Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen speaks during a daily news briefing at the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House May 7, in Washington, DC. Alex Wong | Getty Images Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called on Tuesday for business leaders to pay higher taxes to support government stimulus spending, and backed stronger
Economy
Inflation in April accelerated at its fastest pace in more than 12 years as the U.S. economic recovery kicked into gear and energy prices jumped higher, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. The Consumer Price Index, which measures a basket of goods as well as energy and housing costs, rose 4.2% from a year earlier. A
A Walmart worker organizes products for Christmas season at a Walmart store in Teterboro, New Jersey. Eduardo Munoz | Reuters A little inflation might not be such a bad thing, after all. With the Labor Department’s inflation report Wednesday spooking stock markets, and traders blaming rising prices for a broad sell-off in technology shares, attention
Wall Street pioneer Thomas Peterffy told CNBC on Wednesday he was concerned about the prospect of damaging inflation in the U.S., leaning on his personal experiences as a youth in Hungary after World War II. The billionaire Interactive Brokers founder and chairman made his comments on “Squawk Box” shortly after April’s hotter-than-expected Consumer Price Index
Akapong Osotsil / EyeEm | EyeEm | Getty Images Consumer debt edged higher during the first three months of 2021, due primarily to a jump in mortgages and auto loans, the Federal Reserve reported Wednesday. Total household debt balances rose by $85 billion in the first quarter, a 0.6% increase that brought the total level
Workers assemble a three-wheeled electric fun utility vehicle (FUV) at the Arcimoto manufacturing facility in Eugene, Oregon, April 19, 2021. Alisha Jucevic | Bloomberg | Getty Images U.S. producer prices data for April is set to be released at 8:30 am ET Thursday. The Producer Prices Index comes into focus after Wednesday’s consumer prices report
A woman wears a face mask while shopping for a baby shower gift during the Covid-19 pandemic, at Madison’s Niche boutique in Huntington, New York on April 21, 2021. Alejandra Villa Loarca | Newsday | Getty Images There is probably less than meets the eye from the startling inflation pop in April, as goods impacted
Traders look on as a screen shows Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s news conference after the U.S. Federal Reserve interest rates announcement on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., July 31, 2019. Brendan McDermid | Reuters Red-hot consumer inflation data for April spooked markets and raised concerns that
Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic told CNBC on Monday that he’s comfortable with the central bank’s ultra-loose policy even as inflation gains steam in the U.S. economy. “We are still 8 million jobs short of where we were pre-pandemic,” Bostic told CNBC’s Steve Liesman during a “Squawk Box” interview. “Until we make substantial progress
Contractors work on single-family homes under construction in the Cadence Park development of The Great Park Neighborhoods in Irvine, California, on Wednesday, April 14, 2021. Bing Guan | Bloomberg | Getty Images Strong buyer demand is keeping homebuilders confident, but the risk of rising construction material costs continues to weigh on housing affordability. Builder sentiment
A worker on an auto assembly line in Smyrna, Tennessee. Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg/Getty Images The concentration of price pressures in a handful of categories means markets shouldn’t yet be worrying about inflation after Wednesday’s U.S. surprise, economists have told CNBC. The U.S. Consumer Price Index for April rose 4.2% from the same period last year, its
Job growth boomed in March at the fastest pace since last summer, as stronger economic growth and an aggressive vaccination effort contributed to a surge in hospitality and construction jobs, the Labor Department reported Friday. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 916,000 for the month while the unemployment rate fell to 6%. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones
Executive Sous Chef Judith Cooper carves a turkey at Rosa Mexicano’s near Lincoln Center in New York City. Alexi Rosenfeld | Getty Images Americans are beginning to return to the workforce in big numbers, and that is likely to show up in the March employment report. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect to see 675,000
In this article @1YM21M First-time claims for jobless benefits were higher than expected last week, with 719,000 more workers heading to the unemployment line, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The total compared with the 675,000 estimate from Dow Jones and was above last week’s downwardly revised 658,000. Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwards While the number
A sale pending sign is posted in front of a home for sale on July 17, 2014 in San Francisco, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images The U.S. housing market is suffering from its lowest supply in history, and that is taking an increasingly hard toll on sales. Pending home sales, a measure of signed
In the U.S., a consumer that represents 70% of the economy is seen as key to a continued recovery, and confidence surged in March to its highest level since the pandemic began. cihatatceken | iStock | Getty Images Covid cases and variants are rising, but in the race between the vaccines and virus, chief financial
Christopher Waller, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for governor of the Federal Reserve, listens during a Senate Banking Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images The Federal Reserve is not keeping monetary policy easy so the government can continue running up debts and deficits,
Dallas Federal Reserve President Robert Kaplan told CNBC on Tuesday he likely will favor an interest rate increase before the end of 2022. Though he doesn’t see inflation becoming a problem anytime soon, the central bank official said he expects the economy to progress enough to allow for the Fed to start pulling back on