May 15 U.S. inflation ticked down slightly last month in the first drop of 2024 By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press A measure of underlying inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, also eased in April. Continue reading
May 14 Federal Reserve Chair Powell downplays potential for a rate hike despite higher price pressures By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday that the central bank is unlikely to raise its key interest rate in response to signs of stubborn inflation and underscored his view that price increases would soon start to cool again. Continue reading
May 13 Are U.S. interest rates high enough to beat inflation? The Fed will take its time to find out By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press The sharp interest rate hikes of the past two years will likely take longer than previously expected to bring down inflation, several Federal Reserve officials have said in recent comments, suggesting there may be few, if any, rate cuts this… Continue reading
May 03 U.S. economy adds 175,000 jobs in April but sees a rise in unemployment By Paul Wiseman, Associated Press The nation's employers pulled back on their hiring in April but still added a decent 175,000 jobs in a sign that persistently high interest rates may be starting to slow the robust U.S. job market. Continue reading
May 01 WATCH: Fed Chair Powell suggests taming inflation will take longer than expected By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press The Federal Reserve on Wednesday emphasized that inflation has remained stubbornly high in recent months and said it doesn’t plan to cut interest rates until it has “greater confidence” that price increases are slowing sustainably to its 2 percent target. Continue reading
Apr 26 One measure of inflation reinforces Federal Reserve’s reluctance to cut interest rates By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press Friday's report from the government showed that prices rose 0.3 percent from February to March, the same as in the previous month. Continue reading
Apr 16 Elevated inflation will likely delay interest rate cuts this year, warns Federal Reserve Chair Powell By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press "Recent data have clearly not given us greater confidence" that inflation is coming fully under control and "instead indicate that it's likely to take longer than expected to achieve that confidence," Powell said during a panel discussion. Continue reading
Apr 10 Watch 6:06 Minneapolis Fed president on inflation uptick and when to cut interest rates By Geoff Bennett, Shoshana Dubnow Inflation came in higher than expected last month, raising concerns once again about its persistence. Some experts also worry that it could delay or prevent a series of interest rate cuts expected from the Federal Reserve later this year. Geoff… Continue watching
Apr 06 Is the Fed going to cut interest rates? What was once a question of ‘when’ is now less certain By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press When the Federal Reserve signaled last fall that it was likely done raising interest rates, many began wondering when it would start cutting rates. But with the U.S. economy showing surprising vigor, a different question has arisen: Will the central… Continue reading
Apr 05 U.S. employers added 303,000 jobs in March in surprising show of economic strength By Paul Wiseman, Associated Press America's employers delivered another outpouring of jobs in March, adding a sizzling 303,000 workers to their payrolls and bolstering hopes that the economy can vanquish inflation without succumbing to a recession in the face of high interest rates. Continue reading