Aug 23 ‘The time has come’ for the Federal Reserve to soon begin reducing interest rates, Powell says By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press Powell did not say when rate cuts would begin or how large they might be, but the Fed is widely expected to announce a modest quarter-point cut in its benchmark rate when it meets in mid-September. Continue reading
Aug 21 Most Federal Reserve officials favor rate cut in September if inflation cools, minutes reveal By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press The minutes of the Fed's July 30-31 meeting indicate that the "vast majority" of policymakers "observed that, if the data continued to come in about as expected, it would likely be appropriate to ease policy at the next meeting."… Continue reading
Aug 20 How fast and how far could the Fed cut rates? Powell may give hint during Friday speech By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press A lower Fed benchmark rate would eventually lead to lower rates for auto loans, mortgages and other forms of consumer borrowing. Continue reading
Aug 16 U.S. consumer sentiment rises this month amid optimism over Harris’ presidential bid By Paul Wiseman, Associated Press Americans’ expectations for the future rose, while their assessment of current economic conditions sank slightly. Democrats’ sentiment rose, and Republicans’ fell. Continue reading
Aug 15 Wall Street rallies to one of its best days of the year By Stan Choe, Associated Press The S&P 500 jumped 1.6% for its fourth-best day of the year and its sixth straight gain as the U.S. stock market rights itself following a scary few weeks. Continue reading
Aug 14 Year-over-year inflation hits lowest level in three years, clearing way for Fed to begin cutting rates By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press Measured from a year earlier, prices rose 2.9%, down from 3% in June. It was the mildest year-over-year inflation figure since March 2021. Continue reading
Aug 13 Watch 6:51 How Trump’s wish for more Federal Reserve control could impact economy if he’s reelected By Geoff Bennett, Diane Lincoln Estes, Azhar Merchant Former President Donald Trump says he wants a more direct role in how the Federal Reserve sets interest rates and suggested he could break with traditional policies when it comes to the Fed’s independence. Geoff Bennett discussed what Trump could… Continue watching
Aug 12 Americans are refusing to pay high prices. That might deal the final blow to inflation By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press The economy appears to be returning to pre-pandemic norms, when most companies felt they couldn't raise prices much without losing business. Continue reading
Aug 05 Why financial markets are falling and how we got here By Associated Press Worried about a slowing U.S. economy, investors sent the market in Japan to its worst day in decades and have sliced billions in market value off some of the world’s biggest technology companies. Continue reading
Aug 02 Watch 5:28 Economist says Federal Reserve too slow to cut interest rates and weakening the economy By Geoff Bennett, Azhar Merchant The U.S. labor market slowed down in July and looked weaker than expected, creating 114,000 new jobs. The unemployment rate also ticked up to 4.3 percent. It's raising questions about whether the Federal Reserve has waited too long to cut… Continue watching