The 119th Congress began, as it so often has in recent years, with calls from Republican politicians for wrestling down the national debt, which is near a record level relative to the size of the economy. But this time, the G.O.P. had company: Progressive economists and budget wonks, who have … Read more
The Federal Reserve is expected to keep its key rate steady on Wednesday, after a series of cuts that lowered rates by a full percentage point last year. And with inflation ticking slightly higher, economists do not expect another cut for a while, which has implications for rates on credit … Read more
At the Federal Reserve’s final gathering of 2024, Chair Jerome H. Powell announced that the U.S. central bank was embarking on a “new phase” in how it would set interest rates. The Fed planned to “move cautiously” with cuts going forward, Mr. Powell told reporters at the time, reflecting officials’ … Read more
When House Republicans gathered behind closed doors on Capitol Hill last week to hash out their plans for cutting taxes, Representative David Schweikert, an Arizona Republican, sounded a note of caution. The United States’ fiscal problems were at risk of spiraling out of control, Mr. Schweikert told his colleagues. He … Read more
Seven years ago, when Republicans passed the most significant overhaul of the tax code in a generation, they were sure the law would supercharge investment, raise wages and shift the American economy into a higher gear. So did it? The answer, at least for now, is largely lost to history. … Read more
Employers stuck the landing in 2024, finishing the year with a bounce of hiring after a summer slowdown and an autumn marred by disruption. The economy added 256,000 jobs in December, seasonally adjusted, the Labor Department reported on Friday. The number handily beat expectations after two years of cooling in … Read more
Consumers are feeling the effects of higher prices, not higher inflation, Powell says Powell thinks that consumers are feeling the effect of high prices, rather than of high inflation. “We understand very well that prices went up by a great deal, and people really feel that, and it’s prices of … Read more
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday will make its final interest rate decision of 2024, capping a year during which the central bank provided some financial relief to inflation-weary borrowers in September by ushering in its first rate reduction in four years. On Dec. 18, the Federal Reserve is likely to … Read more
Tommy | Digitalvision Vectors | Getty Images Dozens of the largest U.S. retailers and their bank partners jacked up interest rates on their store-branded cards to record highs in the months before the Federal Reserve began cutting rates, as the companies looked to pad profits during a stretch of sluggish … Read more
The Federal Reserve Building in Washington, D.C. Joshua Roberts | Reuters The Federal Reserve announced Thursday that it will lower its benchmark rate by a quarter point, or 25 basis points, less than two days after President-elect Donald Trump won the 2024 election. Economic uncertainty was a prevailing mood heading into … Read more
