• August 17, 2017
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The Federal Reserve engaged in an intense debate in July about the path of U.S. inflation after a spate of surprisingly low readings, raising questions about whether the central bank will raise interest rates again this year. The Fed’s policy-setting group appeared more unified on a plan to announce in September a long-awaited drawdown of

• August 17, 2017
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The number of Americans who sought unemployment benefits in mid-August fell to the lowest level in six months, mirroring the strongest U.S. labor market in almost two decades. Initial jobless claims in the period running from Aug. 6 to Aug. 12 declined by 12,000 to 232,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s the lowest level

• August 16, 2017
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Most senior Federal Reserve officials wanted to wait until an “upcoming” meeting to unveil a long-awaited selloff of the central bank’s $4.5 trillion in bond holdings, hinting at an announcement in September, according to minutes of the Fed’s meeting in July. The Fed also engaged in a deep debate over surprisingly low inflation readings, with

• August 16, 2017
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Builders broke ground on fewer homes in July, but new-home construction continues to grind slowly and steadily higher, supporting a gradually improving housing market. Housing starts ran at a 1.16 million seasonally adjusted annual rate, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. That’s 4.8% below June’s pace, and 5.6% lower compared to a year ago.

• August 15, 2017
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Sentiment among homebuilders rebounded in August after tumbling to an 8-month low in the prior month, according to an industry report out Tuesday. The monthly confidence gauge from the National Association of Home Builders jumped four points to a reading of 68.

• August 15, 2017
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Sales at retailers nationwide jumped 0.6% last month, the government said Tuesday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had forecast a 0.4% increase. A mysterious decline in spending at the end of the second quarter, meanwhile, vanished after fresh government revisions based on newly incorporated sales data. Retail sales actually rose 0.3% in June instead of falling

• August 15, 2017
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The New York Fed’s Empire State manufacturing index surged 15 points to 25.2, its highest in nearly three years. Economists had forecast an unchanged reading, to 9.8, on a scale in which any reading over zero indicates improvement in business conditions. The index’s sub-gauges were also strong. The shipments gauge rose 1.9 points to 12.4,

• August 11, 2017
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St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said Wednesday that Fed officials have been surprised by the low inflation readings this year. He and a minority of other Fed officials want the Fed to pause from its gradual rate hikes until inflation moves higher. Fed officials had been confident that inflation would hit the 2% target

• August 11, 2017
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U.S. consumer prices remained soft for the fifth straight month in July, raising more questions about whether inflation will eventually rise to hit the Federal Reserve’s 2% annual rate target. The consumer price index rose a seasonally adjusted 0.1% in July, the Labor Department said Friday. Food prices rose 0.2% in July while energy prices

• August 10, 2017
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Treasury yields lost further ground on Wednesday, as a weak reading for wholesale inflation clouded the third-quarter economic outlook and the picture for one more rate hike this year, which can be bearish on bonds.