In an attempt to combat surging inflation, the Federal Reserve has implemented its fastest interest rate hikes since the 1980s, which has yielded unintended consequences with severe side effects for banks.
The spike in customer withdrawals from American banks saw $78 billion evacuated from bank accounts between July 5 and 12, according to the latest data from the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) system. Under the same circumstances, Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank were hit in March by a huge cash drain. Also, First Republic Bank had to solicit tens of billions of dollars from other banks to stay afloat.
The massive cash flights came on the heels of two weeks of relative stability as major banks allocated substantial amounts to third parties to bring in new deposits.
SVB Bank Collapse
On March 1, SVB's value was close to $17 billion, holding about $200 billion in customer deposits. Its clientele, consisting mainly of venture capital firms and the companies they invested in, gave the bank a strong foothold in a profitable market. .....more below
The prices of some life-saving medicines have soared to levels that are unaffordable for ordinary people in Venezuela as the United States has ramped up military presence in the Caribbean off Venezuela's coast, alongside escalating sanctions, blockades and military threats against the oil-rich South American nation since late August.
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At a northeastern suburb in the capital city Caracas, locals can still purchase most of the commonly used medicines at a major supermarket, where some antibiotics have been sold out, and some first-aid medicines and supplies have become too costly for ordinary residents.
"I'm here mainly to buy antibiotics. I have problems with my lungs. But I can't get all I want, such as vancomycin," said a resident named Alfonso.
"Recent tensions have affected the supplies and prices of drugs. The prices of cancer drugs, insulin drugs and albumin are very high, and most patients here cannot afford them," said Giovanna Gonzalez a ...
Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow is prepared to use military force to achieve the goals of its special military operation if Ukraine continues to delay peace talks.
During an inspection of a Russian armed forces command post on Saturday, Putin stressed that Moscow will not allow Kiev’s obstruction to prevent progress.
“If the Kiev authorities do not want to resolve the matter peacefully, we will accomplish all the tasks before us in the course of the special military operation by military means,” he said.
The Russian leader noted that the Ukrainian authorities are not moving toward a peaceful resolution, adding, “We see that even today, unfortunately, the leaders of the Kiev regime are in no hurry to resolve this conflict peacefully. I spoke about this a year ago in a speech at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
Putin also received reports from Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov and commanders of Russia’s “Centre” and “East” military groups.
Meanwhile, ...