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,
Economy
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
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a virtual roundtable event with participants from local Black Chambers of Commerce on February 5, 2021 in Washington, DC. Drew Angerer | Getty Images Banks have improved their capital positions and should be allowed to continue to buy back their own shares, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Wednesday. Regulators
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell prepares for a House Financial Services Committee hearing on “Oversight of the Treasury Department’s and Federal Reserve’s Pandemic Response” in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 2, 2020. Jim Lo Scalzo | Reuters Powerful fiscal help from Congress combined with accelerated vaccine distribution has allowed the
First-time claims for unemployment insurance unexpectedly fell sharply last week amid signs that hiring has picked up in the U.S. economy, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Claims totaled 684,000 for the week ended March 20, the first time the number has been below 700,000 during the Covid-19 era. The level was a substantial decline from
A contractor frames a house under construction in Lehi, Utah, U.S., on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. Private residential construction in the U.S. rose 2.7% in November. George Frey | Bloomberg | Getty Images Sales of newly built homes fell more than expected in February, as builders faced higher costs and persistent delays, and, consequently, raised
A worker walks on the roof of a new home under construction in Carlsbad, California. Mike Blake | Reuters Higher mortgage rates do not appear to be dampening demand for home purchases but are crimping refinance volume. Mortgage applications to purchase a home rose 3% last week from the previous week, according to the Mortgage
The Federal Reserve has taken another step forward in efforts to ensure that the financial system is protected against climate risks. As the central bank turns its attention increasingly toward the matter, the Fed has created a Financial Stability Climate Committee and a Supervision Climate Committee. The panels will focus on “the potential for complex
Pedestrians walk outside the New York Stock Exchange in the U.S. Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images The U.S. economy is recovering from the Covid-19 recession, but some economic “scarring” may take a long time to heal, said Richmond Federal Reserve Bank President Thomas Barkin. Economic scarring refers to damage left behind by crises
Single-family homes are seen in this aerial photograph taken over a Lennar Corp. development in San Diego, California. Bing Guan | Bloomberg | Getty Images Closed sales of existing homes in February dropped a larger-than-expected 6.6% compared with January, according to the National Association of Realtors. That put them at a seasonally adjusted, annualized rate
Gas prices are displayed at a Speedway gas station on March 03, 2021 in Martinez, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images One of the main reasons Federal Reserve officials don’t fear inflation these days is the belief that they have tools to deploy should it become a problem. Those tools, however, come with a cost,
The Federal Reserve on Friday declined to extend a pandemic-era rule that relaxed the amount of capital banks had to maintain against Treasurys and other holdings, in a move that could upset Wall Street and the bond market. In a brief announcement, the Fed said it would allow a change to the supplementary leverage ratio
A contractor works on a house under construction at the Norton Commons subdivision in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S., on Monday, March 8, 2021. Luke Sharrett | Bloomberg | Getty Images A monthly index measuring homebuilder confidence in the single-family housing market fell, as builders face rising interest rates and rising costs for materials, especially lumber. The
The Federal Reserve building is pictured in Washington on Monday, March 8, 2021. Caroline Brehman | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images The Federal Reserve on Wednesday dialed up its economic growth expectations but signaled that there are no expected interest rate hikes for the next two years. The so-called dot plot projections budged little