Investors in Alphabet Inc (Symbol: GOOG) saw new options begin trading today, for the March 13th expiration. At Stock Options Channel , our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the GOOG options chain for the new March 13th contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $325.00 strike price has a current bid of $12.75. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $325.00, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $312.25 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of GOOG, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $327.33/share today. Because the $325.00 strike represents an approximate 1% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 56%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract. Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 3.92% return on the cash commitment, or 33.33% annualized — at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Alphabet Inc, and highlighting in green where the $325.00 strike is located relative to that history: Turning to the calls side of the option chain, the call contract at the $335.00 strike price has a current bid of $13.25. If an investor was to purchase shares of GOOG stock at the current price level of $327.33/share, and then sell-to-open that call contract as a "covered call," they are committing to sell the stock at $335.00. Considering the call seller wil...

Interesting GOOG Put And Call Options For March 13th Nasdaq

格隆汇1月29日｜三菱日联下调对美联储今年降息次数的预测，料首次降息将在4月。

格隆汇1月29日｜据福克斯新闻记者Chad Pergram：白宫正与参议院民主党人和共和党人合作，以就法案中有关国土安全部的部分达成妥协。但即使参议院将国土安全部法案从六项支出法案中分离出来，并批准其他五项法案，政府仍然会停摆。因此，无论是否达成协议，周六政府78%的部门都可能停摆。众议院本周休会，无法与参议院达成一致。

The Productivity & Business Processes segment generated $34.1 billion in revenues, representing 42% of total revenues. The segment grew 16% year over year (14% in cc), driven by strong performance in Microsoft 365 commercial products and cloud services alongside Microsoft 365 consumer offerings. Microsoft 365 commercial cloud revenues increased 17% (14% in cc). Growth stemmed from both average revenue per user expansion and seat additions, with ARPU increases again led by E5 subscriptions and Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption. Microsoft 365 commercial paid seats grew 6% year over year, with installed base expansion occurring across all customer segments, though concentrated primarily in small and medium business offerings and frontline worker categories. Microsoft 365 consumer cloud revenues jumped 29% (27% in cc), propelled by ARPU growth. Microsoft 365 consumer subscriptions expanded to more than 90 million users. LinkedIn revenues advanced 11% (10% in cc), with Marketing Solutions driving growth. The Talent Solutions business faced ongoing headwinds from persistent weakness in hiring markets. Dynamics 365 revenues rose 19% (17% in cc), demonstrating continued expansion across all workloads within the business applications portfolio. Segment gross margin dollars totaled $28.0 billion, up 17.3% year over year. Gross margin percentage reached 82.1%, improving from the prior-year period. These gains were driven by efficiency improvements in Microsoft 365 Commercial cloud that partially offset AI investments, including impacts from growing Microsoft 365 Copilot usage. Operating expenses totaled $7.4 billion, rising 6.1% year over year. Operating income reached $20.6 billion, expanding substantially. Operating margin improved to 60.4%, up from the prior-year period. Microsoft MSFT reported second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings of $4.14 per share on a non-GAAP basis (excluding OpenAI investment impacts), which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 6.7% and increased 24% on a ...

Microsoft Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates as Cloud and AI Drive Results Yahoo Finance Singapore

A 60-second tribute video honoring LeBron James has become routine over the past eight years whenever he returns to Cleveland, the city where his NBA journey began. But Wednesday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse was different – and it felt that way long before James’s Los Angeles Lakers fell, 129-99 to the Cavaliers in a nationally televised game. For the first time, James struggled to contain his emotions. As his name was announced during pregame introductions, the crowd rose in a thunderous standing ovation that lingered longer than usual. Minutes later, during the game’s first break, the tribute video played on the jumbo screen hanging above the court. James remained seated on the Lakers’ bench, watching intently along with more than 20,000 fans who understood they were witnessing something more than a routine return. The video featured a montage of historic moments during James’s Cavaliers career, highlighted by his unforgettable performance in Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals – when he scored 25 consecutive points, capped by a game-winning layup against the Detroit Pistons. It was the night that first cemented James not only as a superstar, but as Cleveland’s own. Several times, James lowered his head and wiped away tears with the inside of his jersey. He later reached for a paper towel, dabbing his eyes before the game resumed. “The moment they put up [the tribute video], the Detroit game, looking up in the rafters and I saw our championship banner [from Cleveland’s 2016 NBA title] … it was a lot of reflection,” James said after the game. “Being present in the moment. It got to me a little bit for sure. I was super thankful.” On Wednesday, James finished with 11 points, five assists, and six turnovers, his worse performance in his return games, but the stat line was secondary to the night’s emotion. Now in his 23rd NBA season since he was drafted No 1 overall by the Cavaliers in 2003, James’s Hall of Fame résumé includes being the league’s all-t...

