Economy

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

Customers pushing shopping carts shop at a supermarket on April 12, 2022 in San Mateo County, California. Liu Guanguan | China News Service | Getty Images Consumers continued to spend in March even as inflation rose to its highest level since late 1981, according to government data released Thursday. Retail sales climbed 0.5% from the

A contractor uses a hammer while working on townhouse under construction at the PulteGroup Metro housing development in Milpitas, California. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Sharply rising mortgage rates are taking their toll on the nation’s homebuilders, as already pricey new construction becomes even less affordable.  Builder confidence in the market for

Prices that consumers pay on everyday items surged in March to their highest levels since the early days of the Reagan administration, according to Labor Department data released Tuesday. The consumer price index, which measures a wide-ranging basket of goods and services, jumped 8.5% from a year ago on an unadjusted basis, above even the

Miami, Florida, Brickell City Centre shopping mall with Apple Store, Chanel and escalators. Jeff Greenberg | Universal Images Group | Getty Images With as much as 60% of U.S. consumers living paycheck to paycheck, it’s not a surprise to see that the spending cutbacks have started. Even with a strong job market and wage gains,

Lael Brainard, Federal Reserve governor and President Bidens nominee to be the new vice-chair of the Federal Reserve, speaks during her nomination hearing with the Senate Banking Committee on Capitol Hill January 13, 2022 in Washington, DC. Drew Angerer | Getty Images Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard, who normally favors loose policy and low rates,

Amid soaring inflation and worries about a looming recession, the U.S. economy added slightly fewer jobs than expected in March as the labor market grew increasingly tighter. Nonfarm payrolls expanded by 431,000 for the month, while the unemployment rate was 3.6%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been

Just 60 years ago, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were at the height of a Cold War that nearly resulted in nuclear warfare. Today, experts say, the U.S. and its old foe, now Russia, are headed into another one. But it won’t be the same. “I think the second Cold War has already started,”

Prospective home buyers arrive with a realtor to a house for sale in Dunlap, Illinois. Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images A sharp increase in mortgage interest rates is taking its toll on loan demand, especially refinances. Total mortgage application volume fell 8.1% last week compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell addresses an online only news conference in a frame grab from U.S. Federal Reserve video broadcast from the Federal Reserve building in Washington, U.S., January 26, 2022. U.S. Federal Reserve | via Reuters Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Monday vowed tough action on inflation, which he said jeopardizes