Tag: Sanctions

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EU zooms in on tighter Russia sanctions; backs Ukraine aid | Business News

EU zooms in on tighter Russia sanctions; backs Ukraine aid | Business News

If you know of local business openings or closings, please notify us here.

PREVIOUS OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS

· Air Products and Chemicals Inc.’s chosen warehouse developer, Prologis Inc., will have to wait until July 13 for a final decision by Upper Macungie Township’s zoning hearing board on 2.61 million square feet of warehouses. 

· Chubby’s of Southside Easton has added Krispy Krunchy Chicken to its offerings and name.

· Curaleaf Holdings Inc., which operates in the U.S. and Europe, will open a medical-marijuana dispensary at 1801 Airport Road, Hanover Township.

· Habitat for Humanity, which has “ReStores” that sell new and lightly used furniture, has leased 30,000 square feet at the South Mall.

· Nat Hyman’s bid to convert an old warehouse at 938 Washington St. in Allentown into 48 apartments did not win zoning hearing board approval this week after neighbors said more housing would make an on-street parking shortage worse.

· Members 1st Federal Credit Union opened a new branch this week at 5605 Hamilton Blvd, Trexlertown. It’s one of five planned for the Lehigh Valley. 

· A Turkish restaurant has relocated from one downtown to another, taking its fresh ingredients and cozy atmosphere from Nazareth to 200 Main St., Tatamy.

· The Tennessee Titans have chosen Allentown-based Shift4 Payments to handle payments at Nissan Stadium.

· Wells Fargo Bank held ribbon-cutting at its downtown Allentown branch at 740 Hamilton St.

· The Wiz Kidz outlet at the Madison Farms residential/retail development in Bethlehem Township will hold a grand reopening and ribbon-cutting at noon on July 15.

· Bad Biscuit Company, which offered breakfast with scratch-made biscuits, freshly baked pastry and local, small-batch artisan coffee, said it will cease operations at 16 Columbia Ave. in Reading after its July 1 hours.

· FastBridge Fiber has announced it will build an all-fiber cable network that will offer ultra-fast internet in the Reading area.

· Hamid Chaudhry has said he no longer plans to move forward with pursuing a food truck park he previously proposed on the site of the former Sheetz convenience store and gas station in Exeter Township at 6600 Perkiomen Ave. (Route 422 East). 

· The Maxatawny Township Planning Commission has OK’d a proposal for a Mavis Discount Tire store in the Kutztown Road shopping center that features a Giant supermarket.

· Valentino’s Italian restaurant has gotten Maxatawny Township’s approval to remain open when the state transportation department takes one-third of its parking lot to build a traffic roundabout at the intersection of Route 222 and Long Lane.

· Pocono Mountain Harley-Davidson, under new ownership, will hold a “Grand Re-Opening Bash” July 9 and July 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

· Sauce West End plans to open in a former Rita’s Italian Ice, just off Route 209 across from the Tractor Supply store in Brodheadsville.

· The Surgery Center of Pottsville, which offered medical procedure services for 16 years in Cressona Mall. will close June 28.

· Wells Fargo has closed its branch office in Langhorne, near the intersection with Maple Avenue.

· The latest PrimoHoagies location in New Jersey held a grand opening at 1930 State Route 57, Hackettstown.

· A new Tractor Supply Co. store in Warren County will have its grand opening in the former Toys ‘R’ Us store in Pohatcong Plaza on July 9.

· Hunter Pocono Peterbilt plans to move Pocono Township operations to Stroudsburg.

· Coal Winery and Kitchen at 81 Broad St., Bethlehem, has closed as its owner searches for a new location for the business, according to its Facebook page. 

· Lowhill Township supervisors approved a 312,120-square-foot commercial warehouse and distribution center on a 43.4-acre tract on the west side of Route 100, south of the Kernsville Road intersection.

· The Mint Gastropub at 1223 W. Broad St., Bethlehem, announced that it has temporarily closed to undergo a merger with a “well-known restaurant group” from Bethlehem.

· The Slatington Farmers Market opened its 28,000-square-foot showroom, which includes space for 53 vendors, as well as a 4,000-square-foot event space.

· St. Luke’s University Health Network opened a new pediatric inpatient unit next to the eight-bed pediatric intensive care unit at St. Luke’s University Hospital – Bethlehem.

· 25th Asian House opened at the location of the former Tin Tin Chinese restaurant in the 25th Street Shopping Center in Palmer Township.

· The Chick-Fil-A in Broadcasting Square shopping center in Spring Township was razed to make way for a new, expanded facility for the popular chicken sandwich restaurant.

· Plans for drive-thru locations of a Chipotle and a Starbucks at the intersection of Ivy League Drive and Kutztown Road were rejected by Maxatawny Township planners.

· Cumru Township plannes reviewed preliminary plans for NorthPoint-Morgantown Commerce Center, a 738,720-square-foot warehouse to be built on 75.2 acres at Morgantown Road (State Route 10) and Freemansville Road.

