SQUAWK BOX, THURSDAY 22ND AUGUST, 2019

Divisions within the Federal Reserve are exposed in the latest minutes, as policy-makers suggest that July’s rate cut does not signal a pre-set easing cycle. The central bank cites the trade tensions with China as a ‘persistent headwind to growth’. Meanwhile, the U.S. yield curve inverts once more on nagging recession concerns but President Donald Trump deflects attention to Germany, hailing its negative yields despite the first 30-year zero-income bund auction receiving scant interest. German Chancellor Angela Merkel hosts new U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson and lays down a 30-day challenge to him to resolve the Irish backstop conundrum. France’s President Emmanuel Macron, who Johnson visits today, says blame for a no-deal Brexit will be laid squarely at Britain’s door. And in Italy, President Sergio Mattarella has begun party talks to form a new governing coalition. The opposition PD party is attempting to woo Five Star into an alliance, albeit with stringent conditions. The potential for fresh elections looms large.