Poland’s central bank is set to keep interest rates unchanged for a second month with policymakers expected to sharpen anti-inflation rhetoric as the conflict in Iran revives long-dormant price pressures. The Monetary Policy Council will leave its benchmark at 3.75% on Wednesday, according to all 28 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. The 10-member panel, which cut rates in March just days afte...
Poland’s central bank is set to keep interest rates unchanged for a second month with policymakers expected to sharpen anti-inflation rhetoric as the conflict in Iran revives long-dormant price pressures. The Monetary Policy Council will leave its benchmark at 3.75% on Wednesday, according to all 28 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. The 10-member panel, which cut rates in March just days after the Iran war started, has since switched to a wait-and-see stance. But a surprise acceleration in inflation last month signaled that the spike in energy prices was spilling across the $1 trillion economy, which could tip policymakers toward interest-rate increases. Economists at Morgan Stanley forecast two hikes during 2026, while derivatives also signal growing bets on policy tightening in Poland. The central bank will keep rates steady and “continue to signal readiness to react to second-round effects,” said Georgi Deyanov , an economist at Morgan Stanley. “We currently expect the NBP to be reactive rather than proactive.” Morgan Stanley forecasts a quarter percentage point rate increase in July, followed by another one in November. Economists at ING Bank Slaski SA, led by Rafal Benecki , expect the post-meeting statement to be “slightly more hawkish” and policymakers’ comments to reflect readiness to raise rates if needed. Monika Kurtek , chief economist at Bank Pocztowy SA, said Poland’s year-long easing cycle has ended and that rate increases can’t be excluded. Mounting Pressure Inflation accelerated to 3.2% in April from 2.1% in February — before the Iran war started — near the 3.5% upper limit of the central bank’s target range. Before the current spike, the country’s price growth data repeatedly undershot expectations, paving the way for 200 basis points in rate cuts since May last year. In another signal that this benign price environment is reversing, the April readout of S&P Global manufacturing purchasing managers’ index for Poland showed input prices increasi...
Higher oil prices linked to the Iran conflict pushed Thailand’s inflation to near the top end of the central bank’s target, ending a yearlong stretch of falling prices. Consumer price index rose 2.89% in April from a year earlier, marking the first increase in more than a year, Commerce Ministry data showed Wednesday. The reading was above the 2.2% median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economis...
Higher oil prices linked to the Iran conflict pushed Thailand’s inflation to near the top end of the central bank’s target, ending a yearlong stretch of falling prices. Consumer price index rose 2.89% in April from a year earlier, marking the first increase in more than a year, Commerce Ministry data showed Wednesday. The reading was above the 2.2% median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists. The rebound represents the fastest pace of inflation since February 2023, and the first time since February last year that prices have returned to the Bank of Thailand’s 1%-3% target range. The gauge may climb further to 3.06% this month, 3.27% in June before peaking at around 4.1% in October, officials said at a briefing. The yield on the 10-year government bond rose one basis point to 2.24%, while the baht was steady, holding onto its 0.6% gain against the dollar. On a monthly basis, the index rose 2.75% in April, accelerating from 0.6% in March. Core inflation edged up 0.83%, from 0.57% a month earlier. The rapid acceleration of the headline rate highlights Thailand’s vulnerability to energy shocks. More than half of its oil imports come from the Middle East, much of it shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, leaving inflation highly sensitive to geopolitical disruptions. The price surge in April was driven by rising costs of fuel, public transportation, airfares, rent, cleaning products, prepared food, rice and fresh vegetables, the ministry said in a statement. “Cost pressures among producers have intensified,” the ministry said. “Major operators have indicated signs of price adjustments on consumer goods to reflect higher raw material and and transportation costs.” Bank of Thailand Governor Vitai Ratanakorn and his policymakers have signaled that the pickup in inflation is unlikely to prompt an immediate policy response. Officials have stressed that the current rise in prices is largely supply-driven, limiting the effectiveness of monetary tightening. The central ba...
krblokhin/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Blue Ridge Bankshares ( BRBS ) is the type of community bank that I often enjoy researching. The company has a market cap of only $295.3 million, trades close to its tangible book value, and is not followed by any Wall Street analysts. Its stock has cratered almost 79% over the last five years, as it has reported losses on numerous occasions related to e...
