U.S. jobless claims remain near lowest level in decades

  • June 8, 2017
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Initial jobless claims dropped by 10,000 to 245,000 in the seven days stretching from May 28 to June 3. Initial claims count people who apply for benefits after losing their jobs. New applications for benefits have registered less than 300,000 for 118 straight weeks, the longest run since the early 1970s. The more accurate four-week

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U.S. wholesale inflation eases in May but still elevated, PPI shows

  • April 13, 2017
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Lower costs of gasoline and other fuels kept wholesale U.S. inflation in check in May, but upward pressure on prices persisted in many areas of an economy whose expansion is the third longest in modern times. The producer price index was flat last month following a sharp 0.5% increase in April. Economists had predicted no

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The Fed’s Janet Yellen could use some target practice

  • July 11, 2017
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Ever since the Federal Reserve adopted an explicit inflation target of 2% in 2012, the central bank has had limited success in hitting it. Only once, in fact, in the months between April 2012 and today, did the year-over-year increase in the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index breach 2%.

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Inflation falls again in May as CPI recedes from recent high-water mark

  • June 14, 2017
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The cost of goods and services for American consumers fell in May for the second time in three months as inflation continued to recede from a recent high-water mark. The consumer price index, or cost of living, fell by a seasonally adjusted 0.1% last month, the government said Wednesday.. A big drop in gasoline prices

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U.S. retail sales in May are weakest in 16 months

  • June 14, 2017
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Sales at retailers nationwide sank 0.3% last month, the biggest drop since January 2016. The May sales report was generally weak across the board. Economists polled had forecast flat sales in May. The reversal last month unwound much of the strength in April when sales jumped 0.4%. April sales benefited from a late Easter holiday

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Fed boosts key interest rate to 1-1.25 percent

  • June 14, 2017
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At the conclusion of its two-day policy meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee moved its benchmark interest rate higher by 0.25 percentage point to between 1% and 1.25%, as had been widely expected on Wall Street.

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Small-business sentiment falls as economic expectations slide sharply

  • July 11, 2017
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Small-business sentiment fell again in June as business owners grew increasingly frustrated with Washington gridlock. The monthly sentiment tracker from the National Federation of Independent Business ticked down 0.9 points to 103.6, the fifth-straight month of declines or unchanged readings. The index now sits halfway between its pre-election reading of 98.4, and 105.8, the level

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Hiring in May strongest since 2004, Jolts shows

  • July 11, 2017
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The number of job openings in the U.S. fell sharply in May as companies hired the most people since 2004, a survey of the labor market shows. Job openings fell by 301,000 in May to 5.66 million, just one month after reaching the second highest level ever, the federal government reported Tuesday.

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Fed raises rates by 0.25%

  • June 14, 2017
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The Fed still believe gradual rate hikes are warranted. We saw 12 out of 16 Fed members can see one more rate hikes this year. They did lower their inflation expectations and said they would begin to unwind their balance sheet in the 4th QTR. This is not a major shock to the system, but

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Treasury yields try to climb from 2017 lows

  • June 15, 2017
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U.S. Treasury yields rose slightly on Thursday, with the 10-year benchmark note attempting to coming off its lowest level in 2017 after the Federal Reserve delivered its fourth interest-rate hike in about 18 months and outlined plans to unwind its $4.5 trillion balance sheet.

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