财联社1月29日讯（编辑 史正丞） 随着本周美联储议息平静收场，围绕着美联储主席鲍威尔去留的问题正变得愈发紧迫： 他是否会在5月美联储主席任期届满后，一并辞去美联储理事的职位？ 在周三的新闻发布会上，鲍威尔自去年夏季以来第四次拒绝回答这一问题。他说道：“还是这样， 我不想谈论这个问题 。” 在会后发布的见解中，被称为“美联储传声筒”的尼克·蒂米劳斯透露， 鲍威尔其实早就做好“解甲归田”的准备，但急于对美联储出手的白宫官僚们搞砸了提早锁定额外理事席位的契机 。 美联储提名的“席位算术题” 作为背景，美联储理事会一共有7名成员，除了鲍威尔外，鲍曼和本周表现出“进步意愿”的沃勒由特朗普提名，米兰则是白宫直接塞进美联储的成员。剩下三人杰弗逊、巴尔和丽莎·库克由奥巴马和拜登送进美联储。 眼下的问题由美联储的治理机制和历史惯例共同造成： 美联储理事的任期长达14年，但美联储主席的任期只有4年，且美联储主席必须是理事会成员 。自二战时期的马里纳·埃克尔斯（1934年至1948年任美联储主席，后留任理事至1951年）应时任美国总统杜鲁门邀请留任外，后续的美联储主席均于任期届满后一并辞去理事职务。 若鲍威尔选择在5月15日离开美联储，特朗普就能在数月内接连向美联储输送两员“降息派”成员。同时，若早日确定这一变动， 白宫就能同时推进两项提名 ，在春天就定好其偏好的美联储成员。 在特朗普本届任期内，也只有两个美联储理事席位需要填补，一个是本周六届满的米兰，另一个就是鲍威尔现在的位置。其余成员的任期至少会持续到2030年。 因此，若鲍威尔迟迟不公布去留意向，特朗普要提名外部人员出任美联储主席，就只有米兰的席位可用。 僵局由白宫一手造成？ 毫无疑问，白宫自然希望鲍威尔走人，但蒂米劳斯表示， 美国司法部对鲍威尔发出传票这一罕见举动，是造成目前僵局的关键转折点 。蒂米劳斯表示，鲍威尔的“拖而不决”已经是他面对白宫降息施压时“ 最后也是唯一的筹码 ”。本月初发给美联储的传票只会让他更有理由不屈服于压力。 司法部的调查名义上针对鲍威尔去年在国会对美联储翻修工程作出的证词，但美联储主席公开发表短视频，抨击此举是白宫又在施压降息。 蒂米劳斯援引“熟悉鲍威尔的人士”表示，在美联储上了14年班后， 鲍威尔已经完全准备好回归私人生活，但美国司法部的调查将他“困”住了 。 下周将迎来73岁生日的鲍威尔并不打算延...

