#capital-controls

#capital-controls

The Bank of Japan's loose monetary policy has turned the yen into the world's cheapest and most reliable funding currency, creating a publicly subsidised funding pipeline for bankers.

Credit cards can be very dangerous from a financial well-being perspective, if used irresponsibly. The temptation to use one to fund a big holiday or a new sofa that you can't afford can be seriously tempting.

The January 3rd Operation Absolute Resolve ousted Venezuelan Dictator Nicholas Maduro, marking a significant shift in US policy towards countering adversarial influence in the western hemisphere.

"There seems to be a growing consensus that the status quo is unsustainable," said Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat who was an early entrant into Congress' prediction market debate.

The proposed rule establishes broad principles to guide the determination of whether state-level stablecoin regulatory regimes are 'substantially similar' to the federal framework, allowing smaller issuers to remain under state supervision.

Services experienced the highest annual increase at 3.4%, followed by food, alcohol, and tobacco at 2.5%. Non-energy industrial goods saw a more modest increase of 0.7%. Meanwhile, energy prices fell by 3.1% over the month, which helped to temper overall inflation pressures.

"The historical evidence reveals a striking pattern: government bonds have repeatedly generated substantial real losses during these extreme episodes. They have even underperformed equities and real estates which are traditionally regarded as risky assets."

Markets remain fragile amid persistent geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which have pushed oil prices higher and revived concerns about inflation in Europe. While interest rates are expected to remain unchanged, attention could turn to the ECB's forward guidance and assessment of energy-driven price risks.

The European Central Bank (ECB) held its key interest rates unchanged following the February meeting of the Governing Council, in line with Cebr projections. This marks the fifth consecutive hold, despite a below-target inflation reading of 1.7% in January, the lowest level since 2021. The decision to hold rates also comes despite a recent Euro rally against the dollar, which is expected to add disinflationary pressure through cheaper imports and weigh on growth by making the bloc's exports more expensive.

In an incisive analysis of the new age of predatory great powers, where might is increasingly asserted as right, Carney not only accurately defined the coarsening of international relations as a rupture, not a transition. He also outlined how liberal democratic middle powers such as Canada but also European countries must build coalitions to counter coercion and defend as much as possible of the principles of territorial integrity, the rule of law, free trade, climate action and human rights.

The U.S. dollar's value has fallen 8% over the past year, as the price of gold has skyrocketed, said the WSJ Dollar Index. Some think it is a good thing. President Donald Trump said recently a weaker dollar is great. The idea is a weaker currency boosts exports and employment while a strong currency can throttle an economy. While the idea of a weaker dollar has had supporters over the decades, economists often argue gains can be eaten up by domestic inflation and deflation.

The resilience of gold above $4,800 per ounce at this stage reflects a delicate and complex balance between traditional supporting factors and emerging pressures-one that cannot be superficially interpreted or reduced to the movement of the dollar alone. It is true that the U.S. dollar's retreat from its recent peaks, after failing to sustain its recovery momentum from a four-year low, provided gold with a short-term breather and attracted some buyers.

U.S. financial markets began the year on a positive note, with major stock indexes reaching new highs despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and emerging signs of economic cooling. Investors showed renewed confidence, particularly in smaller and value-oriented companies, which outperformed the large technology-driven stocks that dominated returns in recent years. This shift suggests broader participation in the market rally and growing optimism beyond a narrow group of companies.