The Fed is expected to raise interest rates Wednesday by a quarter point, and the pressure is on for Fed Chairman Jerome Powell to sound dovish — but not too dovish. Fed officials are also expected to revisit their fed funds rate forecasts and roll back some of the rate hikes expected in the next several years.
war
Crude Oil Jumps – Russia, Saudis Agree to Extend Alliance, But without specifics
Oil surged the most in more than five months as Saudi Arabia and Russia extended a cooperation pact and U.S.-China trade tensions cooled. Unprecedented supply cuts in Canada also drove prices higher.
North and South Korea Reportedly Set to Announce Official End to War
Gold Silver Reports (GSR) – North and South Korea are in talks to announce a permanent end to their officially declared conflict, an unnamed South Korean official told the daily newspaper Munhwa Ilbo, according to Bloomberg and other U.S. news outlets picking up the report overnight. The development comes ahead of a summit next week between North Korean premier Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Already, lawmakers from each side were reported to be negotiating the details of a joint statement that could outline an end to the confrontation.
North Korea ‘Brings us Closer to War’ US Doesn’t Seek, Says Nikki Haley
Gold Silver Reports – North Korea ‘brings us closer to war’ US doesn’t seek, says Nikki Haley – Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, said on Wednesday that North Korea’s launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile—which some observers believe could reach the eastern US—“brings us closer” to a war the US isn’t seeking.