Author: Press Room

Actively-managed mutual funds in the U.S. weren’t ready for the stock-market’s “big rally” in the first quarter, according to BofA Global Research.   The rally “caught active funds off guard,” with just 33% of large-capitalization funds beating their Russell 1000 benchmarks in the first quarter, BofA equity and quant strategists led by Savita Subramanian said in an April 4 note. That was their “worst quarterly hit rate” since the fourth quarter of 2020, they said.  The U.S. stock market rose in the first three months of 2023, including in March despite the volatility sparked by the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley…

Shares of Netflix Inc. got a boost Thursday, after the streaming video giant’s credit rating was lifted out of “junk” territory at Moody’s Investors Service, matching S&P Global Ratings’s move more than a year ago. The rule of thumb is, if at least two of the major credit-rating agencies rate a company’s credit as investment grade, then that company’s credit is “officially” considered to be investment grade. Moody’s said late Wednesday that it raised the rating on Netflix’s NFLX, -0.88% senior unsecured notes to Baa3, which is the lowest investment-grade rating, from Ba1, which is the highest speculative grade, or…

If you’re looking for an in-depth examination of the latest office trend, we hate to disappoint you with something short and to the point. But hey, it’s “bare-minimum Monday.” That’s the newest workplace buzz phrase gaining attention, following such others as the Great Resignation, quiet quitting and loud layoffs. It means just what its name implies: taking it easy on the first day of the workweek as a kind of coping mechanism. Marisa Jo Mayes, a TikTok creator who works for herself, is credited with coining the term and popularizing it. As she shared in an Insider story, she was…

The numbers: The cost of U.S. goods and services rose by a milder 0.3% in February, perhaps a sign the Federal Reserve’s fight against high inflation is showing grudging progress. Prices had risen by a sharp 0.6% in January, based on the so-called PCE index. The yearly increase in prices declined to 5% from 5.3% in the prior month, the government said Friday, marking the lowest level in more than a year and a half. That’s still about three times the rate of inflation before the pandemic, however. Senior Federal Reserve officials have signaled they plan to raise interest rates…

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The GM logo is seen at the General Motors plant in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Roosevelt Cassio/File Photo/File Photo/File Photo/File Photo By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -General Motors’ robotaxi unit Cruise LLC is recalling the automated driving software in 300 vehicles after one of its driverless vehicles crashed into the back of a San Francisco bus. The March 23 collision was the fault of a software error in a Cruise automated vehicle (AV) that inaccurately predicted the movement of an articulated San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority bus, Cruise said on Friday. The…

By Barani Krishnan Investing.com — Crude prices struggled again to keep up with their huge weekly opening rally triggered by the OPEC+ announcement on production cuts, as a U.S. weekly inventory report on Wednesday showed the government had drawn down reserves again to add to market supply and limit fuel price hikes. Also weighing on oil was data showing U.S. in March came in at less than 44% of the previous month, emitting potential recession signals even as it indicated relief for inflation fighters at the Federal Reserve who said employment and wage growth have to cool to curb the…

By Ambar Warrick Investing.com — Asian currencies inched lower on Tuesday amid growing uncertainty over economic growth this year, while the Australian dollar retreated after the Reserve Bank held interest rates and signaled that inflation had likely peaked. The lost 0.3% after the RBA in a closely-watched decision. The bank said that it was waiting to observe the full effects of its year-long rate hike cycle on the economy, and that had likely peaked after touching an over 30-year high in December. While inflation eased for two consecutive months from a December peak, it was still well above the RBA’s…

By Jan Lopatka PRAGUE (Reuters) – Central bankers across central Europe have doubled down on their hawkish policy messages in the past two weeks in a bid to persuade investors to ditch bets that they will soon begin an easing cycle, and their message is starting to gain traction. Their policy warnings come despite a European market downturn in the wake of Credit Suisse’ demise, which raised bets that global banks would begin to ease monetary policy. As central Europe’s central banks were faster than their major peers to hike rates, they had also been expected to lead the way…

The Federal Reserve will set interest rates six more times in 2023. The Fed’s own forecasts suggest one more high is likely, with more possible, and then holding rates at elevated levels for the rest of 2023. Fixed income markets disagree. Bond markets see some chance of another hike at the upcoming May meeting, but then view rate cuts as almost certain later this year. The disconnect reflects disagreement on the chances of a U.S. recession. Markets see a recession looming, the Fed is more optimistic. Fed Meeting Timing The Fed’s remaining interest rate decisions for 2023 are scheduled for…

Gold and gold stocks are blasting higher, possibly indicating a belief among those buying that inflation is more of a lasting concern than the Fed’s ability to tame it. The price of the yellow metal — and the equities of a few companies that mine for it — is outperforming tech favorites like Microsoft MSFT , Google GOOG and Apple AAPL . The precious metals and some related securities just just hit new 52-week highs, something the well-known NASDAQ NDAQ leaders have been unable to do. Take a look at the weekly price chart for the SPDR Gold Shares: The…