Late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs has inspired a legion of entrepreneurs hoping to define the next era of business. Despite never meeting the tech legend, Intercontinental Exchange founder Jeffrey Sprecher hails Jobs as a “mentor,” and credited the pioneer for teaching him a critical lesson on career success. “Steve Jobs was Apple, right? But he didn’t really write code or invent anything, Sprecher said recently at the Rotary Club Of Atlanta. “He curated ideas that a lot of really smart people around him created. He just had good taste.” Over the course of his business career, Sprecher has achieved success by leaning on the brainchilds of other entrepreneurs. The global exchange CEO said he’s led around 50 acquisitions, and confessed that it’s “much easier to buy somebody else’s hard work and the sacrifice that many others made” and scale it up, rather than start from scratch. Sprecher even got his start turning a failing company into a billion-dollar behemoth. In the late 1990’s, Sprecher bought Warren Buffett’s near-bankrupt electric utility company, MidAmerican Energy, for just $1,000. He turned it into the Intercontinental Exchange, and more than two decades later, the company boasts a market cap of $98 billion and more than 12,000 staffers—and has also proudly owned the NYSE for over a decade. And it all panned out because of Sprecher’s strategy to curate the brightest minds and most innovative ideas. “Surround yourself with really good people that have good ideas, and then just curate them,” Sprecher added. “Get rid of the stupid ones and embrace the good ones, and you know that’s partly why you look smart.” Fortune reached out to the Intercontinental Exchange for comment. The CEOs who say being surrounded by smart people is crucial for success When Sprecher was observing how Jobs came into whirlwind success, he picked up on an intentional strategy set forth by the Apple cofounder. Jobs has said that he looks to bring the brightest minds onto his projects, and l...

New York, January 29, 2026, 10:27 (EST) — Regular session Advanced Micro Devices shares slipped 1.6% to $248.59 in Thursday morning trading, retreating from an earlier peak of $260.22. The stock lost $4.15 compared to its previous close. The shift happened as U.S. tech shares took a hit. The Nasdaq dropped roughly 1% early on, dragged lower by Microsoft, which stumbled after cloud revenue missed expectations. That fueled fresh doubts about whether hefty AI investments are paying off quickly enough. (Reuters) This debate hits home for AMD, whose chips power the servers behind AI. Capital expenditures on data centers and gear — or “capex” — are the key variable. Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial, said investors are looking for “very visible monetization or earnings.” (Reuters) Microsoft’s figures added to the jitters. Shares dropped in Europe after the company revealed it poured a record sum into AI last quarter and reported slower growth in cloud computing, spooking investors fixated on short-term gains. (Reuters) Meta shifted gears, raising its 2026 capital expenditure outlook to $115 billion-$135 billion amid its drive toward “superintelligence,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg told analysts. CFO Susan Li warned that capacity constraints will likely persist through much of 2026. (Reuters) Chip shares surged the previous day on a growing AI wave. Positive cues from Texas Instruments and others pushed several names up. AMD, Nvidia, and Intel all gained as investors wagered that data-center demand is expanding past Nvidia’s top-tier processors. (Reuters) Thursday saw a cooler mood across the sector. Nvidia slipped 1.6% to $188.48, while Intel dropped roughly 1.5%, closing at $48.05. AMD stayed roughly in line with the group’s movement. But sentiment can shift fast. Software shares dropped following SAP’s cautious forecast for its cloud business and a sell-off in ServiceNow. Adam Turnquist of LPL Financial noted the market appears to be pricing in...

Image source: The Motley Fool. Thursday, January 29, 2026 at 8 a.m. ET Call participants Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer — Robert Keane Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer — Sean Quinn Vice President, Investor Relations — Meredith Byrnes Takeaways Quarterly revenue -- Surpassed $1 billion for the first time, with reported growth of 11% and organic constant currency growth of 4%. -- Surpassed $1 billion for the first time, with reported growth of 11% and organic constant currency growth of 4%. Revenue by segment -- All segments delivered revenue growth; Vistaprint achieved 5% organic constant currency growth, driven by double-digit gains in promotional products, apparel and gifts, and packaging and labels. -- All segments delivered revenue growth; Vistaprint achieved 5% organic constant currency growth, driven by double-digit gains in promotional products, apparel and gifts, and packaging and labels. Print Brothers segment -- Reported revenue rose 26%, aided by an $18 million tuck-in acquisition and currency benefits; excluding these, organic constant currency growth was 6%. -- Reported revenue rose 26%, aided by an $18 million tuck-in acquisition and currency benefits; excluding these, organic constant currency growth was 6%. Legacy products -- Business cards and stationery declined 1%, with US holiday cards and calendar volume flat, and Canadian sales growing double digits. -- Business cards and stationery declined 1%, with US holiday cards and calendar volume flat, and Canadian sales growing double digits. Upload and print segments -- Customer and order count increased, contributing to 6% organic constant currency revenue growth. -- Customer and order count increased, contributing to 6% organic constant currency revenue growth. Adjusted EBITDA -- Increased by $6 million year over year; consolidated profit dollars grew 8% due to high-value elevated products and favorable currency shifts. -- Increased by $6 million year over year; con...

