Been pretty occupied

I have to apologize for not blogging as frequently as I did in the past. I`ve been extremely busy with my life.

I`ll be sitting for my FRM (Financial Risk Manager) exams in November.

Janet Yellen`s speech on inflation and monetary policy

The Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen spoke on inflation and monetary policy in front of an audience in the University of Massachusetts.

In her speech, she reiterated that the inflation level for instance is still below the 2.0% target which is the optimum point to spur the economy according to the Fed. Her full speech can be viewed here. 

Targeted LTROs frustrate

The European Central Bank (ECB) is giving a mere 15.5 billion euros in this month`s longer-term refinancing option (LTRO). In comparison, this was set at 73.8 billion euros in the previous period. Italian banks are set to request less than 3 billion euros worth of funds.

Reuters has a write up on this.

Unemployment claims at 267 thousand

The weekly unemployment claims gained slightly this week to 267 thousand claims.

Durable goods orders drop

Core durable goods orders were flat in September, down from a 0.4% growth in August. MarketWatch has brief write up on this.

Business confidence in Germany rises

The Ifo business climate index rose to 108.5 in September from 108.4 in the previous month.

However, the manufacturing sector continues to deteriorate. The full report can be found here. 

FOMC Lockhart`s speech

Dennis Lockhart, a Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) member spoke at the Buckhead Rotary Club. He commented on the recent monetary policy decision which did not raise rates in September. His speech can be viewed here.

RBA Stevens`s speech on economics

Governor Stevens of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) touched on economics in his speech to the House of Representatives Economics Committee. Interestingly, he expects the Federal Reserve to hike rates by Christmas.

His full speech can be viewed here.

FOMC statement: No rate hike

Last month, I wrote why the Federal Reserve cannot raise rates this month. The post can be viewed here.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC)`s statement can be viewed here.

Philly Fed manufacturing index negative

The Philly Fed manufacturing index entered negative territory in September. The survey can be found here.