Economy

Inflation: The US Federal Reserve is ready to raise interest rates if necessary

Published

1 month ago

August 26, 2023

Nadia Barnett

Inflation: The US Federal Reserve is ready to raise interest rates if necessary

Image copyright Reuters

author, Farah Masood
stock, Business letter
3 hours before

US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the bank would continue to raise interest rates “as long as appropriate” when inflation was “very high”.

And at the annual meeting of U.S. central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Powell said the pace of rate hikes has slowed since the peak.

However, inflation is still above the central bank’s target of 2%.

Powell predicted that interest rates could rise further and remain high for a long time.

Inflation in the United States hit 3.2% in the year to July, while the key interest rate hit 5.25% – the highest in 22 years – and it comes after 11 consecutive hikes in interest rates since the start of 2022.

“Although inflation has peaked – a welcome development – it is still very high,” Powell added.

He hinted at the possibility of further interest rate hikes if necessary, as well as continuing to pursue monetary policy at a restrained level until inflation is assured of moving towards the target.

Powell said the central bank would “act with caution,” citing the effects of Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine as one of the factors pushing up prices globally.

He said food and energy prices continue to be volatile, although the high inflation rate has eased from last year’s 9.1%.

“Unfortunately, a more resilient economy than expected suggests that higher interest rates may be needed, which may or may not be necessary to do enough to meet the 2% inflation target,” said Gary Leahy, an economist at Columbia University.

“The process of getting inflation down to 2% will take a long time,” Powell asserted.

He said the central bank intends to “continue to pursue a policy at a restrained level,” widely expected comments by market analysts.

“This reaffirms that the Fed is going to take a very slow and cautious approach,” said Michael Green, chief investment strategist at Symbi.

Powell pointed to the housing market, which is not stable enough.

“After falling sharply in the last 18 months, the housing sector is showing signs of picking up again and this may warrant further tightening of monetary policy,” he added.

He also noted that the Fed needs flexibility from the labor market before interest rates begin to fall as wage growth continues as employers pay higher wages to attract workers in a shrinking labor market.

In theory, higher wages lead to higher inflation, thus perpetuating the need for higher interest rates.

Nadia Barnett

“Award-winning beer geek. Extreme coffeeaholic. Introvert. Avid travel specialist. Hipster-friendly communicator.”

Economy

4 new AI tools you can use to edit photos on Instagram

Published

7 hours ago

September 30, 2023

Nadia Barnett

4 new AI tools you can use to edit photos on Instagram

As part of Meta’s Connect conference last Wednesday, Mark Zuckerberg revealed several creative AI features that will be useful for some content creators and influencers. For example, users will be able to use Meta’s AI technology, revealed as Emu. In the Instagram app.

Zuckerberg said Meta will begin rolling out these photo-editing and generative AI tools to Instagram “in about a month,” and Meta’s Emu technology will take seconds to generate images, Zuckerberg said during the Connect conference.

In addition to photo editing tools, Meta is already releasing AI stickers that use Emu and Llama 2 technology, and advanced applications of AI will soon appear in Meta apps in the form of chatbots or AI-powered assistants. Meta will begin testing the beta feature immediately.

Here’s a full rundown of the new AI features Meta brings to Instagram:

– New photo editing tools in the Instagram app:

Like many apps and generative AI filters that are ubiquitous on TikTok, Instagram is adopting its own generative AI tools. Users can also edit photos by “re-styling”, which changes the artistic style of the photo, similar to altering the photo. A watercolor, or “background,” that allows users to replace the background of the image with an illustration.

Any image edited using these tools “represents the use of artificial intelligence,” Mitta wrote in a blog post.

– AI-generated stickers for use in direct messages:

Instead of sticking with Instagram’s existing preloaded stickers or emojis, Meta is rolling out a new tool that lets users create unique stickers using AI. Meta wrote in his blog post that the feature will be rolling out to “select English users next month.”

AI stickers are also available in Instagram features like Live Messages and Stories, and other apps like WhatsApp, Messenger and Facebook’s Stories feature.

