The Federal Reserve’s half-percentage-point interest rate cut could have shaken markets had it exacerbated investor fears that the central bank was preparing for an economic slowdown.
Instead, Fed Chair Powell appears to have convinced investors the central bank is cutting rates to keep the economy on track, not to save it. Stocks surged Thursday following Powell’s press conference after the rate cut decision.
“Chair Powell had one job at his post-FOMC press conference today: convince markets that a 50 bp cut was consistent with a thoughtful policy adjustment rather than a sign that the Fed is worried it is behind the curve,” DataTrek co-founder Nicholas Colas wrote in a note to clients Wednesday night. “He accomplished that goal … This is consistent with prior mid-cycle markets, where equities can continue to rally.”
Investors had been increasingly expecting a soft landing, where the Fed’s aggressive tightening cycle ends with inflation falling to the 2% target without a significant downturn in the economy. On Wednesday, Chair Powell reiterated that scenario remains in play.
Powell remarked the US economy is “in good shape.” He pointed out that risks to further cooling in the labor market have risen. But the Fed is cutting with that in mind.
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“The labor market is actually in solid condition,” he said. “And our intention with our policy move today is to keep it there.”
To Colas, the comments change little about the market narrative.
“[The Fed] decision doesn’t actually change very much about the current market setup,” Colas wrote. “We know that rates are coming down. We know that the US economy is in reasonably good shape. We know the labor market is cooling but not yet tipping over. While the Fed may have been somewhat clumsy in how it conditioned markets to expect today’s decision, that’s now in the past.”
In the day following Chair Powell’s press conference, the S&P 500 (^GSPC) and Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) rushed to new record highs, while the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) rose over 2%.
Markets are showing familiar price action too, with the largest tech stocks leading the charge higher on Wednesday. Nvidia (NVDA) rose more than 4% on Thursday, while Apple (AAPL) and Meta (META) popped more than 3%. The Information Technology sector (XLK) as a whole rose more than 3.3%, outpacing the S&P 500’s 1.8% gain.
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Citi US equity strategist Scott Chronert described the rotation into large-cap tech on Thursday as “a catch-up move” into a section of the market that will likely benefit from interest rate cuts but hadn’t been leading the rally since the S&P 500’s last record close on July 16.
Chronert pointed out that further deterioration in the labor market remains a key risk to the current rally, as it would potentially imply a recession. This could still bring some choppiness to trading action if economic data surprises to the downside.
“We’re going to have to be navigating still [if this is a] soft landing versus, gosh, there’s still some lingering hard-landing risk out there,” Chronert told Yahoo Finance.
Traders work the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Aug. 16, 2024. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images) (ANGELA WEISS via Getty Images)
Josh Schafer is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on X @_joshschafer.
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Baker McKenzie today announced that leading project finance lawyer Matthias Schemuth has joined the Firm’s Singapore office* as a Principal and Asia Pacific Co-Head of Projects in its Finance & Projects practice, alongside Partner Jon Ornolffson in Tokyo.
Matthias joins the Firm from DLA Piper, bringing more than 20 years of experience in the energy and infrastructure sectors across Asia Pacific. He advises sponsors, developers, commercial banks, multilateral lending agencies, and export credit agencies on the structuring and financing of large-scale projects. His practice also spans international banking, structured commodity and trade finance, with a strong focus on emerging markets. Matthias has been consistently recognised by Chambers Asia Pacific and Who’s Who Legal as a leading project finance practitioner.
James Huang, Managing Principal of Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow in Singapore, said: “We are excited to welcome Matthias to our team. His expertise and proven record in managing teams will be invaluable as we expand our regional and global finance offerings for clients.”
Emmanuel Hadjidakis, Asia Pacific Chair of Baker McKenzie’s Banking & Finance Practice, commented: “Asia Pacific is seeing strong momentum in infrastructure development, energy transition investments, and cross-border project financing, much of it centred in Singapore. Having Matthias on board will further enhance our ability to help clients seize opportunities in the region’s evolving energy and infrastructure markets.”
Steven Sieker, Baker McKenzie’s Asia Chief Executive, added: “Matthias’s appointment underscores Baker McKenzie’s continued commitment to investing in exceptional talent across key markets to support our clients in navigating today’s increasingly complex business and regulatory environment.”
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Matthias said: “I’m thrilled to join Baker McKenzie and contribute to its strong growth in Asia Pacific. The Firm’s global reach and local depth provide an unparalleled platform for delivering innovative projects and financing solutions to clients in this dynamic region.”
With more than 2,700 deal practitioners in more than 40 jurisdictions, Baker McKenzie is a transactional powerhouse. The Firm excels in complex, cross-border transactions; over 65% of our deals are multijurisdictional. The teams are a hybrid of ‘local’ and ‘global’, combining money-market sophistication with local excellence. The Firm’s Banking & Finance lawyers are ranked in more jurisdictions than any other firm by Chambers.
Matthias’s hire continues the expansion of Baker McKenzie’s global team. His joining follows the recent arrivals of Carole Turcotte in Toronto; Tom Oslovar in Palo Alto; Jenny Liu in New York and Palo Alto; Helen Johnson, Mark Thompson, Nick Benson, Kevin Heverin, James Wyatt and Michal Berkner in London; Jan Schubert in Frankfurt; Todd Beauchamp and Charles Weinstein in Washington DC; Dan Ouyang, Winfield Lau, and Ke (Ronnie) Li in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong; and Alexander Stathopoulos in Singapore.
*Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow is the member firm of Baker McKenzie in Singapore
The Federal Reserve gave investors an early Christmas present by lowering interest rates by 25 basis points (i.e., 0.25%) marking its third rate cut this year. In the past, a change like this in the “long end” of the interest rate yield curve has triggered a predictable, investable pattern. Typically, this pattern would be bearish for finance stocks, particularly banks—investors would buy bank stocks when rates rose and sell them as rates fell….
Dozens of protesters from the “Religious Zionist Reservists Forum” and the “Shared Service Forum” demonstrated Saturday evening outside the home of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in Kedumim.
The protesters arrived with a direct and pointed message, centered on a symbolic “draft order,” calling on Smotrich to “enlist” on behalf of the State of Israel and oppose what they termed the “sham law” being advanced by MK Boaz Bismuth and the Knesset’s haredi parties.
Among the protesters in Kedumim were the parents of Sergeant First Class (res.) Amichai Oster, who fell in battle in Gaza. Amichai grew up in Karnei Shomron and studied at the Shavei Hevron yeshiva.
Protesters held signs reading: “Smotrich, enlist for us,” along with the symbolic “draft order,” calling on him to “enlist for the sake of the State’s security and to save the people’s army – stand against the bill proposed by Bismuth and the haredim!”
Parallel demonstrations were held outside the homes of MK Ohad Tal in Efrat and MK Michal Woldiger in Givat Shmuel.
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Representatives of the “Shared Service Forum” said: “We are members of the public that contributes the most, and we came here to say: Bezalel, without enlistment there will be no victory and no security. Do not abandon our values for the sake of the coalition. The exemption law is a strategic threat, and you bear the responsibility to stop it and lead a real, fair draft plan for a country in which we are all partners. It’s in your hands.”