krblokhin/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Blue Ridge Bankshares ( BRBS ) is the type of community bank that I often enjoy researching. The company has a market cap of only $295.3 million, trades close to its tangible book value, and is not followed by any Wall Street analysts. Its stock has cratered almost 79% over the last five years, as it has reported losses on numerous occasions related to everything from earnings losses to lawsuits to charges taken against a fintech investment . However, recent results from the company point to signs of a potential turnaround. The company named a new CEO in 2023 , William Beale, and tasked him with pulling the bank out of its OCC Consent Order that was related to BRBS’s prior business activities. That assignment was accomplished in November of last year . Beale’s retirement was subsequently announced on March 12, with an interim CEO and President named in his place. Blue Ridge Bankshares released its Q1 earnings report about two weeks ago, and the assessment of the quality of the data it included likely depends on one’s perspective. On one hand, the company reported a profit, its fourth consecutive quarter of profitability, which is a big improvement from years past. On the other hand, the operations of the bank are still far from the quality that I would want to see when choosing a reasonable investment option for anything but the highest-risk portfolios. In this analysis, I will discuss the current state of Blue Ridge Bankshares and why I believe the stock deserves a neutral rating after the first quarter of 2026. Company Overview As the holding company for Blue Ridge Bank, BRBS operates 26 bank branches, with all but one located in its home state of Virginia. The company does control one banking location in Greensboro, NC. BRBS also supports two loan production offices, one in Norfolk and another in Winchester, Virginia. A map of the bank’s locations can be seen in the image below . Blue Ridge Bank Website Total assets for...
Ramaswamy Wins Ohio GOP Gubernatorial Primary In Landslide Biotech entrepreneur and former 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy just beat the pants off of political newcomer Casey Putsch (R) by a margin of 82% - 18% (approximately 530,000 votes to 116,000) in the Ohio gubernatorial primary. The win positions Ramaswamy to face Democrat Amy Acton , the former Ohio health director who led the ...
Ramaswamy Wins Ohio GOP Gubernatorial Primary In Landslide Biotech entrepreneur and former 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy just beat the pants off of political newcomer Casey Putsch (R) by a margin of 82% - 18% (approximately 530,000 votes to 116,000) in the Ohio gubernatorial primary. The win positions Ramaswamy to face Democrat Amy Acton , the former Ohio health director who led the state’s COVID-19 response and won her party’s nomination unopposed, in the November general election. Acton’s running mate is former Ohio Democratic Party chair David Pepper. The Republican primary lacked suspense after Ramaswamy, 40, secured early endorsements from President Trump and the state party. Still, the scale of his victory surprised some observers given his relatively recent entry into Ohio politics. Ramaswamy announced his candidacy in February 2025 after stepping down from his role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the Trump administration initiative he co-led with Elon Musk. He has framed his gubernatorial bid as a natural extension of that work - bringing a “startup mindset” to Columbus to make Ohio a national leader in innovation, economic growth, and government efficiency. His campaign was exceptionally well-funded. Ramaswamy raised more than $25 million from donors and contributed another $25 million of his own money , ending the primary with over $30 million in cash on hand — resources he used for a $10 million television ad blitz in the final weeks. The spending underscored his determination to lock down the nomination early and build momentum for the fall. Still, the scale of his victory was notable given lingering divisions within the GOP base over one of his signature policy positions: H-1B visas . Calling the system 'badly broken,' Ramaswamy has called for replacing it with a pure merit-based system designed to attract the world’s top STEM and technical talent, insisting this is essential for U.S. competitiveness against China - exce...
格隆汇5月6日｜据中国贸易救济信息网，4月30日，美国国际贸易委员会(ITC)发布公告称，对特定有源电缆及其组件(Certain Active Electrical Cables and Components Thereof，调查编码：337-TA-1446)作出337部分终裁，对本案行政法官于2026年4月14日作出的初裁(No.43、44)不予复审，即基于和解，终止对列名被告美国Molex, ...
格隆汇5月6日｜据中国贸易救济信息网，4月30日，美国国际贸易委员会(ITC)发布公告称，对特定有源电缆及其组件(Certain Active Electrical Cables and Components Thereof，调查编码：337-TA-1446)作出337部分终裁，对本案行政法官于2026年4月14日作出的初裁(No.43、44)不予复审，即基于和解，终止对列名被告美国Molex, LLC, Lisle, Ill.、爱尔兰TE Connectivity PLC, Galway, Ireland的调查；本案调查全部终止。