· Kutztown University has plans to expand its historic Poplar House to 13,161 square feet with an addition around its side and back, but keep the 129-year-old structure intact.

· A wine store and beverage outlet could be coming to a new two-unit building along the commercial strip of Blakeslee Boulevard Drive East in Lehighton, Carbon County.

· ChristianaCare, a Delaware health care organization, has announced it will buy the former Jennersville Hospital in West Grove, Chester County.

· Garden of Health Inc. celebrated the opening of the food bank’s new warehouse at 201 Church Road, North Wales, in Montgomery County.

· Silverline Trailers Inc. opened its first location in Pennsylvania and in the Northeast at 223 Porter Road, Pottstown, where it sells utility, cargo, dump, equipment and car hauler trailers. 

· A new smoothie and bowl restaurant, Sips & Berries, opened at 285 Maple Ave., Harleysville, in Montgomery County.

· Terrain on the Parkway offers 160 new 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartments at 1625 Lehigh Parkway East in Allentown. 

· Lehigh Valley native Don Wenner is moving his real estate investment and finance firm DLP Capital from Bethlehem to Allentown at 835 W. Hamilton St.

· While Wells Fargo has been the leader in closing banks lately, it will hold a ribbon-cutting for its new downtown Allentown office at 740 Hamilton St. on June 30.

· If you’re in the market for sterling silver jewelry, minerals and semi-precious gemstones, C& I Minerals is now operating at the South Mall at 3300 Lehigh St. in Allentown.

· The Allentown-based utility company PPL Corp. bought a major Rhode Island utility.

· Ownership at Martellucci’s Pizzeria in Bethlehem has changed, but Paul and Donna Hlavinka and their family are running the pizza place at 1419 Easton Ave., just as it has been operated for 49 years. 

· Dr. Jacob Kasprenski’s new Kasprenski Family Eye Care opened at 1088 Howertown Road, Catasauqua.

· Josie’s New York Deli in downtown Easton closed early in the COVID-19 pandemic, but a June 13 Historic District Commission meeting approved a request for a new sign at its building at 14 Centre Square. 

· Zekraft cafe has opened its second location in the Easton Silk Mill in Easton. The first Zekraft restaurant was opened in Bethlehem. The restaurants’ menus change frequently, with a focus on local ingredients. 

· Manta Massage at 319 Main St., Emmaus, will hold its grand opening on July 10 starting at 11 a.m. 

· The former Iron Lakes Country Club, constructed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, will operate at 3625 Shankweiler Road in North Whitehall Township under its new name, The Club at Twin Lakes. 

· Prologis, a titan in the logistics industry, will own and operate three warehouses proposed in Upper Macungie Township at the former Air Products headquarters campus at 7201 Hamilton Blvd. 

· Lehigh Valley Health Network ceremonially opened its first Carbon County hospital — a $78 million, 100,578-square-foot facility at 2128 Blakeslee Boulevard Drive East in Mahoning Township.

· Pocono Township commissioners voted to accept Swiftwater Solar’s preliminary final plan for the $111 million, 80-megawatt field on a private 644-acre site on top of Bear Mountain that would include about 200,000 solar panels.

· Firetree Ltd. wants to expand its in-patient rehab operation at the former Sands Ford auto dealership at 440 N Claude A Lord Blvd. (Route 61), Pottsville.

· A Dunkin’ in Schuylkill County located at 400 Terry Rich Blvd., St. Clair, has become just the fourth location of the donut and coffee chain to go entirely digital. 

· The Conservatory music school in Bucks County will close after 34 years, and school officials say the COVID-19 pandemic is the cause. The nonprofit, located at 4059 Skyron Drive, Doylestown, will close June 30.

· A Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Arby’s will be built on the site of the former Ahart’s Market on Route 22 in Phillipsburg, New Jersey.

· Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce offices and the Unity Bank Center for Business & Entrepreneurship will be located at 119 Main St., Flemington. 

· Honeygrow opens Quakertown location, next to Chipotle on Route 309, on June 3.

· Dunkin’ reopens remodeled restaurant at 1174 MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township

· Muse Modern Med Spa at 325 Fifth St. in Whitehall Township  will hold a grand opening June 4.

· Around Again, a consignment store, opened at 154 S. Main St., Phillipsburg

· Steak and Steel Hibachi, a restaurant in the works at 44 W. Walnut St., Bethlehem, still plans on opening late this summer. 

· Take It Outdoors Recreation Hub has moved to a spot along the Schuylkill River Trail at Riverfront Park in Pottstown, Montgomery County

· Pedego Electric Bikes has a new outlet in Lambertville, N.J. at 13 N. Union St.

· Amanda Vachris has opened a new Keller Williams Real Estate office at 15 St. John St. in Schuylkill Haven.

