When Elected Leaders Pursue Risky Policies, What Can Stop Them?

When Elected Leaders Pursue Risky Policies, What Can Stop Them?

It has been a chaotic few weeks in geopolitics. At the beginning of the month, President Trump announced tariffs that threw the global economy into turmoil. Investors panicked, stock markets plunged, and analysts predicted an imminent recession. Mr. Trump insisted that he would not change course, even as trillions of …

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Trump Has Added Risk to the Surest Bet in Global Finance

Trump Has Added Risk to the Surest Bet in Global Finance

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 …

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Bessent Takes Tricky Center Stage as Trade Wars Roil U.S. Economy

Bessent Takes Tricky Center Stage as Trade Wars Roil U.S. Economy

The traditional gathering of former Treasury secretaries to welcome a newly minted one into the fold is usually a lighthearted and pleasant affair. But when the group convened this month, on President Trump’s “Liberation Day,” the tone was strikingly serious. The dinner, organized by former Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin, …

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6 Ways to Calm Your Anxiety When Economic Stress Flares

6 Ways to Calm Your Anxiety When Economic Stress Flares

Even before this year’s economic turmoil hit, financial anxiety among Americans was running high. Really high. Four out of five Americans in a survey for Discover last year said they were worried about their money situation, with inflation, everyday expenses and the state of the economy leading a litany of …

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Markets Worry About Finding an Exit From Trump’s Trade Fight

Markets Worry About Finding an Exit From Trump’s Trade Fight

The trade battle intensifies There’s no letup in sight to the trade war: This morning, China raised its tariffs on U.S. imports yet again. Beijing said it would not make economic sense to raise them further, and called the Trump administration’s dizzying tariffs barrage “a joke.” And this morning, Tesla …

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Inflation Eased in March but Tariffs Raise Risk of Higher Prices

Inflation Eased in March but Tariffs Raise Risk of Higher Prices

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 …

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