Economy

WASHINGTON — After weeks of defending his economic policies against critics who blame them for overheating the economy, President Joe Biden went on the offensive Thursday, arguing that rising wages are a sign his agenda is boosting the fortunes of working Americans. “The bottom line is this: The Biden economic plan is working,” said the

Dallas Federal Reserve President Robert Kaplan cited potential excesses in the housing market and other inflation signs as an indication that the central bank should start slowly pulling back on its asset purchase program. With the Fed still buying at least $120 billion in bonds each month, a total that includes $40 billion in mortgage-backed

A key inflation indicator rose 3.1% in April, faster than expected, as price pressures built in the rapidly expanding U.S. economy, the Commerce Department reported Friday. The core personal consumption expenditures index was forecast to increase 2.9%. Federal Reserve officials consider the measure to be the best gauge for inflation, though they watch a number

The U.S. jobs market edged closer to its pre-pandemic self last week as initial jobless claims totaled just 406,000 for the week ended May 22, the Labor Department reported Thursday. While that level is still well above the norm before Covid-19 struck in March 2020, it is the closest to the previous trend since the

A slight increase in mortgage interest rates was enough to tank refinances and bring down overall demand. Total mortgage application volume fell 4.2% last week from the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($548,250 or less) increased

A real estate broker, right, gives a tour for potential home buyers during an open house in Manhattan Beach, California. Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg | Getty Images Home prices in March were 13.2% higher in March, compared with March 2020, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price Index. That’s up from the

US Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard attends a “Fed Listens” event at the Federal Reserve headquarters in Washington, DC, on October 4, 2019. Eric Baradat | AFP | Getty Images Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard pressed the case for a digital dollar, saying Monday that a cryptocurrency backed by the central bank could provide a

Fresh waves of Covid-19 cases in major manufacturing hubs in Asia could hit global supply chains — and that could cause inflation to rise quicker in the U.S., a business consultant said Wednesday. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam are among Asian manufacturing economies that have reported a renewed Covid outbreak in the last few

The procession of Americans heading to the unemployment line fell last week, with jobless claims totaling a fresh pandemic-era low of 444,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economist surveyed by Dow Jones had been expecting 452,000 new claims as the jobs picture improves thanks to an accelerated economic reopening across the country. The total represented

Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images Sales of existing homes dropped 2.7% in April from March to a seasonally adjusted, annualized rate of 5.85 million units, according to the National Association of Realtors. It was the third straight month of declines, the group said. Sales were 33.9% higher than April of 2020, but that

Lisa Cook, associate professor at the Michigan State University, arrives for dinner during the Jackson Hole economic symposium, sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, in Moran, Wyoming, on Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images The Democratic chairman of the Senate Banking Committee sees economist Lisa Cook,

A woman wearing a face mask rides a scooter past the U.S. Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Jan. 27, 2021. Lie Jie | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images The Federal Reserve is moving forward in its efforts to develop its own digital currency, announcing Thursday that it will release a

Federal Reserve officials at their April meeting said a strong pickup in economic activity would warrant discussions about tightening monetary policy, according to minutes from the session released Wednesday. “A number of participants suggested that if the economy continued to make rapid progress toward the Committee’s goals, it might be appropriate at some point in

A real estate agent stands in the doorway as Giovani and Nicole Quiroz of Brooklyn, New York visit an open house in West Hempstead, New York on April 18, 2021. Raychel Brightman | Newsday LLC | Newsday | Getty Images Sky-high home prices mean demand for ever bigger mortgages, but those prices may also be

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

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