– Interactive AI bots – or characters:

In addition to its general AI assistant called “Meta AI,” Meta is working with celebrities and influencers to develop 28 AI chatbots. The first cast uses celebrities and popular influencers like Tom Brady and Kendall Jenner. MrBeast, LaurDIY, and Charli D. Amelio and the AI characters will have their own profiles on Instagram and Facebook.

– Creators will be able to build their own robots in the future:

“We’re building a platform to build AI that can help you do things or have fun,” Zuckerberg said. “The way it works is that people can interact with these AI systems across the entire product universe. .”

Zuckerberg pitched these AI bots as a potential way for creators to “engage” with their communities. The creator of these bots should be “authorized” and “directly controlled,” Meta wrote in a blog post. Already, many startups have released AI tools. Similar applications allow creators to create AI versions such as Afterparty or Render Media.

Nadia Barnett

“Award-winning beer geek. Extreme coffeeaholic. Introvert. Avid travel specialist. Hipster-friendly communicator.”

Economy

Inflation in the euro zone fell to its lowest level in a year

Published

15 hours ago

September 30, 2023

Nadia Barnett

Inflation in the euro zone fell to its lowest level in a year

Economic data released today on Friday showed that the euro zone’s core inflation rate fell to its lowest level in nearly a year this month, bolstering expectations that the European Central Bank will keep interest rates on hold at its next meeting to assess. The consequences of an unprecedented campaign to raise interest rates throughout the past.

European statistics agency Eurostat reported today that sales, excluding highly volatile items such as food and energy, fell to 4.5% this September, while analysts polled by Bloomberg News had expected a drop of 4.8%, compared with 5.3%. In the month, in the past.

At the same time, the headline inflation rate eased to 4.3% this month from 5.2% last August, the lowest level in nearly two years and well below expectations, thanks to a fall in energy prices. Accelerating rate of rise in prices of services.

The data released today is a strong indication that core inflation, a key measure for the central bank’s monetary policymakers, is on a downward path following a period of statistical deterioration over the summer months.

Despite the decline, general and core inflation rates have been more than twice the central bank’s target of 2% annually.

At the same time, there is a wide disparity in inflation rates between the euro zone’s twenty member states, with the inflation rate in Germany falling to its lowest level in two years this month, while the rate in Spain rose by more than 3. % again.

The current September consumer price inflation rate showed a new decline, reaching its lowest level in more than a year and a half, with the Italian statistics office saying the inflation rate fell to 5.3 for the current month. % y/y compared to 5.4% last month, while the core inflation rate, excluding highly volatile food and energy prices, fell to 4.6% this month, down from 4.8% last month.

Nadia Barnett

“Award-winning beer geek. Extreme coffeeaholic. Introvert. Avid travel specialist. Hipster-friendly communicator.”

Economy

Meta unveils new artificial intelligence products

Published

23 hours ago

September 29, 2023

Nadia Barnett

Meta unveils new artificial intelligence products

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of MetaPlatforms, has introduced a group of new products powered by artificial intelligence, including smart glasses that can answer questions and broadcast live on Facebook, as well as “bot” programs to create images and an advanced headset for virtual reality. .

Zuckerberg described the products as bridging the virtual and real worlds, and asserted that low-cost or free artificial intelligence in what Meta offered could be integrated into daily routines.

The MetaQuest virtual reality headset is one of the most popular in the burgeoning virtual reality industry, and company executives described it as the best value in the industry, marking the imminent launch of an expensive headset from Apple.

Speaking from the central courtyard at Meta’s sprawling campus in Silicon Valley, Zuckerberg said Meta’s new generation of Ray-Ban smart glasses will launch on October 17 for $299.

The device will have a new assistant from Meta that works with artificial intelligence and will be able to live-stream what the user sees on Facebook and Instagram, a feat compared to the previous generation’s ability to take pictures.

Earlier during the presentation, Zuckerberg said that the latest mixed reality headset (Quest) will start rolling out on October 10.

Zuckerberg’s statements came at the MetaConnect conference, the social media company’s biggest event of the year and the first to be held in person since the start of the Covid pandemic.

It launched the first consumer-oriented generative artificial intelligence products, in which a chatbot (meta AI chatbot) can generate text responses and realistic images.

Zuckerberg emphasized: “It’s not just about answering inquiries. It’s about helping people do things for entertainment and interacting with the people around you.”