U.S. Economy

JPMorgan Says U.S. is Probably Headed for Recession as Economic ‘Engines about to Turn Off’.

A series of banking crises this month headlined by the failure of Silicon Valley Bank has forced analysts from multiple banks, including JPMorgan Chase, to rewrite their recession forecasts from scratch,

A series of banking crises this month headlined by the failure of Silicon Valley Bank has forced analysts from multiple banks, including JPMorgan Chase, to rewrite their recession forecasts from scratch, as months of small victories against inflation and a relatively strong economy were potentially swept away in under two weeks.

Even if the government and the private sector are able to successfully contain contagion from the bank collapses spreading through the economy, the failures may still lead to lasting damage for the U.S. financial system. Some banks are teetering on the edge in Europe and the U.S., while jittery markets and the promise of stricter regulation could lead to a credit crunch – a steep decline in banks’ willingness to lend caused by a lack of funds.

It adds up to an impossible choice the Federal Reserve has to make when officials meet on Wednesday: Slow down the pace of interest rate hikes or plow ahead to bring down resurgent inflation and risk amplifying damage to the economy. But as far as the Fed is concerned, hopes of engineering a soft landing for the economy and avoiding a recession may already be in the rearview mirror.

Investing Ideas

McDonald's Temporarily Shuts U.S. Offices, Prepares Layoff Notices: Report

The world’s largest fast food chain McDonald's Corp (MCD) is temporarily closing its U.S. offices this week as it prepares to inform corporate employees about its layoffs as part of a broader company restructuring, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

International

Indian RBI May Go in for 25 b.p. Interest Rate Hike in Monetary Policy Meeting Next Month

With retail inflation remaining above the comfort level of 6 per cent and most global peers including US Fed continuing hawkish stance, the Reserve Bank of India too may go in for a 25 basis points hike in the bi-monthly monetary policy to be announced on April 6, opined experts.