
Investors await Fed policy signals, while geopolitical tensions and corporate news shape market sentiment.
AI-generated summary
The Federal Reserve's annual Jackson Hole symposium is a key venue for central bank policy signaling. Tensions between the U.S. and China have been exacerbated by trade and sanction policies.
The market event of the week will come when Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh takes the stage in Jackson Hole on Friday.
But will the new Fed boss keep investors guessing on the central bank's rate path and his views on the Treasury's intervention in the bond market?
Prediction markets see low odds that Warsh will address these key matters in his address. As of Thursday afternoon, prediction market traders see just a 16% chance that he will mention the "bond market" and an 8% chance he says "yield curve," two terms that could reference the highs seen in Treasury yields last week.
A CNBC Survey found that 45% of respondents do not expect Warsh to expand on the rate outlook in his Jackson Hole speech. Analysts also doubt the chairman will hint at the Fed's decision next month.
Speaking to CNBC ahead of the speech, Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack said "now is the time to act" on raising interest rates, while Kansas City Fed chief Jeff Schmid warned inflation was "stubborn" and "sticky."
Stock markets are in wait-and-see mode, with U.S. futures broadly flat. This follows a day of gains across Wall Street, led by Nvidia which added more than $400 billion in market value after it's blowout earnings.
In more technology news, a federal judge in California has ruled that the Pentagon's efforts to blacklist Anthropic earlier this year was illegal.
"We welcome the court's ruling that this supply chain risk designation was unlawful," an Anthropic spokesperson told CNBC. "We remain focused on working productively with the government to harness AI for our national security so all Americans benefit from this technology."
U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled that he could target Chinese banks as part of the administration's plans to impose secondary sanctions on economic "enablers" of the Iranian regime.
The move puts fresh pressure on relations between Washington and Beijing ahead of a much-anticipated visit to the U.S. by Chinese Premier Xi Jinping. Both U.S. and Chinese officials are proceeding with preparations for the state trip.
The first presidential debate took place in France on Thursday, with seven candidates laying out their campaign strategies.
The main point of contention is addressing France's debt levels and budget deficit, which is among the highest in the Euro Zone.
China’s super-rich fled Singapore. Now they want to come back. A year ago, wealthy Chinese families were souring on Singapore. Its rules felt onerous, its nightlife subdued. Other cities seemed easier or more exciting. Now they want to come back.
Family-office advisers and wealth managers say they are seeing renewed interest in Singapore from affluent Chinese clients who had shifted their lives to other financial centers, as tightening scrutiny from Beijing and geopolitical turmoil make its stability look attractive again. The reversal underscores how quickly the calculations of Asia's wealthy can change.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Fed Chairman Warsh will speak at Jackson Hole on Friday.
Very likely · Within hours

Treasury yields remain stable as investors await Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's keynote address at the Jackson Hole economic symposium, seeking clues on his stance regarding inflation and long-term borrowing costs.

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The Trump administration is reportedly planning new tariffs on semiconductors and related tech products like laptops and servers. The move aims to bolster domestic manufacturing and compete with China in AI infrastructure, following previous chip-related trade measures.

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