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Federal Reserve Chairman Warsh will hold a monetary policy press conference in ten minutes.On July 30th, Federal Reserve officials kept interest rates unchanged, but the vote was divided, showing that some policymakers are increasingly convinced that a rate hike is needed to curb rising inflation. Logan, Hammark, and Kashkari all voted against a 25-basis-point increase. This marks the fifth consecutive time officials have chosen to keep rates unchanged. The rest of the committees post-meeting statement was entirely consistent with the statement released after the June meeting. Officials reiterated their commitment to "achieving price stability." However, the dissenting votes suggest that for Fed Chair Warsh, who just took office in May, continuing to hold rates steady will face greater challenges if inflation concerns intensify. Trump has repeatedly called for rate cuts, including this Monday. Warsh, nominated by Trump to be Fed Chair earlier this year, stated that he would ensure policy decisions are not influenced by politics.On July 30th, in this interest rate decision, three of the five regional Federal Reserve presidents voting on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted against it: Cleveland Fed President Hammark, Minneapolis Fed President Kashkari, and Dallas Fed President Logan. All three unanimously advocated for a 25 basis point rate hike. This is the first time since September 2016 that the Fed has seen three unanimous dissenting votes in a single policy decision, reflecting a growing voice within the Fed supporting a tightening policy. Fed Chairman Warsh, who supports maintaining the current interest rate, has consistently emphasized the Feds responsibility to curb inflation. He is expected to be asked at the press conference at 2:30 AM Beijing time why he believes continuing to be patient remains the most appropriate policy option.Market expectations indicate that the market is no longer fully pricing in a September rate hike by the Federal Reserve.Nick Timuraos, the Feds mouthpiece: The FOMC decided to keep interest rates unchanged with a 9-3 vote. Three regional Fed presidents voted against a 25-basis-point rate hike. This is the first time since 2016 that the Fed has received three unanimous dissenting votes in a single policy decision.

Oil costs increase as supply restrictions trump economic worries

Charlie Brooks

Jul 05, 2022 11:12


Oil prices climbed on Monday as supply worries spurred by a decrease in OPEC production, unrest in Libya, and sanctions against Russia trumped fears of a worldwide recession that would diminish demand.


In June, Euro zone inflation hit an all-time high, boosting the case for rapid rate rises by the European Central Bank, while consumer sentiment in the United States reached an all-time low.


Brent oil rose $2.26, or 2%, to $113.89 a barrel as of 12:47 p.m. ET (1648 GMT), after shedding more than $1 in early trading. The price of U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $2.20, or 2%, to $110.63 despite the lack of trading activity over the Fourth of July holiday.


According to a Reuters survey, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) failed to meet its June goal of increasing production.


Thursday, authorities in OPEC member Libya declared force majeure at the Es Sidr and Ras Lanuf ports and the El Feel oilfield, claiming a reduction of 865,000 barrels per day in oil output (bpd).


Meanwhile, more than two weeks of unrest have caused Ecuador to lose almost 2 million barrels of production, according to Petroecuador, the country's state-owned oil company.


This week, a strike in Norway may restrict supply from the biggest oil producer in Western Europe and reduce overall petroleum production by 8 percent.


"This background of rising supply interruptions clashes with a probable shortage of spare production capacity among Middle Eastern oil producers," said Stephen Brennock of oil trader PVM, referring to the producers' limited ability to pump more oil.


And prices will climb if new oil production does not reach the market shortly.


On Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked OPEC+ to raise oil output to tackle the growing cost of living.


As a consequence of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, supply concerns have sent Brent oil prices close to 2008's record high of $147 a barrel.


As a consequence of restrictions on Russian oil and limited gas supplies, surging energy prices have driven inflation in certain countries to multi-decade highs and stoked fears of a recession.


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