
The jobless figures, along with high inflation numbers, will keep pressure on the nation's central bank to continue raising interest rates. New Zealand's Reserve Bank doubled the benchmark rate to 0.5% last month in its first hike in more than seven years.

The country's share benchmark was barely changed. That includes New Zealand, where the unemployment rate has fallen to 3.4%, its lowest level in 14 years, despite a lockdown in the largest city of Auckland, Statistics New Zealand reported Wednesday. But some central banks have begun easing up on the accelerator in response to surging prices. Most Asian countries have kept their monetary policy loose to deal with the fallout from pandemic-related shutdowns and travel restrictions.

In remarks carried by the official Xinhua News Agency, Li said the government needs to provide more support for smaller companies, reduce taxes and fees, "do a good job in ensuring the supply and price stability of electricity and coal and take strong measures to support manufacturing." Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dropped 0.3% to 25,024.75 while the Shanghai Composite index lost 0.2% to 3,498.54 after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang remarked about downward pressures on the economy. Tokyo's markets were closed for a holiday. The futures for the Dow industrials and S&P 500 were barely changed. In London, the FTSE 100 was flat at 7,273.75. Germany's DAX edged less than 0.1% lower to 15,497.84, while the CAC 40 in Paris inched up 0.1% to 6,935.01. The question is not so much one of tapering, which at this point seems a foregone conclusion, but more about the timing of future rate hikes," Mizuho Bank said in a commentary. "Markets are largely in wait-and-see mode ahead of the U.S. Those purchases are intended to keep long-term loan rates low to encourage borrowing and spending.

central bank is expected to disclose plans to ease the extraordinary support measures it deployed to shore up markets and the economy during the pandemic.įed Chair Jerome Powell has signaled that after its policy meeting the Fed will announce plans to start paring its $120 billion in monthly bond purchases as soon as this month.

Parentheses () denote sub-locations, italics denote unmarked locations.(AP) - Shares were mixed in cautious trading in Europe and Asia ahead of the Federal Reserve's meeting Wednesday.Īfter that meeting the U.S. Zone 17: Neighborhood: Boston Harbor (Waterfront) Zone 15: Neighborhood: Financial District Constitution/ Weatherby Saving & LoanĬharles View Amphitheater Commonwealth Avenue Zone 1: Lexington and Northwest Commonwealth
