• April 18, 2017
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Kansas City Fed President Esther George on Tuesday said she supports the continuation of the normalization of interest rates, even as she acknowledges it’s unclear how markets will react to the Fed beginning to reduce its $4.5 trillion balance sheet. “It is difficult to know with a high degree of confidence just how the economy

• April 18, 2017
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Treasury prices rallied on Tuesday, pushing yields lower, as geopolitical concerns draw money flows into U.S. government bonds. Yields for 10-year Treasury notes slipped 3.8 basis points to 2.210% in early Tuesday trading, heading back toward the November lows reached on Monday.

• April 17, 2017
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“My tentative conclusion from market responses to the limited amount of discussion of the process of reducing the size of our balance sheet that has taken place so far is that we appear less likely to face major market disturbances now than we did in the case of the taper tantrum,” Fischer said. “But, of

• April 16, 2017
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Disappointments on both inflation and retail sales for March might give reason for Federal Reserve officials to think twice about their plan to ratchet up rates as many as three more times this year. The next policy move from the Fed will likely come in June and will likely be followed by another rate hike

• April 14, 2017
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The cost of goods and services for American consumers fell in March for the first time in more than a year, reflecting a decline in gasoline prices that’s put a halt for now to rising inflation. The consumer price index, or cost of living, fell by a seasonally adjusted 0.3% last month. Economists had forecast

• April 14, 2017
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Sales at U.S. retailers fell in March for the second month in a row, marking the worst two-month stretch in two years. Sales at retailers nationwide declined 0.2% last month, a touch less than the 0.3% drop forecast.

• April 13, 2017
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U.S. inflation at the wholesale level fell in March for the first time in seven months, owing to lower costs for services such as investment advice as well as cheaper fuel for cars and homes. The producer price index slipped 0.1% last month to mark the first decline since August.

• April 13, 2017
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Initial jobless claims were essentially unchanged at 234,000 in early April, holding near extremely low levels that show the U.S. labor market is going strong despite a slowdown in hiring last month.

• April 13, 2017
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A gauge of consumer sentiment improved in April, as most Americans were upbeat about current conditions, although the partisan divide about the outlook for the economy remains stark. Consumer sentiment rose to 98 in a preliminary April reading, compared with March’s final result of 96.0.

• April 13, 2017
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Rates for home loans fell in line with Treasury yields, nudging mortgage rates to the lowest level of the year. The 10-year Treasury yield fell five basis points during the week as investors continue to re-assess the expectations for fiscal stimulus and economic growth that followed the November election even as fresh geopolitical worries flared.