· Easton’s new West Ward Market will open Wednesday and be open on Wednesday’s through the summer from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The market, created by the Greater Easton Development Partnership, will sell fresh produce on 12th Street, next to Paxinosa Elementary School.

· Ciao Sandwich Shoppe is adding a second location, this time on College Hill in Easton. Ciao plans to open at 325 Cattell St. in late summer. Ciao already operates in downtown Easton at 12 N. Third St

· Ma’s Crepes and Cakes will hold a grand opening and ribbon-cutting June 16 at 46 W. Broadway, Jim Thorpe. The celebration starts at 5 p.m., with the ribbon cutting at 5:45 p.m. 

· Bethlehem’s Back Door Bakeshop will reopen as a wholesale operation at 7 E. Church St. in the city’s historic district. The business was open for nine years as a retail outlet at Broad and Center streets, before announcing in March that it would close the storefront April 3 and “go back to its origins as a wholesale business.”

·The Beef Baron on Catasauqua Road in Bethlehem is closed indefinitely for renovations

· The Brothers That Just Do Gutters are opening a new location in Allentown at 1302 N. 18th St.

· St. John Chrysostom Academy, an Orthodox school serving grades 1-9 starting this fall, held a grand opening at its St. Francis Center, Bethlehem, campus.

· Easton Commons, a shopping center anchored by Giant Foods at 2920 Easton Ave., Bethlehem Township, has a new name: The Shops at Bethlehem.

· Carbon County is getting a taste of Brazil at Uai Brasil BBQ at 315 Lehigh Ave. in Palmerton.

· The Keystone Pub in Bethlehem Township, at 3259 Easton Avenue, has reopened after a lengthy and expensive renovation. 

· The Trading Post Depot opened at 401 Northampton St., Easton. The rustic furniture store makes custom tables for dining rooms, desktops, conference centers and more.

· The Easton area has a new gym: Homemade Fitness at 444 Cedarville Road in Williams Township.

· Il Gaetano Ristorante opened at its 665 Columbus Ave., Phillipsburg, location. 

· Ciao! Sandwich Shoppe to open second location on College Hill in Easton, replacing The Kettle Room

· Rene and Grisellies Benique have opened Ezekiel 47 Cafe at 10 S. Fifth Ave., off Fifth and Penn avenues, in West Reading. 

· Alter Ego Salon and Day Spa in Emmaus is holding a grand opening Sunday, May 22, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a ribbon cutting at noon. 

· Origen Latin Fusion has opened at the site of the former Tomcat Cafe in Sinking Spring, Berks County. 

· Sellersville Senior Residences will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 24. The Bucks County affordable-housing community for adults 55 and older has 50 apartments, with eight allocated for people with behavioral health needs.

· The House and Barn in Emmaus has opened its Shed outdoor dining and cigar bar area. The House and Barn is at 1449 Chestnut St. in Emmaus.

· Realtor Amanda Vachris and the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting at Vachris’s new Keller Williams Real Estate office at 15 St. John St., Schuylkill Haven, at 4 p.m. on May 24.

· Il Gaetano Ristorante will hold a grand opening on Friday, May 20, at 5:30 p.m. The 665 Columbus Ave., Phillipsburg.

· First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union will hold a grand opening at its new headquarters in Trexlertown, 6126 Hamilton Blvd., on May 18.

· Vinyl Press Signs & Graphics has relocated within Emmaus. The new site is 15 S. Second St., not far from the former Sixth Street location.

· Pedro’s Cafe in Emmaus to close

· SV Sports (formerly Schuylkill Valley Sports) to close Quakertown location

· Flemington DIY will host a Grand Re-Opening on May 14 at 26 Stangl Road, Flemington. The celebration will kick off at 10 a.m. 

· Elpedio’s Ristorante at Seipsville opened at 2912 Old Nazareth Road in Easton. The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday.

· Uai Brazil opened at 315 Lehigh Ave, Palmerton, offering both a seated or buffet option. 

· Colombian Mex Restaurant opened at 107 E Union Blvd in Bethlehem, offering traditional Colombian cuisine. 

· Precision Ink opened at 161 W Berwick St. in Easton. 

· King Wing opened a location in Bethlehem at 129 E. Third St., serving wings and sandwiches.  

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Stocks dip as investors digest hawkish Fed remarks, eye more sanctions

Stocks dip as investors digest hawkish Fed remarks, eye more sanctions

U.S. stocks fell Wednesday as investors eyed more hawkish remarks from key monetary policymakers. These suggested that more members of the Federal Reserve were open to moving aggressively to raise interest rates and bring down demand and persistently elevated levels of inflation.

[Click here to read what’s moving markets heading into Thursday, April 7]

The S&P 500 dropped, adding to losses after the blue-chip index ended Tuesday’s session lower by 1.3{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq also extended declines. In the bond market, the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield rose to top 2.6{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, marking its highest level since May 2019.

