Latest news with #symposium
India Today
a day ago
- Business
- India Today
Trump says Powell is crushing housing market, renews call for steep rate cuts
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is "hurting" the housing industry "very badly" and repeated his call for a big cut to US interest rates"Could somebody please inform Jerome "Too Late" Powell that he is hurting the Housing Industry, very badly? People can't get a Mortgage because of him. There is no Inflation, and every sign is pointing to a major Rate Cut," Trump wrote on Truth is well off the highs seen during the pandemic, but some recent data has given a mixed picture and inflation continues to track above the Fed's 2 percent target range. Trump's latest salvo against Powell comes ahead of the Fed chair's Friday speech at the annual Jackson Hole central banking symposium, where investors will cleave to his every word for hints on his economic outlook and the likelihood of a coming reduction to short-term borrowing Fed's next policy meeting will be held on September and economists are betting the Fed will cut rates by a quarter of a percentage point next month with perhaps another reduction of similar size to come later in the year, far less than the several percentage points that Trump has called Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, has promoted the idea of a half-point rate cut in US central bank cut its policy rate half a percentage point last September, just before the presidential election, and trimmed it another half of a percentage point in the two months immediately following Trump's electoral victory, but has held it steady in the 4.25 percent -4.50 percent range for all of this year. Fed policymakers have worried that Trump's tariffs could reignite inflation and also felt the labor market was strong enough not to require a boost from lower borrowing INFLATION PICTUREThe Consumer Price Index rose 0.2 percent in July, with the 12-month rate through July at 2.7percent, unchanged from June. Core CPI, which strips out the volatile food and energy components, increased 3.1percent year-over-year in July. Based in part on that data, economists estimated the core Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index rose 0.3percent in July. That would raise the year-on-year increase to 3percent in July. The PCE is a key measure tracked by the Fed against its own 2 percent inflation despite a moderate rise in overall consumer prices in July, producer and import prices jumped, a suggestion that higher consumer prices could be coming as sellers pass higher costs onto households. The inflation picture comes amid a picture of a possible cooling in the labor market, with declines in monthly job gains, although the unemployment rate, at 4.2 percent, remains low by historical online attacks on the Fed and Powell more typically focus on the cost that higher interest rates mean for US government borrowing. High mortgage rates are a key pain point for potential homebuyers who are also facing high and rising home prices due to a dearth of housing rates can be loosely tied to the Fed's overnight benchmark rate but more closely track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which typically rises and falls based on investors' expectations for economic growth and inflation. A Fed rate cut does not always mean lower long-term rates -- indeed after the Fed cut rates last September, mortgage rates which had been on the decline rose recent weeks the most popular rate the 30-year fixed mortgage rate has drifted downward but at around 6.7percent most recently is still much higher than it had been before inflation took off after the pandemic shock and the Fed began its rate-hike campaign in 2022.- EndsTune InMust Watch
Mint
3 days ago
- Business
- Mint
US yields tick up as traders stick with bets on September rate cut
(Updates with latest market movements throughout, adds background and commentary on latest economic data, upcoming earnings, Trump-Zelenskiy meeting in paragraphs 2, 7, 8, 10 & 13) US yields inch up after homebuilder sentiment data US 2/10 yield curve hits steepest level since mid-July Markets focus on Jackson Hole central bank meeting WASHINGTON, Aug 18 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury yields ticked up slightly on Monday as investors held onto bets that the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates next month despite data last week showing stronger-than-expected producer price inflation in July. Yields inched higher after dipping earlier, following the National Association of Home Builders' release of August data showing U.S. homebuilder sentiment dropped to its lowest level since late 2022. The yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-year note was up 1.5 basis points from Friday's close to 4.343%. The two-year Treasury's yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations, inched up 1.4 bps from Friday's close and was last at 3.773%. U.S. two-year yields leaped last Thursday following the release of the producer inflation report, but have since fallen on renewed rate-cut expectations. Traders see an 84.2% chance of a 25-basis-point cut to