Rate Cuts

The rate cut comes at a time when housing sales across the top Indian cities are moderating, with affordability concerns being one of the key factors behind the plateauing

Economists believe that the six-member committee will maintain the status quo on its stance at the December policy meeting

Following weeks of speculation, Britain's unpopular Labour government will deliver its second budget later Wednesday since it returned to power in a landslide election victory in July 2024 after 14 years in opposition. Treasury chief Rachel Reeves, the first woman to hold the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer, is set to tell lawmakers that more tax-raising measures are necessary to plug a hole in the public finances. Reeves said much the same at her first budget a little more than a year ago. That budget, she had insisted, would be the one and only big tax-raising budget in this parliamentary term, which is due to run to 2029. Unfortunately for Reeves, the British economy, the world's sixth-largest, is not doing as well as she hoped, with many critics blaming her decision last year to slap taxes on business. Though there were signs that the economy was on the mend in the first half of the year when it was the fastest-growing among the Group of Seven leading industrial nations, it'

Renewed expectations of December rate cuts by the Fed and RBI lifted sentiment, sending the Nifty near a record close and giving indices their strongest single-day rise in five months.

A majority of Federal Reserve policymakers expressed support in late October for further interest rate cuts, though not all committed to making the reduction at their next meeting in December, according to minutes released Wednesday. At the same time, many officials said it would likely be appropriate to keep rates unchanged for the rest of the year," a sign of strong divisions among policymakers about the central bank's next steps. Rate cuts by the Fed, over time, typically lower borrowing costs for mortgages, car loans, and credit cards. Fed officials are deeply split over the biggest threat to the economy: weak hiring or stubbornly-elevated inflation. If a sluggish job market is the biggest threat, then the Fed would typically cut rates more. But it combats inflation by keeping rates elevated, or even raising them. Chair Jerome Powell had telegraphed the deep divisions among the Fed's 19-member interest-rate setting committee at a news conference following the October 28-29 ...

The Sensex declined up to 0.51 per cent to an intraday low of 84,042.75, while the Nifty50 slipped 0.44 per cent to 25,764.90.

The Federal Open Market Committee voted 10-2 to lower the target range for the federal funds rate by a quarter percentage point to 3.75%-4%

Granted, the Fed's monetary policy doesn't directly determine economic growth. It operates by influencing broader financial conditions, which have eased a lot in the past year

25-bps rate cut by December looks likely, but RBI's neutral stance and global uncertainties mean yields may not fall sharply, says Jain

Spot gold was up 1.4% at $4,264.63 per ounce as of 11:06 a.m. ET (1506 GMT) after bullion touched a record high of $4,270.59 earlier

Analysts forecast private banks to post a year-on-year decline in profit in the September quarter, while net interest income (NII) may see only a marginal uptick

Silver climbed to a record high on Wednesday, latching on to gold's record streak as investors flocked to the metal

Gold prices are expected to remain buoyant in the coming week as a combination of global monetary easing, festive demand in Asia, central bank purchases and persistent geopolitical risks will lend support to the precious metal, analysts said. Traders will closely monitor the upcoming trade negotiations between the US and India, and Washington and Beijing, as well as provisional data on manufacturing and services PMI across regions. In addition, crucial US macroeconomic numbers including housing data, personal consumption expenditures, and consumer sentiment will shape market sentiment, they added. Pranav Mer, Vice President, EBG Commodity & Currency Research at JM Financial Services, said: "The bullion is expected to remain supported by firm festive demand in Asia, while ETFs and central banks continue to remain net buyers. Safe-haven buying remains mixed at current high prices." On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), gold futures for October delivery surged Rs 1,616, or 1.5 per .

Stock Market Highlights on September 18, 2025: Among the broader markets, the Nifty Midcap100 and Smallcap100 indices settled with gains of 0.38 per cent and 0.29 per cent, respectively

Rising indices push foreign investors into a controlled landing

Nifty's winning run faces Fed test, cash turnover slides as big caps dominate, and Sebi widens crackdown on finfluencer ads with Meta and Google compliance

Gold prices are likely to witness a phase of consolidation in the coming week as traders weigh a mix of global economic indicators, cues from central banks and shifting geopolitical dynamics, analysts said. Traders will monitor US housing numbers, consumer price data from the UK and Eurozone, and provisional PMI releases from key economies. Also, investors will closely track European Central Bank's President Christine Lagarde speech as well as commentary by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at the Jackson Hole Symposium, which will provide further insights for the broader trajectory of the bullion prices, they added. "Gold prices are likely to see some consolidation/correction in the coming week as focus now remains on the incoming US macroeconomic data and the Federal Reserve's meeting next month with interest rate cuts in focus. "In the week ahead the focus will be on US housing data, CPI numbers from the UK and the Euro zone and the provisional data on manufacturing/ services

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also said he thought an aggressive half-point cut was possible given recent weak employment numbers

The Monetary Policy Committee is widely expected to reduce its benchmark rate by 25 basis points, to 4 per cent, sticking to its once-a-quarter pace of cutting

Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump called Powell "stubborn." The Fed chair has been subjected to vicious verbal attacks by the Republican president over several months