Bloomberg Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell came close to acknowledging that the central bank may not have the firepower to fight the next recession and called on Congress to get ready to help. The current low level of interest rates “means that it would be important for fiscal policy to support the economy if it weakens,” he told the House …

Bloomberg Malaysia’s central bank sees room to adjust monetary policy again after economic growth slowed to its weakest pace in more than a decade and the nation braces for the impact of the coronavirus on tourism and trade. Fourth quarter gross domestic product expanded 3.6% from a year ago, the lowest since the third quarter of 2009 and far worse …

Bloomberg Three of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) top policy makers defended their monetary stimulus even as they acknowledged that the negative side effects must be watched closely. President Christine Lagarde told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that she realises subzero interest rates and bond purchases can hurt savers and lead to overvalued asset prices such as real estate, but …

Bloomberg India’s central bank is actively managing bond yields to keep borrowing costs in check, analysts say, after five interest-rate cuts last year failed to spur lending in the economy. The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) recent shift to targeted cash injections and credit easing contrasts with the central bank’s insistence that it only looks to smoothen liquidity and facilitate …

Bloomberg Poland’s central bank is raising eyebrows in its justifications for maintaining record-low borrowing costs. Governor Adam Glapinski has brushed aside concern about the worst economic expansion in three years and an upward shift in inflation surpassing anywhere else in the European Union (EU). Western sluggishness is weighing on growth, he says, while factors beyond the bank’s control are driving …

Bloomberg US equity-index futures gained along with European stocks on Wednesday and crude oil rallied amid signs the spread of the coronavirus in China is slowing and investor optimism the global economy can weather the storm. Treasury yields edged higher. Contracts on all three major American gauges pointed to a firm open after China’s Hubei province reported the lowest number …

Bloomberg Indian stocks rose for a second day as a general appetite for risk, seen across Asia, helped drive gains in equities. The S&P BSE Sensex advanced 0.9% to 41,565.9, at in Mumbai and the NSE Nifty 50 Index climbed 0.8% on Wednesday. The S&P BSE Midcap Index, comprising 101 companies, dropped 0.3%; the gauge of mid-sized firms has risen …

Bloomberg A rally in stocks seen to benefit from China’s deadly virus outbreak is fading. The small-cap ChiNext index fell as much as 1.3% on February 11 before finishing down 0.7%. The gauge’s rapid rebound last week, when it took just two days to recoup all losses after China’s stock market saw a record stock sell-off, set the stage for …

Bloomberg Boeing Co will resume production of the 737 Max before the best-selling plane is allowed back in the air as the company attempts to recover from one of the worst crises in its 104-year history. The Chicago-based manufacturer halted production in January, 10 months after the jet was grounded worldwide following two crashes that killed 346 people. Boeing failed …

Bloomberg The government of Sri Lanka is considering ways of recovering damages, including claiming compensation from Airbus SE, after the European planemaker admitted to bribing executives to win aircraft orders. “The reputational damage was huge, enormous,” Vipula Gunatilleka, chief executive officer of state-run SriLankan Airlines Ltd, said in an interview at the Singapore Airshow on Wednesday. “That’s why our government …