Developments on Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Western response remained in focus Wednesday as the U.S. announced another round of sanctions on the Kremlin. The U.S. add penalties to more Russian government officials and family members as well as to Russian-owned enterprises and financial institutions.

Meanwhile, hawkish commentary from Federal Reserve officials also knocked U.S. equities from their latest march higher and send Treasury yields spiking. The Fed’s meeting minutes released Wednesday afternoon showed central bankers were discussing starting quantitative tightening in the near-term, and that “many participants … would have preferred a 50 basis point increase” in benchmark interest rates at the March meeting.

The meeting minutes reaffirmed other, more recent remarks from monetary policymakers. Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard said Tuesday that the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) was “prepared to take stronger action” should already elevated indicators of inflation rates and expectations warrant such moves.

Speaking in a webcast, Brainard suggested this could include aggressive interest rate hikes and a much quicker drawdown of the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet — which has thus far ballooned to nearly $9 trillion — than in previous periods.

“Given that the recovery has been considerably stronger and faster than in the previous cycle, I expect the balance sheet to shrink considerably more rapidly than in the previous recovery, with significantly larger caps and a much shorter period to phase in the maximum caps compared with 2017–19,” Brainard said. She noted the process of reducing the Fed’s balance sheet holdings, or beginning quantitative tightening, could begin as soon as the Fed’s next meeting in May.

Other Fed members also suggested they were on board with more policy tightening in the near-term. San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly told the Financial Times on Tuesday that the case for a 50 basis-point interest rate hike — or a hike double the size of the central bank’s typical per-meeting increase — “has grown.”

“The fact is, the Fed has made it very clear … it’s paramount that they go after inflation and do whatever it takes to staunch the rise in inflation,” Quincy Krosby, chief equity strategist for LPL Financial, told Yahoo Finance Live. “They’re going to do it, and I think the market is getting the sense that this is going to be a choppy path.”

“The Fed may go until it breaks something … but it’s clear that this is their mission, and they are going to go ahead with it, full steam – more than 2017, more than 2018,” she added, referring to the last time the Federal Reserve underwent quantitative tightening several years ago.

With inflation rates in the U.S. still holding at around 40-year highs and forcing the Fed’s hand in aggressively tightening financial conditions, some on Wall Street have downgraded their expectations for U.S. and global growth. Deutsche Bank economists said Tuesday they expected the U.S. to tip into a recession at the end of next year as the Fed rapidly hikes rates to address high prices.

“We now expect the U.S. economy to be in outright recession by late next year, and the [Euro area] in a growth recession in 2024 with unemployment edging up,” Deutsche Bank economists David Folkerts-Landau and Peter Hooper said. “Our baseline view is that these developments will spill over to damp growth in much of the rest of the world and at the same time help to bring inflation back toward mandated levels, diminishing the risk of greater disruptions further down the road.”

Still, the economists noted their call for a recession next year “is currently way out of consensus” — and indeed, many on Wall Street still see a slowdown, but not necessarily a period of negative growth in the near-term domestically.

“We’re not thinking that the Fed is going to push the economy into recession,” Veronica Willis, Wells Fargo Investment Institute investment strategy analyst, told Yahoo Finance Live on Tuesday. “I think most are not expecting that. But we are expecting kind of a slowdown in economic growth from what we had expected previously, but still around average economic growth here in the U.S.”

—

4:02 p.m. ET: Stocks fall, tech shares lag for a second straight day after more hawkish Fed commentary: Nasdaq declines by 2.2{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}

Here were the main moves in markets as of 4:02 p.m. ET:

  • S&P 500 (^GSPC): -43.86 (-0.97{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 4,481.26

  • Dow (^DJI): -143.95 (-0.42{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 34,497.23

  • Nasdaq (^IXIC): -315.35 (-2.22{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 13,888.82

  • Crude (CL=F): -$4.65 (-4.56{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $97.31 a barrel

  • Gold (GC=F): +$0.10 (+0.01{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $1,927.60 per ounce

  • 10-year Treasury (^TNX): +5.3 bps to yield 2.6090{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}

—

2:31 p.m. ET: Stocks extend declines after Fed minutes

Here’s where markets were trading Wednesday afternoon

  • S&P 500 (^GSPC): -50.7 (-1.12{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 4,474.42

  • Dow (^DJI): -226.28 (-0.65{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 34,414.90

  • Nasdaq (^IXIC): -305.88 (-2.15{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 13,893.13

  • Crude (CL=F): -$5.73 (-5.62{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $96.23 a barrel

  • Gold (GC=F): -$6.30 (-0.33{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $1,921.20 per ounce

  • 10-year Treasury (^TNX): +5.7 bps to yield 2.611{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}

—

2:09 p.m. ET: Fed offers more details on balance sheet rundown process, saying it will reduce assets ‘in a predictable manner’

The minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee’s March 15 and 16 meeting shed more light on how central bank officials were thinking about beginning the balance sheet runoff process this year.