Hong Kong authorities are investigating the discovery of a severely decomposed whale carcass discovered on a beach in Sai Kung. Authorities were alerted to the decomposed carcass, measuring 11 metres (36.1 feet) in length, on Thursday after villagers found it on the beach at Ham Tin Wan, in Sai Kung East Country Park. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) deployed officers to the scene, with preliminary findings suggesting that the animal was a baleen whale. Advertisement Based on the degree of decomposition, the carcass was believed to have been dead for some time before drifting from the open seas into the waters off Ham Tin Wan, it added. The department said a necropsy could not be conducted due to its advanced decomposition, adding that its staff were working to dispose of the carcass and clean up the area by Friday. Advertisement It also reminded the public to stay away from the area to avoid obstructing the process.

AMD Gears Up to Report Q4 Earnings: Here's Why the Stock is a Buy TradingView

Advanced Micro Devices AMD is set to release its fourth-quarter 2025 results on Feb. 3. AMD expects fourth-quarter 2025 revenues of $9.6 billion (+/-$300 million). At the mid-point of the revenue range, this represents year-over-year growth of 25% and sequential growth of roughly 4%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMD’s fourth-quarter revenues is pegged at $9.67 billion, suggesting year-over-year growth of 26.2%. The consensus mark for fourth-quarter 2025 earnings is pegged at $1.33 per share, unchanged over the past 30 days. The earnings estimate indicates growth of 22% on a year-over-year basis. Consensus Estimate Trend Zacks Investment Research Image Source: Zacks Investment Research AMD beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in all the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 2.45%. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Quote Let’s see how things have shaped up for the upcoming earnings announcement. Factors to Note Ahead of AMD’s Q4 Results The mid-point of AMD’s fourth-quarter guidance reflects strong double-digit growth in Data Center and the Client and Gaming segment, and a return to growth in the Embedded segment. On a sequential basis, AMD’s top-line is expected to benefit from double-digit growth in the Data Center segment with strong growth in server and continued ramp of the company’s MI350 Series GPUs. The Embedded segment is also expected to grow double-digit, while the Client and Gaming segment is anticipated to see client revenues increasing but gaming declining double-digit. AMD’s fourth-quarter 2025 performance is expected to have benefited from continued strong demand for its EPYC processors and Instinct accelerators. AMD’s to-be-reported quarter results are expected to have benefited from a rich partner base that includes the likes of OpenAI, Cohere, IBM, Oracle ORCL, Google, HPE, De...

Advanced Micro Devices AMD is set to release its fourth-quarter 2025 results on Feb. 3. AMD expects fourth-quarter 2025 revenues of $9.6 billion (+/-$300 million). At the mid-point of the revenue range, this represents year-over-year growth of 25% and sequential growth of roughly 4%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMD’s fourth-quarter revenues is pegged at $9.67 billion, suggesting year-over-year growth of 26.2%. The consensus mark for fourth-quarter 2025 earnings is pegged at $1.33 per share, unchanged over the past 30 days. The earnings estimate indicates growth of 22% on a year-over-year basis. Consensus Estimate Trend Zacks Investment Research Image Source: Zacks Investment Research AMD beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in all the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 2.45%. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Quote Let’s see how things have shaped up for the upcoming earnings announcement. Factors to Note Ahead of AMD’s Q4 Results The mid-point of AMD’s fourth-quarter guidance reflects strong double-digit growth in Data Center and the Client and Gaming segment, and a return to growth in the Embedded segment. On a sequential basis, AMD’s top-line is expected to benefit from double-digit growth in the Data Center segment with strong growth in server and continued ramp of the company’s MI350 Series GPUs. The Embedded segment is also expected to grow double-digit, while the Client and Gaming segment is anticipated to see client revenues increasing but gaming declining double-digit. AMD’s fourth-quarter 2025 performance is expected to have benefited from continued strong demand for its EPYC processors and Instinct accelerators. AMD’s to-be-reported quarter results are expected to have benefited from a rich partner base that includes the likes of OpenAI, Cohere, IBM, Oracle ORCL, Google, HPE, De...

