Tag: U.S. economy

January 13, 2020

As long as Americans keep spending, the economy is all but certain to sidestep a recession in 2020 for a record 11th straight year. The crucial question is, can they? And the answer seems to be, quite clearly, yes. What’s […]

January 9, 2020

The U.S. economy probably added enough new jobs last month to push employment gains in 2019 above 2 million for the ninth straight year, but the pace of hiring is slowing. Here’s what to watch in the U.S. Labor Department’s […]

December 20, 2019

The numbers: The pace of growth in the U.S. economy was left at 2.1% in the third quarter, as strong consumer spending was offset by weaker business investment in inventories, in the final estimate from the Commerce Department on Friday. […]

December 17, 2019

On Nov. 25, 2008, the Federal Reserve launched the shot heard around the financial world. The central bank announced it would start using digitally created money to buy mortgage debt in an effort to drive down interest rates and resuscitate […]

December 13, 2019

U.S. retail sales increased less than expected in November as Americans cut back on discretionary spending, which could see economists dialing back economic growth forecasts for the fourth quarter. The Commerce Department said on Friday retail sales rose 0.2% last […]

December 11, 2019

The CEOs of America’s biggest companies say they expect to hire fewer people and invest less in the next six months owing to lingering worries about the economy. The Business Roundtable on Wednesday said an index that measures CEOs’ outlook […]

November 19, 2019

The economy is clearly facing several challenges, primarily from overseas, but the three rate cuts since July should help sustain growth, said New York Fed President John Williams on Tuesday. “From the domestic point of view, things are strong and […]

November 13, 2019

WASHINGTON — Jerome H. Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, will paint an optimistic picture of the United States economy in testimony before Congress on Wednesday, though he warns that threats to the outlook persist. “In particular, sluggish growth abroad and […]

November 7, 2019

Mortgage rates dropped in the past week after rising in six of the last nine weeks, including most of the month of October. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.69% during the week ending Nov. 7, down three basis points from […]

November 7, 2019

Weekly jobless claims have been so steady, they aren’t on many investors radar as a major report. But if this number suddenly started rising, that’s when it’s time to worry about the economy hitting the skids. So far, there is […]