Less than a year ago, the Federal Reserve took decisive action to bolster the U.S. economy. With inflation easing and the labor market starting to soften, the central bank opted to go big, lowering interest rates by half a percentage point and signaling further cuts to come. Rather than a …
More companies are starting to warn that they will have to pass on higher costs to American consumers, raising prices for products like strollers, mattresses, power tools and cast-iron cookware as President Trump’s tariffs take hold. Some company officials said they had been left with no choice but to raise …
When the Covid pandemic hit, factories in China shut down and global shipping traffic slowed. Within a matter of a few weeks, products began disappearing from U.S. store shelves and American firms that depend on foreign materials were going out of business. A similar trend is beginning to play out, …
Small-ticket items shipped to the United States from China will no longer be exempt from tariffs starting on Friday, when a decision by President Trump to shutter a shipping loophole he calls a “scam” takes effect. The move is expected to send ripples through the economy as American consumers, who …
The chaotic start to President Trump’s second term roiled the economy at the beginning of the year, as consumers and businesses scrambled to react to a constant stream of tariff announcements and policy shifts. The policies, and the uncertainty they created, were enough to push economic growth into reverse in …
President Trump has expressed little interest in fighting climate change. One of his key cabinet officials has even sought to evaluate whether humanity benefits from a warming climate, in a bid to undermine environmental rules. Yet even as he works to accelerate oil and gas production, Mr. Trump’s economic approach …
There are not many certainties in the world of money, but this traditionally has been one of them: When life turns scary, people take refuge in American government bonds. Investors buy U.S. Treasuries on the assumption that, come what may — financial panic, war, natural disaster — the federal government …
Inflation cooled unexpectedly sharply in March, a welcome development given the uncertainties surrounding President Trump’s global tariffs, which are widely expected to stoke price pressures while also denting growth. The Consumer Price Index climbed 2.4 percent last month from a year earlier, a far slower pace than February’s 2.8 percent …
Investors around the globe this week sent President Trump a clear message about his new tariff policy, announced triumphantly as a remaking of the economic order. They don’t like it. The S&P 500 fell 6 percent on Friday, bringing its losses for the week to 9.1 percent. Stocks hadn’t fallen …
Follow the latest news on the Trump administration. President Trump’s sweeping tariffs are expected to raise the cost of cars, electronics, metals, lumber, pharmaceuticals and other products that American consumers and businesses buy from overseas. But Mr. Trump and his advisers are betting that it can sell an inflation-weary public …