While some investors are raising alarms of a looming bubble in artificial intelligence, Blackstone Inc. President Jon Gray is focused on a different risk tied to the technology — the rapid disruption of certain industries. Gray is focused on what happens when industries change overnight, like what happened to “the Yellow Pages back in the ‘90s when the internet came along,” he said Thursday in a Bloomberg TV interview. AI is attracting billions of dollars of investments in startups and the building of data centers needed to power the technology, though some on Wall Street have grown skeptical about when they’ll start to see returns. For its part, Blackstone is being mindful of how much it’s investing in AI but also views the technology as ultimately spurring a “huge productivity boom,” Gray said. Still, the firm is carefully assessing disruption risks, Gray said, pointing to examples such as JPMorgan Chase & Co. replacing proxy advisers with AI and the insurer Lemonade Inc. pitching drivers cheaper rates if they have Tesla Inc. ’s Full Self-Driving system engaged. “Every deal that we’re doing today, in the first two pages of the memo, we’re saying, ‘What is the AI risk?’” Gray said. “There are plenty of businesses that are facing real challenges.” At the same time, he said, AI is giving Blackstone’s people “super-human capabilities,” making software engineers twice as efficient, for example. “There will be efficiencies out there, and that is going to lead to generally higher margins in a lot of industries over time,” he said. Blackstone is one of the world’s largest operators of data centers, and that business was the largest single driver of its real estate division last year, Gray said on an analysts call Thursday. Read More: Blackstone Posts Profit Jump as Deals Hit ‘Escape Velocity’

By Toby Sterling and Nathan Vifflin AMSTERDAM, Jan 29 (Reuters) - ASML's latest results reignited the rally that has made it Europe's most valuable company, until questions about its capacity to meet record orders sent the stock sliding - highlighting just how stretched ​expectations have become. Shares in the Dutch chip-machine maker initially hit new highs after it reported fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday, before reversing ‌to end down 2%. The whipsaw trading underscores how the firm, whose tools are used by chipmakers such as Taiwan's TSMC to produce AI chips for Nvidia, is testing the ‌limits of investor appetite. ASML shares are up 34% so far this month and trade at 42 times 2026 earnings estimates, well above Nvidia's 25 times, as analysts have ratcheted up forecasts. ASML management sees sales growth this year ranging from as low as 4% to as high as 19%. "Much of the good news is then already priced in," said Han Dieperink, chief investment officer at Aureus, which recently halved its ASML stake to 45,000 shares ⁠but remains overweight the stock. "It's a matter of valuation ‌and positioning." SHARES AT RECORD HIGHS With the stock near all-time highs, investors and analysts are debating how much further ASML, valued at 467 billion euros ($559 billion), can grow. Its order backlog stands at 38.8 billion euros, but the giant ‍chip-printing machines it sells can take a year to build. ASML is the only maker of EUV lithography systems, which are essential for creating the tiny circuitry of advanced chips. Supporters point to the company's AI-driven outlook. Top customer TSMC plans major capacity expansions in 2026, with more expected in 2027 and 2028. Memory chip ​makers Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron also have AI-linked expansion plans that would benefit ASML. "Although it may appear that the valuation ... is ‌already very high, we're not relying on multiple expansion for a return," said ASML investor Gerrit Smit, lead portfolio manager of the Stonehage Fleming...

