interest rates News

Fed’s Powell: Strong Economy Means No Hurry to Cut Rates

The U.S. Federal Reserve is in no rush to cut its short-term interest rate again given an economy that is “strong overall,” with low unemployment and inflation that remains above the Fed’s 2% target, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said in …

Fed’s Powell Says ‘Time Has Come’ to Cut Interest Rates

JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming, Aug 23 (Reuters) – Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Friday “the time has come” for the U.S. central bank to cut interest rates as rising risks to the job market left no room for further …

Zombies: Ranks of World’s Most Debt-Hobbled Firms Soaring, and Not All Will Survive

They are called zombies, companies so laden with debt that they are just stumbling by on the brink of survival, barely able to pay even the interest on their loans and often just a bad business hit away from dying …

Fed’s Powell Downplays Potential for a Rate Hike Despite Higher Price Pressures

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday that the central bank is unlikely to raise its key interest rate in response to signs of stubborn inflation and underscored his view that price increases would soon start to cool again. Yet …

Italy Prosecutors Probe False Accounting Allegations Related to Insurer Eurovita: Source

Prosecutors in Milan are probing allegations of false accounting in relation to the crisis of Italian life insurer Eurovita, a person with knowledge of the matter said on Friday. Owned by Cinven, Eurovita this year became the first Italian insurer …

Build vs. Buy an Agency: Organic Growth in Rising Interest Rate Environment

Now that interest rates are rising again, it’s time to re-examine whether buying an insurance agency is the smart choice for growth or whether building an agency makes more sense. While lots of factors come into play when agents want …

Activist Investor Icahn on High-Yield Bonds, AIG, Interest Rates

Billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn said he is betting against high-yield bonds, as he sees a bubble among companies that have overborrowed recently, and expects the dollar to keep rallying into next year. Icahn, speaking at the Reuters Global Investment …

Financial Markets Warned Aging Population Means End to Savings Glut

The global “savings glut” that has driven stocks to record highs and bond yields to record lows will soon start to disappear, leading to higher interest rates around the world as populations age, according to a Barclays study. After three …

A.M. Best: Geopolitical Tensions Hit Insurers’ Prospective Growth in Russia

Heightened geopolitical tensions spilling over from the Russia-Ukraine crisis, high interest and inflation rates, and low commodity prices are placing pressure on Russia’s economy and its insurance industry’s prospective growth, according to an A.M. Best special report. A.M. Best believes …

Best Special Report Focuses on Asia-Pacific Insurers Cat Loss Challenges

A special report from A.M. Best analyzes the “reduced frequency of large-scale catastrophes through November 2012, which, Best said, has “helped Asia-Pacific non-life insurers to slowly recover from losses inflicted by natural disasters in 2011. Best’s report points out that …