Yellen: 1st rate hike likely by year end if economy improves

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said Friday she expects to begin raising interest rates later this year — if the job market improves and the Fed is confident inflation will climb closer toward its target rate.

Gold futures score highest settlement in 3 months

Gold futures rose for a third straight session on Thursday, settling at their highest since mid-February on continued support from recent weakness in the U.S. dollar, as traders assessed the latest economic data for hints on the metal’s investment appeal.

China consumer inflation rises to 1.5% in April: govt

Consumer inflation in China rose to 1.5 per cent in April, authorities said Saturday, potentially easing concerns over deflation in the world's second-largest economy but below market forecasts.

House Republicans Intensify Attacks on Federal Reserve

WASHINGTON — The relationship between Congress and the Federal Reserve took a turn for the worse on Wednesday.

ECB's Hansson says full-scale QE before Greek elections 'problematic': Bloomberg

(Reuters) - European Central Bank Governing Council member Ardo Hansson said he would find it "problematic" to announce large-scale purchases of government bonds this month that included Greek debt.

ECB's Visco says disinflation weighing on high-debt countries

(Reuters) - The euro area may struggle to recover from the economic crisis with entrenched high unemployment and weak investment hitting heavily indebted countries already suffering from disinflation, ECB Governing Council member Ignazio Visco said on Tuesday.

Stronger euro justifies easier monetary policy: ECB's Coeure

(Reuters) - A stronger euro is justification for an easier monetary policy, European Central Bank executive board member Benoit Coeure said in an interview with the Robert Schuman Foundation think tank.

About-face for ECB's Draghi as he seeks to jolt euro zone into life

(Reuters) - Prodding governments to do more to boost demand and hinting at European Central Bank action to go along with it marks a major shift in ECB chief Mario Draghi's euro zone policy away from a focus on austerity toward reviving growth.

China should cut interest rates: government researcher

(Reuters) - China ought to loosen monetary policy further through "modest" cuts in bank lending rates and reserve requirements by next year to spur economic growth, a researcher at a government think-tank said.

IMF warns of potential risks to global growth

(Reuters) - Sharply higher interest rates around the world could combine with weaker growth in emerging markets to slice as much as 2 percentage points off global growth in the next five years, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday.

Kuroda Softens Yen Stance as Export Pain Evaporates: Currencies

Foreign-exchange traders detect a softening in Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda’s stance toward the stronger yen.

Fed official urges financial stability mandate

Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer on Thursday suggested that banking regulators should seriously consider broadening their goals to include financial stability as policymakers around the world debate strategies for preventing another global crisis.

Monetary policy not best financial stability tool: Yellen

(Reuters) - Monetary policy faces "significant limitations" as a tool to address financial stability risks, and would have caused major economic damage if it had been used to head off the U.S. housing bubble, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said on Wednesday.

Fed won't raise interest rates for "some time": Williams

SUN VALLEY, Idaho, June 30 (Reuters) - The U.S economy will likely have returned to full employment and a healthy level of inflation by the end of 2016, a top Federal Reserve official predicted on Monday, even as he reiterated his view that interest rates will need to stay near zero for some time.

U.S. small business, jobs data bolster growth picture

(Reuters) - The U.S. economy has decisively turned the corner with small business confidence hitting its highest level in more than 6-1/2 years in May and the number of jobs available rising to pre-recession levels in April.

Central Banks Channel Piketty Inequality Concerns, Nowotny Says

Inequality is becoming a factor in monetary policy as central bankers increasingly realize it can cause financial instability they’ll have to fix, European Central Bank Governing Council member Ewald Nowotny said.

Fed's Kocherlakota: diversity improves policymaking

(Reuters) - A diverse workforce that cuts across gender, ethnic and geographic lines can improve policymaking by generating a larger and better pool of ideas, Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Narayana Kocherlakota said on Friday.

Australia central bank seen on hold even as tough budget looms

(Reuters) - Australia's central bank is almost certain to maintain a neutral policy bias this week with a batch of data likely to point to an economy that is picking up speed, uncomfortable reading for a government preparing voters for a tough federal budget.

Fed, with bond taper on autopilot, free to tackle big questions

SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Federal Reserve policymakers this week are set to continue paring their massive bond-buying stimulus, but below the smooth surface of a likely unanimous vote lies a deeply divided Fed struggling to lay the groundwork for more difficult decisions ahead.

Fed's Stein: Financial Stability Considerations Should Influence Monetary Policy

WASHINGTON--Federal Reserve Governor Jeremy Stein on Friday said the central bank should raise interest rates when needed to prevent financial excesses from building in markets and argued the bond market may provide guidance to policy makers on when financial vulnerabilities exist.