In the six weeks since a confident U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates in response to a “strong” U.S. economy, consumer confidence dropped, wholesale prices weakened, financial markets wobbled and home sales fell.
Further afield, China tried to boost lending for its slowing economy, the European Central Bank acknowledged ebbing growth in the euro zone, and the International Monetary Fund cut its world economic growth forecast and warned that global trade had nosedived as major nations squabbled about tariffs.
