Oil prices are on the move, scaling the charts while Wall Street keenly eyes a breather from the Federal Reserve. In the middle of all this, China tries to reignite its economic engine, attempting to shake off a lackluster post-COVID recovery.

In the midst of all this action, Brent crude, our trusted international benchmark, jumped 3.59% to $74.42 a barrel. Not too far behind, West Texas Intermediate enjoyed a 3.95% climb, settling at $69.77 on Tuesday.

The mover and shaker behind this surge? The People’s Bank of China (PBoC). In an unexpected move, the PBoC cut its short-term lending rate and injected a hefty 2 billion yuan into its banking system. The motive? A desperate bid to stimulate the economy amidst a lukewarm rebound.

The experts, however, don a skeptical hat. They worry this move might not turbocharge growth as much as hoped, primarily due to the high debt levels still burdening households and businesses.

Simultaneously, an ocean away, fresh U.S. inflation data has injected optimism into Wall Street. Investors are crossing their fingers for the Federal Reserve to hit the brakes on its rate hikes.

The release of the consumer price index on Tuesday revealed a 4% rise in May compared to the previous year, a smidge below the forecasted 4.1% gain. It’s a far cry from the jaw-dropping 9.1% peak rate last June, but still overshoots the Fed’s 2% target.

The consensus on the street points to the Fed maintaining borrowing rates on Wednesday, following ten straight increases, before ramping up again in July.

However, economist Mohamed El-Erian doesn’t quite agree with this widespread sentiment. In a recent op-ed for the Financial Times, he suggests that postponing a rate hike could be a policy misstep. He argues that another month’s worth of data won’t drastically enhance the Fed’s grasp of the policy tool’s impacts, especially given their variable lags. Considering recent data, he believes a hike is in order, especially for a central bank that proudly claims to be “data-dependent.”

So, as the oil market reacts to China’s economic maneuvers and Wall Street hopes for a pause in Fed hikes, entrepreneurs and investors alike are left to navigate this dynamic landscape. The intertwined narratives of global economics once again prove that in the world of finance, it’s all connected.