“Participants reaffirmed that the Federal Reserve’s securities holdings should be reduced over time in a predictable manner,” according to the minutes.

While the Fed has not yet voted on how and when to begin the process of unwinding its balance sheet, some Fed officials suggested this would occur in the near-term. Fed Governor Lael Brainard, once considered a “dove” on the committee, suggested earlier this week the process could be announced as soon as May.

The Fed minutes also noted that, “participants generally agreed that monthly caps of about $60 billion for Treasury securities and about $35 billion for agency MBS [mortgage-backed securities] would likely be appropriate.”

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9:45 a.m. ET: Bitcoin prices dip below $45,000, pulling down crypto-linked stocks

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) prices fell below $45,000 for the first time since last week on Wednesday, bringing shares of cryptocurrency-linked stocks including Coinbase (COIN), Bakkt Holdings (BKKT) and Riot Blockchain (RIOT) lower as well.

Bitcoin prices have been on a roller-coaster ride this year, tracking the volatility across other risk assets as geopolitical and monetary policy concerns increased. Prices began the year around $48,000 for the largest cryptocurrency by market cap, but dipped as low as below $35,000 so far this year.

Other major cryptocurrencies including Ethereum (ETH-USD), XRP (XRP-USD) and Solana (SOL-USD) also dipped Wednesday morning.

—

9:39 a.m. ET: JetBlue shares drop after airline makes competing bid for Spirit

JetBlue (JBLU) shares dropped Wednesday morning after the carrier made an offer to purchase Spirit Airlines (SAVE) — less than two months after the budget airline agreed to merge with Frontier Group (ULCC).

JetBlue stepped in with $3.6 billion offer to buy Spirit Airlines, with the all-cash deal coming out to $33 per outstanding Spirit share. The combined company would have a fleet of 450 aircraft with another 312 Airbus aircraft to be delivered over the next six years, and would bring more flights to hubs including New York and Florida, where both airlines already operate.

However, in February, Frontier Group made its own bid to buy Spirit for $2.9 billion, in a deal the companies said at the time would save customers about $1 billion per year. JetBlue said in its press release this morning that its offer was a “superior proposal” and that it would be “more effective than Ultra-Low-Cost Carriers in Introducing Competition and Bringing Down Legacy Carrier Fares.”

Wall Street, however, has expressed skepticism over a JetBlue-Spirit tie-up.

“The merits of a potential JetBlue-Spirit merger are not as abundantly clear to us as are those that could stem from other combinations among remaining, non-Big 3 airlines,” JPMorgan airline analyst Jamie Baker wrote in a note this morning.

—

9:31 a.m. ET: Stocks open lower, Treasury yields surge

Here’s where markets were trading Wednesday morning:

  • S&P 500 (^GSPC): -36.19 (-0.8{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 4,488.93

  • Dow (^DJI): -229.02 (-0.66{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 34,412.16

  • Nasdaq (^IXIC): -178.10 (-1.27{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 14,023.64

  • Crude (CL=F): +$0.51 (+0.6{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $102.57 a barrel

  • Gold (GC=F): +$2.20 (+0.11{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $1,929.70 per ounce

  • 10-year Treasury (^TNX): +7.7 bps to yield 2.631{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}

—

8:00 a.m. ET: Mortgage applications fall for fourth straight week as rates rise further

U.S. mortgage applications dropped for a fourth consecutive week into the beginning of April, with fast-rising mortgage rates deterring homeowners from refinancing and new buyers from coming into the market.

The Mortgage Bankers Associations’ weekly index showed mortgage applications fell 6.3{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} week-on-week during the period ending April 1. This came following a 6.8{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} drop during the prior week.

Refinances fell 10{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} from the previous week and by 62{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} from the same week last year, bringing overall applications for refinances down to the lowest level since spring 2019. Purchases fell 3{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} week-over-week on a seasonally unadjusted basis, and declined 9{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} from the comparable period last year.

“Mortgage application volume continues to decline due to rapidly rising mortgage rates, as financial markets expect significantly tighter monetary policy in the coming months. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate increased for the fourth consecutive week to 4.90{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} and is now more than 1.5 percentage points higher than a year ago,” Joel Kan, MBA associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting, said in a press statement Wednesday.”

“The hot job market and rapid wage growth continue to support housing demand, despite the surge in rates and swift home-price appreciation,” Kan added. “However, insufficient for-sale inventory is restraining purchase activity.”