the U.S. central bank's policy rate at its September 16-17 meeting, according to Fed funds futures. The Fed's policy rate has been in the 4.25%-4.50% range since December. The most closely-watched event this week will be the Fed's annual Jackson Hole central banking symposium in Wyoming. Some market participants anticipate Fed Chair Jerome Powell will take a hawkish tone in his keynote speech on Friday. Rates are likely rangebound over the next few trading sessions, said Lawrence Gillum, chief fixed income strategist at LPL Financial in Fort Mill, South Carolina. "That said, ongoing concerns about the U.S. fiscal situation and elevated Treasury issuance tend to be the primary catalyst for marginally higher yields absent economic data," Gillum added. The closely watched gap between yields on two- and 10-year Treasury notes, considered a gauge of growth expectations, reached its steepest since mid-July at 57.8 basis points, versus 56 bps late Friday. Investors have their eyes this week on a slew of earnings releases from major U.S. retailers - including Home Depot, Target, and Walmart - for any dents in resilient consumer spending. "My general view of the economy is that it is slowing in a lot of places and job losses will grow ahead of year-end," Tom di Galoma, managing director of rates and trading at Mischler Financial in Park City, Utah, said in a note. The Treasury Department is scheduled to hold two auctions on Monday, including an $82-billion auction of 13-week bills and a $73-billion auction of 26-week bills. The market will closely watch Monday's meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, which follows Trump's Friday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Reporting by Matt Tracy; Editing by Paul Simao, Rod Nickel)
Medscape
03-07-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Semaglutide Has Found Its STRIDE
Key results and new insights from the STRIDE trial and the evolving role of GLP-1 receptor agonist (RA) therapy in type 2 diabetes (T2D) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) were discussed during a symposium at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 85th Scientific Sessions in Chicago, which I was fortunate to attend. A Common Comorbidity T2D and PAD are not strangers to one another; patients with T2D are twice as likely to develop PAD compared with the general population. PAD has been shown to be the most common initial manifestation of cardiovascular disease in T2D. Moreover, patients with diabetes foot complications fear amputation and infection more than death. However, PAD is underrecognized in T2D; only around 20% of patients present with the classical symptoms of intermittent claudication (IC). PAD also has insidious onset: Patients experience slow functional decline and leg discomfort, which is often not recognized as PAD by healthcare professionals or patients. T2D and PAD are growing in incidence and share many risk factors, including obesity. A recent systematic literature review exploring the epidemiology and burden of PAD in T2D found that 12.5%-22% of patients with T2D had comorbid PAD. Furthermore, patients with T2D and PAD have a very high risk for major lower-limb complications and major adverse cardiovascular events, including all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Unsurprisingly, PAD was associated with poor quality of life and significant healthcare use and costs. Notably, the ADA 2025 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes now recommends screening for PAD using ankle-brachial index (ABI) testing in asymptomatic patients with diabetes aged > 65 years, microvascular disease in any location, or foot complications or any end-organ damage from diabetes if a PAD diagnosis would change management. PAD screening should also be considered in patients with diabetes duration > 10 years and high cardiovascular risk. PAD in T2D is often recalcitrant to surgical intervention because it tends to affect the distal vasculature (that is, the infrapopliteal vessels). These lesions are less amenable to traditional revascularization procedures such as femoropopliteal bypass and stenting. Unfortunately, this circumstance often leaves patients with T2D and PAD with persistent debilitating symptoms and few surgical options. Many international medical guidelines have class I recommendations to consider SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 RAs for patients with T2D and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, though not specifically PAD. The only class I recommendation in PAD is for cilostazol for improving claudication symptoms. Cilostazol is a phosphodiesterase 3 inhibitor that promotes vasodilation and increased blood flow, which can improve symptoms of IC (but not cardiovascular outcomes). A recent Cochrane review found that cilostazol resulted in only a 40 m improvement in absolute claudication distance. From my clinical experience, cilostazol is often poorly tolerated (headache and diarrhea are common). It is contraindicated in heart failure, which frequently occurs with PAD. STRIDE Results The randomized controlled STRIDE trial was published in the Lancet in