Economy

U.S. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell takes questions after the Federal Reserve raised its target interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point to stem a disruptive surge in inflation, during a news conference following a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) in Washington, June 15, 2022. Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters

The exterior of the Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building is seen in Washington, D.C., June 14, 2022. Sarah Silbiger | Reuters After years of being a beacon for financial markets, the Federal Reserve suddenly finds itself second-guessed as it tries to navigate the economy through a wicked bout of inflation and away from

In this article ULTA M UAL AAL DAL LYV QSR-CA DPZ GM F TAP WEN RDFN MCD TGT A woman pushes a shopping cart through the grocery aisle at Target in Annapolis, Maryland, on May 16, 2022, as Americans brace for summer sticker shock as inflation continues to grow. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen testifies before a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on President Biden’s proposed 2023 U.S. budget, on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 8, 2022. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters The recession that many Americans fear is coming is not “at all imminent,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday. Talk of a

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Xinhua News Agency | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday the central bank could raise interest rates by a similar magnitude at the next policy meeting in July as it did in June. “From the perspective of today, either a 50 basis point

The U.S. economy added 390,000 jobs in May, better than expected despite fears of an economic slowdown and a roaring pace of inflation, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. At the same time, the unemployment rate held at 3.6%, just above the lowest level since December 1969. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been

Cleveland Federal Reserve President Loretta Mester said Friday that she doesn’t see ample evidence that inflation has peaked and thus is on board with a series of aggressive interest rate increases ahead. “I think the Fed has shown that we’re in the process of recalibrating our policy to get inflation back down to our 2%

Contractors work on concrete slabs in the Cielo at Sand Creek by Century Communities housing development in Antioch, California, on Thursday, March 31, 2022. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Builder sentiment in the market for single-family homes fell sharply in May, as mortgage rates shot higher and building material costs showed no

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell emphasized his resolve to get inflation down, saying Tuesday he won’t hesitate to back interest rate increases until prices start falling back toward a healthy level. “If that involves moving past broadly understood levels of neutral we won’t hesitate to do that,” the central bank leader told the Wall Street

A sign of a home for sale is pictured in Alhambra, California on May 4, 2022. Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images Mortgage rates actually fell slightly last week, but the damage has already been done to housing affordability. Both refinance and purchase loan demand dropped, pulling total mortgage application volume down 11%

A woman rides an electric bike past a gas station as current gasoline prices continues to climb close to record setting territory in Encinitas, California, May 9, 2022. Mike Blake | Reuters U.S. households are now spending the equivalent of $5,000 a year on gasoline, up from $2,800 a year ago, according to Yardeni Research.

Corporate executives are taking a dim view of their prospects, with a majority now expecting a recession ahead, according to a closely watched business survey released Wednesday. The Conference Board measure of CEO sentiment showed that 57% of respondents expect inflation to come down “over the next few years” but the economy to sustain a

Shoppers inside a grocery store in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Monday, May 2, 2022.  David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images April’s consumer price index report is expected to show inflation has already reached a peak — a development that some investors say could temporarily soothe markets. But economists say, even with a

Christopher Waller, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for governor of the Federal Reserve, speaks during a Senate Banking Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S, on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller pledged Tuesday that the rate-setting group wouldn’t make the same mistakes on inflation

Jerome Powell, Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, attends the National Association of Business Economicseconomic policy conference in Washington, D.C, United States on March 21, 2022. Yasin Ozturk | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images The Federal Reserve is tasked with slowing the U.S. economy enough to control inflation but not so much that it tips

A “now hiring” sign is posted in the window of an ice cream shop in Los Angeles, California on January 28, 2022. Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images Employment openings exceeded the level of available workers by 5.6 million in March while a record number of people quit their jobs, the Labor Department

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell affirmed the central bank’s determination to bring down inflation and said Thursday that aggressive rate hikes are possible as soon as next month. “It is appropriate in my view to be moving a little more quickly” to raise interest rates, Powell said while part of an International Monetary Fund panel.

Cleveland Federal Reserve President Loretta Mester said Friday she’s in favor of raising interest rates quickly to bring down inflation, but not so quickly as to disrupt the economic recovery. That means a strong likelihood of backing a 50 basis point rate hike at the next Fed meeting and perhaps a few more after, but