—

7:16 a.m. ET: Stock futures fall

Here’s where markets were trading Wednesday morning:

  • S&P 500 futures (ES=F): -38 points (-0.84{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 4,482.25

  • Dow futures (YM=F): -214 points (-0.62{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 34,336.00

  • Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): -203 points (-1.37{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 14,625.00

  • Crude (CL=F): +$1.42 (+1.39{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $103.38 a barrel

  • Gold (GC=F): +$4.70 (-0.24{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $1,922.80 per ounce

  • 10-year Treasury (^TNX): +8.3 bps to yield 2.637{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}

—

6:10 p.m. ET Tuesday: Stock futures edge higher

Here’s where markets were trading Tuesday evening as the overnight session began:

  • S&P 500 futures (ES=F): +5.25 points (+0.12{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 4,525.50

  • Dow futures (YM=F): +34 points (+0.1{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 34,584.00

  • Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): +25.75 points (+0.17{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 14,853.75

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 30: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on March 30, 2022 in New York City. U.S. stocks opened low after rallying to start the week. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 30: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on March 30, 2022 in New York City. U.S. stocks opened low after rallying to start the week. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

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Emily McCormick is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter.

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance

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Stocks mixed amid Russia’s invasion, sanctions escalation

Stocks mixed amid Russia’s invasion, sanctions escalation

U.S. stocks ended mixed and energy prices soared Monday after an escalation of sanctions against Russia amid an ongoing conflict in Ukraine stoked further uncertainty over the outlook for global financial markets.

The S&P 500 and Dow dropped, but came well off session lows. The Nasdaq ended slightly higher. West Texas intermediate crude oil prices (CL=F) soared to as much as $99.10 per barrel before paring some gains. Brent crude (BZ=F), the international standard, rose to a near seven-year high of more than $104 per barrel. Gold prices jumped while Treasury yields slid as investors piled into safe haven assets.

The market moves Monday came following a tumultuous weekend of fighting in Ukraine as Russia continued its attacks. A new set of sanctions slammed Russia as major Western countries responded to the invasion. And news that Russian President Vladimir Putin had put the country’s nuclear deterrence forces on high alert added to jitters across global financial markets.

The U.S., European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, U.K. and Canada issued a joint statement Saturday agreeing to exclude certain key Russian banks from the SWIFT messaging system, which helps facilitate transactions for trillions of dollars globally. The U.S. on Monday also said it was further prohibiting Americans from transacting with the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the National Wealth Fund of the Russian Federations and the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation.

The SWIFT bank bans “would make it more difficult (though not impossible) for these institutions to make cross-border payments,” Capital Economics group chief economist Neil Shearing wrote in a note Monday. “So far at least the West has stopped short of a ban on energy imports from Russia, which would be the most powerful sanctions they could implement.”

“At the same time, the US, European Union, UK and Canada have announced sanctions on the Central Bank of Russia (CBR),” Shearing added. “This is perhaps a more significant move since it will substantially reduce the ability of the CBR to liquidate its foreign assets to support the ruble and help Russian firms service FX-denominated liabilities. Around 40{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} of Russia’s international reserves are held in the financial systems of the countries that have signed up to these sanctions.”

The newest sanctions from the West add to a host of others unleashed against major Russian financial institutions, sovereign debt and key officials last week. The ruble opened lower by about 30{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} against the dollar in offshore trading, and Russia’s central bank more than doubled its benchmark interest rate to a near two-decade high of 20{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} in a move to try and help counter the currency’s depreciation.

“While market fundamentals in the U.S. have seen very minimal deterioration, sentiment-driven concerns are unlikely to change anytime soon. From a market perspective, sanctions against Russia will likely have the largest impact on currency markets, including the ruble, the Euro and the dollar,” David Bahnsen, chief investment officer of The Bahnsen Group, wrote in an email Monday morning.

Still, investors have closely monitored for further fallout for global financial markets and corporations. Automakers including Volkswagen, Renault and Finnish tire-maker Nokian Tyers said late last week they were halting or shifting production due to supply chain disruptions and shortages exacerbated after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And while sanctions have stopped short of curbing energy exports from Russia, the world’s third-largest oil producer, traders have remained on alert for any direct or indirect impact of the geopolitical conflict to the already tight global energy markets.

“We continue to think that the overall impact on global supply chains will be relatively small, but the expulsion of some Russian banks from SWIFT means that non-energy trade between Russia and Europe is likely to slump,” Capital Economics’ Shearing said. “Attacks on infrastructure that carries gas to Western Europe may push up prices further and add to inflation pressure. And the additional sanctions may prompt retaliation from Russia, which could cut energy imports to Western Europe.”

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11:09 a.m. ET: Bitcoin prices top $40,000, reaching highest since mid-February

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) shook off volatility seen in other risk assets and jumped Monday, rising about 4{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} to top $40,000.

The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization reached more than $41,000 just after 11 a.m. in New York, according to Yahoo Finance data. This marked the highest since Feb. 17.

The move came amid a surge in volume of ruble-denominated crypto trading, with many hastening to get their money out of Russia’s currency as sanctions ramped up from major Western nations. According to CoinDesk, ruble-denominated Bitcoin volume recently reached a 9-month high.

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10:11 a.m. ET: U.S. goods trade gap yawns to all-time high as imports jump to record

The U.S. goods trade deficit rose to a record level in January after the value of imports jumped further as companies looked to meet elevated consumer demand.

