Get ready: Interest rate hikes bring good and bad (AP)

The rate hikes are coming! The rate hikes are coming!

Labor market conditions have improved significantly in the past month or so. Combine this with the dramatic improvement in households' finances this year, and one is forced to ask: why is there still so much pessimism in regards to the economy?

The ECB did the unexpected today, cutting the interest rate to .25% from .50%. Here is the ECB press release. 7 November 2013 - Monetary policy decisions At today’s meeting the Governing Council of the ECB took the following monetary policy decisions:

By Forexyard: By Russell Glaser Meeting minutes from the last monetary policy meeting for the Riksbank shows the Executive Board is ready tighten interest rates further should inflationary pressures fail to subside. This would likely lead to gains in the Swedish krona but the SEK remains pressured due to events in Europe.

The situation in Spain to another sharp turn for the worse. Employment looses are the greatest since 2009, tax revenue is declining, the deficit is increasing and the IIF wants inane tax hikes. GDP Poised to Plunge, Deficit Poised to Rise

Michelle Galanter Applebaum submits: Baosteel Increasing February Sheet PricesAccording to press reports, China’s price leader Baosteel announced a planned 5% price increase on flat-rolled steel for February shipments, marking the third consecutive monthly rise. With January hikes now sticking well, we expect to see further price increases announced in China as well as Europe and the US.

(LONDON) — An interest rate cut from the European Central Bank and hints it may take further measures failed to give European markets a lift Thursday amid ongoing worries about the state of the eurozone economy. U.S. stocks recovered their poise in the run-up to monthly payrolls data Friday. The euro was a big loser Thursday after Mario Draghi, the European Central Bank’s president, said the institution was ready to charge banks that decide to keep deposits at the bank. A negative deposit rate would ostensibly push banks to lend more rather than hoard cash.

(LONDON) — An interest rate cut from the European Central Bank and hints it may take further measures failed to give European markets a lift Thursday amid ongoing worries about the state of the eurozone economy. U.S. stocks recovered their poise in the run-up to monthly payrolls data Friday. The euro was a big loser Thursday after Mario Draghi, the European Central Bank’s president, said the institution was ready to charge banks that decide to keep deposits at the bank. A negative deposit rate would ostensibly push banks to lend more rather than hoard cash.