Economy

A key inflation measure showed that prices rose at their fastest level in nearly 39 years, but it didn’t deter consumers from spending aggressively, the Commerce Department reported Friday. The core personal consumption expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve’s primary inflation gauge, rose 5.2% from a year ago, slightly more than the 5.1% Dow Jones

Weekly jobless claims came in slightly less than expected last week and economic growth to end 2021 was slightly better than originally reported, according to government data released Thursday. Initial filings for unemployment insurance totaled 232,000 for the week ended Feb. 19, the Labor Department said. That was a touch below the 235,000 Dow Jones

James Bullard Olivia Michael | CNBC NEW YORK — St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard cautioned Thursday that without central bank action on interest rates, inflation could become an even more serious problem. “We’re at more risk now than we’ve been in a generation that this could get out of control,” he said during

A sold sign is posted in front of a home in Phoenix, Arizona. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Sales of previously owned homes in January rose 6.7% from December to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 6.5 million units, according to the National Association of Realtors. That exceeded Wall Street expectations significantly. Sales were 2.3%

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell leaves a meeting in the office of Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., in Hart Building on Wednesday, October 6, 2021. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images There may be plenty of reasons to confirm President Joe Biden’s nominees to the Federal Reserve, but economists say concern that

A view of the Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve building on January 26, 2022 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images Federal Reserve officials won’t be able to trade a slew of assets including stocks and bonds — as well as cryptocurrencies — under new rules that became formal Friday. Following up on regulations

A couple look at houses for sale in the window of William H. Brown estate agents. Getty Images Homebuyers are facing one of the priciest housing markets in history, and that means they need larger mortgages than ever before. While mortgage demand is falling, due to rising interest rates, the size of the average purchase

Consumer spending bounced back sharply in January as rising inflation and a post-holiday surge kept cash registers ringing, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. Retail sales for the month rose 3.8%, much better than the 2.1% Dow Jones estimate. The numbers are not adjusted for inflation, so the 7.5% rise in the consumer price index for

A worker makes repairs to a home under construction at the Lennar Bridgeway home development on December 15, 2021 in Newark, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Supply chain issues for homebuilders appear to be getting worse, and that is weighing on confidence in the industry. Builder confidence in the single-family, newly built housing market

In this article BAC Bank Of America CEO Brian Moynihan is interviewed by Jack Otter during “Barron’s Roundtable” at Fox Business Network Studios on January 09, 2020 in New York City. John Lamparski | Getty Images U.S. consumers are spending more money while also growing savings in a positive sign for the economy, according to

Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) questions Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Federal Reserve Chairman Powell during a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on the CARES Act, at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, September 28, 2021. Kevin Dietsch | Pool | Reuters A Republican boycott Tuesday held up a Senate committee

Joe Raedle | Getty Images News | Getty Images The latest Consumer Price Index reading, the highest in four decades, isn’t the only sign that inflation is extending rather than giving up its hold over the U.S. economy in 2022. An increasing number of American small businesses say they are now passing on higher costs

St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard made his case for a rapid move higher in interest rates, saying Monday that the central bank needs to react to accelerating inflation. “I do think we need to front-load more of our planned removal of accommodation than we would have previously. We’ve been surprised to the upside

San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President Mary Daly poses at the bank’s headquarters in San Francisco, California, July 16, 2019. Ann Saphir | Reuters The Federal Reserve should be measured in its path to raise interest rates, San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly said on Sunday. “It is obvious that we need to pull some

The sign at the McDonald’s restaurant on Penn Ave in Sinking Spring, PA April 8, 2021 with a message on a board below it that reads “Work Here $15 And Free Meals”. Ben Hast | MediaNews Group | Getty Images Too much of a good thing, in the form of rapidly rising wages, is expected

People shop at a Los Angeles retail outlet on Jan. 28, 2022. FREDERIC J. BROWN | AFP | Getty Images High inflation overshadowed a big increase in wages over the past year, amounting to a nearly 2% smaller paycheck for the average worker, according to federal data published Thursday. Employers have raised wages at about

Gasoline prices are displayed at a Los Angeles gas station on Feb. 8, 2022. Mario Tama | Getty Images As inflation climbs to historic highs, rising gasoline and other consumer prices are among Americans’ top concerns, a survey finds. Yet more than one-third of respondents — 35% — have no investment account or any investments

The Federal Reserve building in Washington, January 26, 2022. Joshua Roberts | Reuters Several Federal Reserve officials, both privately and publicly, are pushing back against calls by St. Louis Fed President Jim Bullard Thursday for super-sized rate hikes, and instead suggesting the central bank is likely to embark initially on a more measured path. The