US Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Jerome Powell speaks at a press conference in Washington, DC, on December 11, 2019. Eric Baradat | AFP | Getty Images Inflation and employment remain well below the Federal Reserve’s goals, meaning easy monetary policy is likely to stay in place, central bank Chairman Jerome Powell said Tuesday. Despite a […]
Economy
December home prices rose 10.4%, biggest gain in 7 years: Case-Shiller
A houseÕs real estate for sale sign shows the home as being Òunder contractÓ in Washington, DC, November 19, 2020. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images December is usually the slowest month for the housing market, but price gains didn’t slow down one bit in 2020. In fact, they rose at the fastest pace […]
U.S. Jobless claims report shows unexpected move higher
First-time filings for unemployment insurance jumped last week in a sign of continuing strife for the labor market. New claims totaled 861,000, the highest level in a month and above the Dow Jones estimate of 773,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Markets moved little on the news, with stocks opening lower on Wall Street. The […]
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen makes push for major stimulus, sees bigger risk in not doing enough
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday said a large stimulus package is still necessary to get the economy back to full strength, despite momentum suggesting that growth is off to a faster start than anticipated in 2021. In a CNBC interview, the lead economic official in the Biden administration said the $1.9 trillion proposal could […]
Household debt rises to $14.6 trillion due to record-breaking rise in mortgage loans
People count money at Macy’s Herald Square store in New York. Andrew Kelly | Reuters Total consumer debt rose to nearly $14.6 trillion as 2020 came to a close, pushed by a record-breaking rise for mortgages in the red-hot housing market, according to a Federal Reserve report Wednesday. Debt increased 1.4% for the final three […]
Homebuilder confidence improves, despite record high lumber prices
A contractor works on the basement of a home under construction in the Toll Brothers Regency at Palisades community in Charlotte, North Carolina. Luke Sharrett | Bloomberg | Getty Images Buyer demand for newly built homes continues to surge, and that is keeping builder confidence high even as material prices climb. Builder sentiment rose 1 […]
U.S. retail sales January 2021
Consumers flocked to spend their stimulus checks in January, sending retail sales for the month up 5.3% in a blockbuster start to 2021, according to a government report Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones were expecting a rise of just 1.2%. Excluding autos, sales rose 5.9%, also far ahead of the 1% estimate in a […]
Economist says expectations are unanchored from reality
Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Source: The New York Stock Exchange Inflation expectations are detaching themselves from reality, meaning markets might be overplaying the rise in U.S. Treasury yields, according to Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics. Global markets have been rattled in the last 24 hours after […]
Consumer spending expected to see boost in January, helped by stimulus checks
A woman carries Nike shopping bags at the Citadel Outlet mall, as the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Commerce, California, December 3, 2020. Lucy Nicholson | Reuters Aided by government stimulus checks, consumers are expected to have boosted their spending in January, and the trend is likely to continue to gain […]
Fed’s Bullard doesn’t see asset bubble and doubts policy will tighten soon
St. Louis Federal Reserve president James Bullard said Tuesday that he doesn’t see a bubble in asset prices and doubts the central bank needs to start tightening policy anytime soon. With prices surging in the stock market and in alternative assets like bitcoin, Fed officials have faced repeated questions about whether low rates and trillions […]