有線寬頻三名高層請辭，包括行政總裁杜之克、旗下兩公司高層余詠珊及何哲圖，即日生效。

有線寬頻三名高層請辭，包括行政總裁杜之克、旗下兩公司高層余詠珊及何哲圖，即日生效。 有線寬頻高層換人。集團宣布杜之克向董事會辭任行政總裁兼執行董事。余詠珊與丈夫何哲圖分別辭任有線寬頻旗下好好製作集團和星演國際首席執行官。 有線寬頻同時公布由執行董事黃雅芬接任行政總裁一職，月薪43萬元，並按協議於任職首月獲一筆過131萬元。 根據集團公告，黃雅芬於數碼媒體及數碼營銷行業擁有逾25年經驗，業務遍及亞洲的平面、數碼、電視、流動及社交媒體。2007年至2011年間曾加入TVB.com Limited並出任首席運營官，負責拓展電視廣播有限公司的整體數位媒體業務。

SPDR标普500指数ETF信托（SPY）投资者关注美联储主席杰罗姆·鲍威尔的评论，他指出关于罢免丽莎·库克理事的最高法院案件可能是美联储113年历史上“最重要的案件”，这突显了对央行独立性的担忧。 责任编辑：张俊 SF065

The inscription on the large 13th-century stone slab on display at York Minster does not bode well: “Qui ceci dit svp er caput rogeri de Ripvn.” Or, as it translates: “Which fell on the head of Roger of Ripon.” “We don’t quite know who Roger of Ripon was,” said Jennie England, research coordinator at the cathedral. “But he survived, and a miraculous incident was reported in the 1280s when a stone fell on someone’s head.” The slab, found in a York drain in the 19th century, has gone on display at a new exhibition marking the 800th anniversary of Saint William – a forgotten, once adored martyr said to be responsible for that miracle and others. At the centre of the exhibition is a cutting-edge, digital recreation of an imposing shrine to William that once stood in York Minster’s nave but was broken up and buried to protect it from the ravages of Henry VIII’s reformation. View image in fullscreen At the centre of the exhibition is a digital recreation of a shrine to William that once stood in York Minster’s nave. Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA “The shrine is absolutely stunning,” said England. It reflects, she added, the high regard William was once held in. He is the patron saint of York but is “largely forgotten”. William Fitzherbert was archbishop of York twice, from 1141 to 1147 when Cistercian monks thought him unsuitable and, after the deaths of enemies, from 1153 to 1154. He was clearly a popular figure and such was the joy when he returned to York from Rome in 1154 that large crowds gathered to greet him. So many people were on the wooden bridge over the river Ouse that it collapsed. William, it is said, called on God and no one drowned. That is considered William’s first miracle, but his triumph was short lived, and he died after becoming violently ill while celebrating mass. His death remains suspicious to this day. The Ouse Bridge miracle and others after his death – including curing a woman who inadvertently swallowed a frog – led to William’s canonisation by ...

The topic of integrating better artificial intelligence features into the iPhone may be a big question asked by analysts during the earnings call late Thursday. But some analysts expect Apple not to say much about the plans for the Apple-Gemini partnership announced earlier this month.

asbe/iStock via Getty Images By Carsten Brzeski , Global Head of Macro Last May, ECB President Christine Lagarde delivered a motivational speech aiming to unleash pro-European sentiment and support for deeper integration, calling for a ‘global euro moment’. With the recent weakening of the US dollar - and the corresponding strengthening of the euro - next week’s ECB meeting could be more interesting than imagined just a few days ago. ECB still sits comfortably in its 'good place' When it comes to the basics of monetary policy, given everything currently going on in the world, the ECB has almost become a beacon of continuity - some might even say boredom. The ECB simply calls it a ‘good place’, i.e., a eurozone economy that looks set to grow at around potential and an inflation rate settling around target. Data releases since the December meeting have only confirmed that view. What's not to like? Well, maybe the high level of uncertainty in both geopolitics and economic outcomes. Up until now, there has been a clear disconnect between geopolitics and macroeconomics. No one knows whether this disconnect will hold or whether one side of the equation will eventually move. Geopolitical risks could slow down, or the economy could eventually still weaken. However, as long as these geopolitical risks and uncertainties do not translate into substantial changes to the eurozone outlook, the ECB will watch but not act. Stronger euro could revive debate on possible rate cut In recent days, however, market developments have started to make the ECB’s 'good place' a little less comfortable. The weakening of the US dollar and hence the strengthening of the euro have led to some unease at the Bank. Austrian central bank governor Martin Kocher said that "if the euro appreciates further and further, at some stage this might create, of course, a certain necessity to react in terms of monetary policy. But not because of the exchange rate itself, but because the exchange rate translates i...