May 2025 and explored the impact of subcutaneous semaglutide (1 mg weekly) plus standard of care, compared with placebo, on walking capacity in patients with symptomatic PAD and T2D. In essence, STRIDE has laid the foundation for a paradigm shift in how we use GLP-1 RAs for symptomatic PAD. The trial recruited 792 patients with T2D and Fontaine stage IIa PAD. Fontaine stage IIa is early-stage symptomatic PAD, in which patients experience symptoms of IC after walking more than 200 m. Mean ABI was ≤ 0.9 in all participants; a normal ABI is typically 0.90-1.30 and indicates normal blood flow to the lower limbs. One-quarter of participants were female, and median age was 68 years. Obesity was not a criterion for study enrollment; 35% of participants had a BMI < 27. The primary outcome of the study was maximum walking distance after 52 weeks compared with baseline. STRIDE achieved its primary outcome. Subcutaneous semaglutide was associated with a significantly increased maximum walking distance (40 m improvement on a 12% incline, which is equivalent to 80 m improvement on a flat surface). This improvement is double that associated with cilostazol and, importantly, was confirmed to be clinically meaningful. The researchers also observed significantly improved symptoms and quality of life, as evidenced by improvements in the VascuQoL questionnaire. Notably, the reported improvements in ABI and disease progression confirm the vascular benefits of semaglutide. Encouragingly, clinical benefits persisted even 5 weeks after stopping semaglutide therapy. The treatment's safety profile was consistent with previous semaglutide trials, and no unexpected safety findings emerged. New data presented and simultaneously published in Diabetes Care confirmed that the effect of semaglutide on maximum walking distance was consistent, irrespective of T2D characteristics; benefits were independent of baseline diabetes duration, BMI, HbA1c, or concomitant use of sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors or insulin. Functional benefits did not appear to correlate with weight loss or glycemic improvement, again highlighting the vascular benefits of semaglutide in reducing atherosclerosis, possibly through an anti-inflammatory effect. In conclusion, STRIDE increases the suite of recognized cardiometabolic and renal benefits of semaglutide by adding improved walking capacity, quality of life, and disease progression for patients with T2D and PAD. During my resident year as a junior doctor, my vascular consultant always reminded me of the core management of PAD in five words: 'stop smoking and keep walking.' While this remains the cornerstone of management 25 years later, semaglutide is now well positioned as a foundational therapy to improve quality and quantity of life in patients with T2D and PAD.
CTV News
19-06-2025
- Science
- CTV News
Researchers meet in Lethbridge to discuss agricultural technology
Agriculture experts and researchers are in Lethbridge for a symposium, discussing how to use technology to help feed a growing world population.
Japan Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
LDP lawmaker Shoji Nishida refuses to retract remarks over WWII exhibits
Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Shoji Nishida has refused to withdraw remarks he made over exhibits about the "Himeyuri" nursing corps who died in the fierce Battle of Okinawa in the final phase of World War II. At a symposium held in the city of Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, on Saturday, Nishida said that descriptions at a monument to commemorate the Himeyuri corps of female students had rewritten history, according to informed sources. Speaking to reporters in Tokyo on Wednesday, Nishida said that while he had no intention of hurting the feelings of the people of Okinawa, he refused to retract the remarks in question. In a speech during the symposium, Nishida said that he was not familiar with the current exhibits at the monument, but he said the "descriptions seem to suggest that Japanese soldiers stormed into (Okinawa), leading the Himeyuri corps to die." "Then the U.S. troops came to set Okinawa free," he said of the descriptions. Nishida said such stories were widely shared in Okinawa, and noted how history education, including the interpretation of the ground battle, is quite disorderly. But he did not provide any specific evidence. While acknowledging that he made the remarks in question, Nishida on Wednesday told reporters that they were based on his impressions from a visit he made more than 10 years ago. "It is very regrettable," he said, adding, "I'm telling the truth and I have nothing to retract." His remarks came under fire from both within the LDP and outside the party. Hajime Zaha, secretary-general of the LDP's Okinawa chapter, told reporters that he had no choice but to protest. The remarks are "extremely inappropriate," Junya Ogawa, secretary-general of the leading opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said at a news conference. The Himeyuri monument is inscribed with the names of 227 students and teachers mobilized for the now-defunct Imperial Japanese Army.
