Category: Announcements

• December 14, 2017
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Initial U.S. jobless claims, a tool to measure layoffs, fell by 11,000 to 225,000 in the seven days ended Dec 9. That’s just a few shades above the postrecession low. Economists surveyed had forecast claims to total 235,000. The more stable monthly average of claims slipped by 6,750 to 234,750, the government said Thursday The

• December 14, 2017
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The U.S. import price index jumped 0.7% in November, once again spurred by rising oil prices. Excluding fuel, import prices were unchanged, the government said Thursday. The increase in import prices over the past 12 months rose to 3.1% from 2.3%. If fuel is omitted, the increase in import prices over the past year was

• December 14, 2017
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U.S. retail sales increased more than expected in November. The holiday shopping season got off to a brisk start, pointing to sustained strength in the economy. The Commerce Department said on Thursday that retail sales rose 0.8 percent last month.

• December 13, 2017
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The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised a key short-term U.S. interest rate to a range of 1.25% to 1.5%, but in a sign of caution the central bank stuck to its earlier forecast for just three 1/4-point rate hikes in 2018. The Fed made no change to its inflation forecast, reflecting the persistent worry among

• December 14, 2017
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The European Central Bank on Thursday made no changes to policy, keeping its deposit rate at negative 0.4% and its main refinancing rate at 0%. The bank reiterated its guidance that rates will “remain at their present levels for an extended period of time, and well past the horizon of the net asset purchases.” The

• December 14, 2017
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The Bank of England on Thursday left its key interest rate at 0.5%, meeting widely held expectations after the central bank in November raised the rate for the first time in a decade. The Monetary Policy Committee voted 9-0 to leave the rate steady. The central bank left unchanged the size of its asset purchase

• December 14, 2017
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China’s central bank followed a U.S. interest-rate increase with its own move Thursday to blunt the effect of higher U.S. rates on the Chinese economy, which cooled again in November. The People’s Bank of China on Thursday raised two key short-term interest rates. Economists say they expect the world’s second-largest economy to struggle against soaring

• December 13, 2017
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The Federal Reserve on Wednesday lifted a key U.S. interest rate and struck a wait-and-see stance that takes into account weak inflation and a change in leadership at the central bank. The central bank as expected on Wednesday raised its benchmark federal-funds rate by a quarter percentage point to between 1.25% and 1.5% — the

• December 13, 2017
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The consumer price index climbed 0.4% in November, matching the forecast. Three-quarters of the increase reflected higher gas prices. The so-called core rate of inflation that strips out food and energy rose a smaller 0.1%. The yearly rate of inflation as measured by the CPI rose to 2.2% from 2%. The more closely followed core

• December 13, 2017
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The producer price index in November surged 0.4% for the third straight month, matching the forecast. The increase was broad based. Another measure preferred by economists, known as core PPI, also rose a 0.4%. The core rate strips out food, energy and trade margins. The increase in the PPI pushed the 12-month rate of wholesale