Since the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, several industry stakeholders have been doing all they can to help cushion the pangs in the firm to help prevent it from collapsing. Regional banks in the United States might have recorded their worst month ever this March, the surviving ones, including First Republic Bank (NYSE: FRC). At the time of writing, the shares of First Republic have jumped by 15.72% to $14.28 in a move that appears as though it wants to start paring off the losses it has...
Read More »More Banks in Trouble, Fed’s Latest Interest Rate Hike, and Bitcoin’s New 9-Month High: This Week’s Crypto Recap
The cryptocurrency space rejoiced recently when several large US banks halted services, and the FDIC, as well as other regulators, had to intervene to stop the contagion. However, the crisis expanded to Europe this week, with two of the most prominent names facing significant problems. Credit Suisse was acquired by the largest Swiss bank – UBS, for almost $3.3 billion, which was more than 60% less than what the former was worth days ago. This propelled another leg up in terms...
Read More »US Federal Reserve Increased Interest Rate by 0.25% despite Banking Crisis
Irrespective of its current leanings, the Federal Reserve will implement additional rate hikes to correct the strain that is still being felt in the economy by the average consumer. The United States Federal Reserve through the Open Market Committee (FOMC) has increased its interest rate by 25 basis points (0.25%). The rate hike was as expected and it was implemented despite the recent bank failures that have caused a crisis of confidence in the financial sector. The days leading up to...
Read More »Alecta Offloads First Republic Bank Stake amid US Banking ‘Uncertainty’
Sweden’s largest pension fund Alecta dumped its First Republic Bank stake at a $728 million loss amid broader US banking losses. Swedish pension fund Alecta recently offloaded its First Republic Bank (NYSE: FRC) shares following the latter’s massive drawdown. The leading Swedish pension fund was the fifth-largest shareholder at the embattled bank but now appears to have lost faith in First Republic. According to Alecta CEO Magnus Billing, uncertainty regarding the future of First Republic...
Read More »The Fed Will Continue to Hike Despite Banking Crisis, Predicts Former Richmond Fed Chief
Former Richmond Federal Reserve President Jeffrey Lacker believes the Fed should – and will – remain firm in hiking interest rates at its upcoming March meeting, and subsequent meetings thereafter. Despite a series of bank failures this month that was partly induced by rising rates, the ex-chair believes more will be necessary to combat inflation. The Inflation Fight Continues In an interview with Andrew Sorkin from Squawk Box, Lacker said that the Fed should “go ahead with a...
Read More »US Officials Reportedly Studying Ways to Guarantee Bank Deposits of $17 Trillion amid Crisis
The FDIC and Fed are looking for ways the US government can guarantee all bank deposits amounting to $17 trillion should the financial turmoil worsen. The US government is considering ways to guarantee bank deposits if the current banking crisis worsens. According to reports, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and Federal Reserve are exploring a potential guarantee of all US bank deposits. Officials from both parastatals embarked on this scheme on advice from a banking...
Read More »The Fed is Blowing Up the Financial System: Strike CEO
Strike CEO Jack Mallers believes Bitcoin is primed to pump following the Federal Reserve’s $300 billion injection into the banking sector last week. Mallers predicts that the US dollar is entering a new era of persistently high inflation, which will only benefit Bitcoin. Is Higher Inflation Inevitable? Speaking with CNBC, co-anchor Kelly Evans asked the CEO why people should expect Bitcoin to moonshot following a banking crisis, the likes of which have historically been...
Read More »Here is What 2023 Holds for Bitcoin, According to BitMEX
The cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX outlined some possible scenarios that could unfold in the coming months for the cryptocurrency industry. It believes the Federal Reserve will most probably cease its interest rate hikes by the end of the year, triggering a flow of funds into global capital markets and risk-off assets. Cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin and ether, could benefit in such cases. Scenario #1 According to BitMEX, the US Federal Reserve will most likely slow the...
Read More »Bitcoin Skyrockets 30% Weekly on the Fed’s $300B Bank Bailout: This Week’s Crypto Recap
Things change fast in the cryptocurrency industry. In the span of seven days, the market shifted completely, with the sentiment escaping the fear zone. The total capitalization also soared, adding a whopping $165 billion in the process. But what happened? Well, let’s dive in. First things first, it’s important to note that BTC’s price is currently trading above $26K, reaching highs last seen nine months ago in June 2022. This marks a 30% increase, and it comes on the back of...
Read More »European Regulators Blast Federal Reserve for SVB Depositor Bailout
European regulators and policy experts are dismayed by how American watchdogs handled the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank last weekend.Certain policymakers take issue with the Fed’s “systemic risk exception,” which they believe could undermine the credibility of banking globally. Critiques of the Bailout According to the Financial Times, a senior eurozone official said the Federal Reserve showed “total and utter incompetence” in its response to SVB’s failure, turning its...
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