The trade gap came in at $107.6 billion at the start of 2022, the Commerce Department said Monday. This was larger than the $99.5 billion consensus economists were expecting, according to Bloomberg data, and increased from the $100.5 billion goods trade deficit from December.

Imports rose by $4.4 billion in January compared to December to reach $262.5 billion — also a record high. Exports, meanwhile, shank by $2.8 billion, falling to $154.8 billion in January.

Nearly every goods categories posted an increase in imports for the month. On a percentage basis, foods, feeds and beverages saw the largest jump at 8.6{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, with the value of these rising to $17 billion. Industrial supplies and capital goods imports each rose by around 2{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, coming in at nearly $62 billion and $69 billion, respectively.

A 12.5{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} plunge in exports of consumer goods contributed heavily to the overall contraction in January exports. Exports or automotive vehicles and industrials supplies also fell.

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9:31 a.m. ET: Stocks open lower

Here’s where markets were trading just after the opening bell Monday morning:

  • S&P 500 (^GSPC): -48.34 (-1.1{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 4,336.31

  • Dow (^DJI): -471.26 (-1.38{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 33,587.49

  • Nasdaq (^IXIC): -89.64 (-0.67{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 13,603.10

  • Crude (CL=F): +$3.57 (+3.9{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $95.16 a barrel

  • Gold (GC=F): +$29.60 (+1.57{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $1,917.20 per ounce

  • 10-year Treasury (^TNX): -9.7 bps to yield 1.887{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}

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7:55 a.m. ET Monday: Stock futures sink as Russia’s invasion, sanctions escalate

Here were the main moves in markets Monday morning:

  • S&P 500 futures (ES=F): -45 points (-1.03{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}), to 4,335.00

  • Dow futures (YM=F): -304 points (-0.89{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}), to 33,690.00

  • Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): -136.25 points (-0.96{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 14,044.25

  • Crude (CL=F): +$4.14 (+4.52{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $95.73 a barrel

  • Gold (GC=F): +$23.20 (+1.23{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $1,910.80 per ounce

Photo by: NDZ/STAR MAX/IPx 2022 2/17/22 Atmosphere at the NY Stock Exchange in New York City.

Photo by: NDZ/STAR MAX/IPx 2022 2/17/22 Atmosphere at the NY Stock Exchange in New York City.

—

Emily McCormick is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance

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US sanctions on Russia affect defence, tech, finance | Russia-Ukraine crisis News

US sanctions on Russia affect defence, tech, finance | Russia-Ukraine crisis News

The White Property unveiled measures to isolate Russia from the world wide money, tech and trade process.

The United States said that it is imposing ‘severe’ economic sanctions on Russia in response to President Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine, aimed at crippling the Russian economic system, its monetary establishments and its entry to technological innovation.

US President Joe Biden at the White Home Thursday stated: ” Putin chose this war. And now he and his place will bear the penalties.”

Russia’s inventory marketplace tumbled to its least expensive stage in four and a 50 {1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} decades on Thursday, and its currency, the rouble, arrived at a document reduced vs . the buck.

Now, the even stricter actions intention to squeeze Russia’s financial state, stifle its progress, maximize borrowing costs, elevate inflation and intensify cash outflows.

The Biden administration stated in a statement Thursday afternoon that sanctions goal all 10 of Russia’s greatest economical establishments and impose export handle measures that will more than halve Russia’s higher-tech imports.

The moves consist of cutting off Russia’s biggest financial institution from the US monetary program and imposing sanctions on Russia’s 2nd-largest financial institution, and freezing any of its property touching the US monetary program.

The sanctions on Russia’s best economical entities include the imposition of “full blocking and correspondent and payable-as a result of account sanctions, and debt and fairness limitations, on institutions holding almost 80 per cent of Russian banking sector assets”, the White House explained.

“The scale of Putin’s aggression and the risk it poses to the international buy call for a resolute reaction, and we will continue imposing serious fees if he does not change study course,” the Biden administration included in a statement.

The US applauded Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, and the United Kingdom for possessing agreed to consider “similarly forceful” actions from Russia.

Here’s a record of the US sanctions:

