Jun 12 Inflation eases for 2nd straight month, a sign this year’s acceleration of prices may have passed By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press Inflation in the United States eased in May, a hopeful sign that an acceleration of prices that occurred early this year may have passed. Continue reading
Jun 12 WATCH: Powell speaks after Federal Reserve signals only one likely interest rate cut this year By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press “We’ll need to see more good data to bolster our confidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward 2 percent,” Chair Jerome Powell said at a news conference. Continue reading
Jun 10 Inflation data this week could help determine Fed’s plan for possible interest rate cuts By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press Chair Jerome Powell will likely reiterate that Fed officials need further confidence that inflation is returning to 2% before they would consider rate cuts. Continue reading
Jun 07 U.S. employment picks up pace with 272,000 jobs added in May, sign of sustained economic health By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press Last month's strong job growth reflected the durability of America's consumer-driven economy. With the nation's households continuing their steady spending, many employers have had to keep hiring to meet their customer demand. Continue reading
May 30 Watch 5:38 Housing shortage, soaring costs a major concern for voters this election year, polls show By Geoff Bennett, Courtney Norris The cost of housing is a top financial concern for voters this election year, second only behind inflation, according to a Gallup poll this month. It comes as home prices in the U.S. jumped 6.5 percent in March compared to… Continue watching
May 29 Inflation pressures lingering from pandemic may keep Feds from lowering interest rates By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press Though Fed officials say they expect inflation in key areas to eventually cool, they've signaled that they're prepared to wait as long as it takes. Continue reading
May 17 Watch 4:19 What’s behind the historic stock market highs and how it relates to the overall economy By Geoff Bennett, Diane Lincoln Estes This has been a big week for the stock market. The Dow Jones, the much broader S&P 500 and the NASDAQ all reached record highs with the Dow crossing the 40,000 threshold for the first time. The markets have rallied… Continue watching
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 09 U.S. job market still hot but weekly jobless claims hit highest level since August of 2023 By Matt Ott, Associated Press The Labor Department reported Thursday that unemployment claims for the week ending May 4 rose by 22,000 to 231,000. Continue reading