georgetown and earned her Ph.D. in economics at the University of California at Berkeley. "I am especially honored to have served during a critical time in achieving our dual mandate of bringing down prices and keeping a strong and resilient labor market," she wrote in the letter. Kugler did not vote on Wednesday when the central bank's Federal Open Market Committee kept the benchmark interest rate unchanged at a range of 4.25% to 4.5% for a fifth consecutive meeting. Two of the 11 committee members who did vote dissented, backing Trump's desire to lower rates. The 12-member committee includes the seven governors, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and four remaining 11 Reserve Bank presidents who serve one-year terms on a rotating basis. "We just found out that I have an open spot on the Federal Reserve Board. I'm very happy about that," Trump said late Friday before boarding Marine One. He later posted on Truth Social that Fed Chairman Jerome Powell "should resign, just like Adriana Kugler, a Biden Appointee, resigned. She knew he was doing the wrong thing on Interest Rates. He should resign, also!" The replacement may ultimately replace Powell, whose term ends in May, though he can remain as a governor until 2028. The president appoints each of the board members and designates one to serve as chair for four years. Trump appointed Powell during his first presidency in 2018. Biden appointed him to another term as chairman. "Trump's influence on interest rates will now be felt earlier and more strongly," Derek Tang, an economist at LHMeyer, an economic consulting firm, told The Washington Post. Contenders to lead the Fed are National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, former Fed governor Kevin Warsh and Fed governor Christopher Waller, each with distinct strengths, The Washington Post reported. Trump has said he wants Scott Bessent to remain as Treasury secretary. Trump has sought to replace Powell, calling him on Truth Social "a stubborn MORON" and "too late" on lowering interest rates. But he can only be fired "for cause," such as malfeasance, neglect of duty or inefficiency, rather than disagreeing with policies. Experts say his removal could disrupt the financial markets.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Crypto Carnage Continues Even as Gold, Bonds Surge on Soft U.S. Jobs Data
Soft U.S. July jobs numbers released Friday morning combined with shocking revisions lower to June and May prints to produce the weakest three-month period of employment growth since the Covid shutdowns of 2020. The data seems likely to put an end to the wait-and-see approach of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and set the central bank on a path to restarting rate cuts at its next meeting in September. That's sent the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury bond plunging 14 basis points to 4.22% and the price of gold pumping 1.5% to $3,400 per ounce and back within sight of its record high. Whither two other interest-rate sensitive assets: bitcoin and stocks? Not so much. With about 90 minutes to go in the U.S. trading session, both are at session lows, with the Nasdaq plunging 2.5% and bitcoin down more than 3% to $113,800. And bitcoin's an outperformer. Ether (ETH), solana (SOL) BNB (BNB), and dogecoin (DOGE) are all down about 6%. Notably holding its own is XRP (XPR), off just 2.9%. "Jerome 'Too Late' Powell is a disaster," said President Trump on Truth Social shortly after the jobs report. "DROP THE RATE." Minutes ago, the president again took to his social media platform to call for the firing of Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Commission of Labor Statstics (the group overseeing the jobs data), accusing her of cooking the books to boost Biden/Harris last year and make things look worse under his administration. As for crypto-related stocks, don't ask. Coinbase (COIN) has plunged nearly 18% as the day's risk-off mood combined with a punk earnings report Thursday evening. Tradfi-related peer Robinhood (HOOD) is lower by only 3.1%. Also reporting last night was bitcoin miner Riot Platforms (RIOT) and it's tumbling 17%. Peer MARA Holdings (MARA) is down 3%. High-flying stablecoin issuer Circle (CRCL) is off 7.5%, as is bitcoin treasury leader Strategy (MSTR). Sign in to access your portfolio