  • Severing the connection to the US monetary method for Russia’s major fiscal lender, Sberbank, which include 25 subsidiaries, by imposing actions that slice off Sberbank’s obtain to transactions designed in the dollar. Sberbank retains nearly a person-3rd of Russia’s banking sector assets.
  • Sanctions on Russia’s 2nd-major fiscal institution, VTB Lender (VTB), and its subsidiaries, freezing assets touching the US economical method and banning US folks from doing company with them. Intensely exposed to the US and western fiscal programs, VTB retains almost just one-fifth of Russia’s banking sector assets.
  • Similar full-blocking sanctions on Bank Otkritie, Sovcombank OJSC, and Novikombank and dozens of its subsidiaries, with measures freezing any of these institutions’ assets touching the US economic technique and also prohibiting Us citizens from performing company with them.
  • New financial debt and equity restrictions on 13 significant Russian monetary entities, like limitations on all transactions in, provision of financing for, and other dealings in new credit card debt of larger than 14 days maturity and new fairness issued by 13 Russian state-owned enterprises. Sberbank, AlfaBank, Credit rating Financial institution of Moscow, Gazprombank, Russian Agricultural Lender, Gazprom, Gazprom Neft, Transneft, Rostelecom, RusHydro, Alrosa, Sovcomflot, and Russian Railways are on the list. With estimated belongings of about $1.4 trillion, these entities will be not able to elevate funds via the US market.
  • Extra whole-blocking sanctions on Russian elites and their household associates and persons “who have enriched themselves at the expenditure of the Russian state”. Heads of Russia’s premier economical institutions and individuals liable for offering the methods necessary to help the invasion of Ukraine are also focused.
  • Two dozen Belarusian persons and entities were also sanctioned for supporting the assault on Ukraine. Two popular Belarusian state-owned banks, nine defence firms, and seven folks are among individuals affected.
  • Russia’s armed service and defence ministry limited from shopping for nearly all US merchandise and items produced in international nations making use of specified US-origin software, technology, or equipment.
  • Defence, aviation, and maritime technological know-how matter to Russia-wide limitations aimed at choking off Moscow’s import of tech products. That also involves a Russia-vast denial of exports of some technology. The US sanctions will also impose Russia-broad restrictions on some US systems manufactured in other countries like semiconductors, encryption safety, lasers, sensors, navigation, avionics and maritime systems.
  • Licensing exemptions for countries that adopt export restrictions on Russia will be executed, reducing US licensing requirements for goods made in their nations around the world. The EU, Australia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand and the Uk have presently communicated their options for parallel steps.
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Sanctions on Russia could include insurance: analyst

Sanctions on Russia could include insurance: analyst

(Reuters) – Oil price ranges jumped on Thursday, with Brent increasing previously mentioned $105 a barrel for the 1st time given that 2014, just after Russia’s attack on Ukraine exacerbated fears about disruptions to international electrical power supply.

Russia released an all-out invasion of Ukraine by land, air and sea in the most important assault by just one condition versus a further in Europe since Environment War Two.

The United States and Europe have promised the hardest sanctions on Russia in response.

“If sanctions have an affect on payment transactions, Russian banking companies and maybe also the insurance policies that covers Russian oil and gasoline deliveries, provide outages can not be excluded,” explained Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch.

At least three main prospective buyers of Russian oil have been not able to open up letters of credit score from Western banks to include purchases on Thursday, sources explained to Reuters.

Brent crude was up $8.15, or 8.4{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, at $104.99 a barrel as of 1221 GMT, obtaining touched a higher of $105.79. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude jumped $7.33, or 8{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, to $99.43.

Brent and WTI hit their maximum since August and July 2014 respectively.

“Russia is the third-major oil producer and 2nd-premier oil exporter. Offered very low inventories and dwindling spare capability, the oil sector cannot afford to pay for big offer disruptions,” said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo.

“Supply issues may perhaps also spur oil stockpiling activity, which supports rates.”

Russia is also the largest company of all-natural gasoline to Europe, furnishing about 35{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} of its provide.

United kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed Britain and its allies would unleash a large package of economic sanctions on Russia and mentioned the West ought to finish its reliance on Russian oil and gas.

China warned on the impression of tensions on the steadiness of the vitality marketplace.

“All international locations that are certainly liable ought to choose liable steps to jointly keep global vitality safety,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson reported.

World-wide oil provides keep on being restricted as demand recovers from pandemic lows.

Underscoring the limited industry, rates on crude contracts for loading in a single month in excess of contracts for loadings in 6 months, a metric carefully watched by traders, hit a record high at $11.55 a barrel.

“This increasing uncertainty for the duration of a time when the oil current market is now restricted does leave it susceptible, and so price ranges are probable to continue being risky and elevated,” claimed Warren Patterson, head of ING’s commodity investigation.

Analysts consider that Brent is likely to remain earlier mentioned $100 a barrel right up until major alternate materials become readily available from OPEC, U.S. shale or Iran, for example.

The United States and Iran have been engaged in oblique nuclear talks in Vienna that could lead to the removal of sanctions on Iranian oil product sales.

Iran’s best protection official Ali Shamkhani reported on Twitter on Thursday that it is possible to achieve a very good nuclear agreement with Western powers soon after important development in negotiations.

Analysts are warning of inflationary force on the world wide economic climate from $100 oil, particularly for Asia, which imports most of its energy desires.

“Asia’s Achilles heel remains its large import desires for electricity, with surging oil price ranges bound to acquire a significant chunk out of cash flow and expansion in excess of the coming calendar year,” said HSBC economist Frederic Neumann.