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The Federal Reserves FOMC will announce its interest rate decision in ten minutes.1. Wells Fargo: Still expects the Fed to cut rates twice this year, by 25 basis points, in September and December respectively. 2. ANZ: The Fed is very likely to restart its rate-cutting cycle in the third quarter of this year, most likely at the September meeting. 3. Goldman Sachs: Expects the Fed to cut rates by 25 basis points each in September and December, and believes the possibility of a rate hike this year is very small. 4. Bank of America: Downside risks to economic growth lead us to continue to predict a 50 basis point rate cut by the Fed later this year. 5. TD Securities: By the September decision, the market will have accumulated enough evidence to support the Feds gradual return to an easing cycle. 6. Standard Chartered: Once Warshs nomination is confirmed, the Fed will likely shift its focus to reviving the weak job market and resuming rate cuts. 7. Commerzbank: In the medium to long term, the Fed will be unable to resist pressure from the US president and may cut rates for the first time by the end of the year, followed by two more rate cuts in 2027. 8. Danske Bank: Expects the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates unchanged throughout the summer and eventually resume rate cuts in September and December. 9. Barclays: If inflation falls as expected, the Fed is expected to gain sufficient confidence to begin easing policy around September. 10. ING: Maintains its forecast that the Fed will cut rates twice this year, in September and December. 11. BNY Mellon: Assuming the Strait of Hormuz reopens, the Fed will cut rates twice in the fourth quarter.Rocsys has launched a charging system for driverless taxis.Policy Statement: 1. A vote of 11:1 is highly likely to maintain the current interest rate (Milan opposes), but a unanimous vote is not ruled out, with Milan abstaining from its vote to cut rates. 2. The description of the labor market may be revised to reflect that while hiring activity remains weak, the overall employment situation is stabilizing. 3. The description of the impact of the Middle East situation may be reiterated or adjusted; the previous wording was "the impact of developments in the Middle East remains unclear." 4. The word "further" may be removed from "the magnitude and timing of further adjustments to interest rates" to soften the dovish stance. Powells Press Conference: 1. Powell is expected to emphasize uncertainty, persistent inflation, and the need for patience. 2. There is a risk of a hawkish tone, suggesting that rising energy prices may delay any easing policies. 3. He may be asked whether interest rate hikes have been discussed, but he is unlikely to provide any clear signals of the next steps. 4. He is expected to answer whether he will remain on the Federal Reserve Board until January 2028; resigning would strengthen Trumps influence over the Fed.April 30th - Three sources familiar with the discussions said that the seven OPEC+ members are likely to agree to raise their oil production targets again at their meeting on Sunday, though the increase is expected to be lowered given the UAEs withdrawal from the oil-producing group. However, due to the war between the US, Israel, and Iran, which has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, very few oil-producing countries are actually able to increase production. OPEC+ sources said that before the UAEs unexpected announcement on Tuesday that it would withdraw from OPEC and OPEC+ on May 1st, the groups eight members were expected to continue raising their production targets by 206,000 barrels per day in June, roughly similar to the increases in May and April. The sources said they are now likely to continue increasing production by a similar amount, but excluding the UAEs previous share of 18,000 barrels per day. One of them indicated that the group had not yet made a decision before the meeting.

According to Australian Retailer Woolworths, Inflation Is Driving Home Dining

Haiden Holmes

Feb 22, 2023 14:10

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Woolworths Group Ltd, a leading Australian retailer, said that an inflation-driven move away from dining out aided in boosting sales, driving its shares higher after its half-year earnings above expectations despite cost challenges.


Since COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 prompted supermarket hoarding, Woolworths and its smaller competitor Coles Group (OTC:CLEGF) Ltd have witnessed significant fluctuations in Australian customer behavior. As lockdowns were lifted in 2021, and again in 2022, sales slowed as rising energy and labor costs pushed up shelf prices.


Woolworths said on Wednesday that cost-of-living constraints, including skyrocketing electricity prices and nine interest rate rises since May, are now beginning to benefit stores as consumers choose for in-home consumption.


Since the beginning of 2023, food sales have increased 6.5%, roughly in step with inflation, compared to just 2.4% in the six months leading up to the end of December, the business reported.


"The shift from eating in restaurants to eating at home has become more evident," said Chief Executive Brad Banducci to reporters.


He stated that a growing number of clients from all demographic groups are now preparing meals at home since eating out is becoming more expensive.


The company's net profit before significant items increased 14% to A$907 million ($622 million), above the Visible Alpha consensus estimate of A$877 million. The majority of the increase was attributable to employee back pay linked to a prior salaries miscalculation.


Similar to Tuesday's announcement of Coles' interim results, Woolworths' profit increase was aided by a dramatic drop in COVID-19-related expenditures.


At midday, Woolworths shares were up 2%, compared to a 0.3% decline in the overall index, as analysts hailed the potential of profit margin expansion at a business vulnerable to rising supplier prices.


Phillip Kimber, a retail analyst at E&P Financial, wrote in a client note, "The momentum in the core Australian Food industry remains strong, with sales growth rates above expectations in early 2H23."


Woolworths declared an interim dividend of 46 Australian cents per share, up from 39 Australian cents per share the previous year.