Inflation
Fed holds rates steady, takes less confident view on inflation
Key Points The Federal Reserve left unchanged its overnight borrowing rate in a range between 4.25%-4.5%. The decision followed three straight cuts since September 2024. The post-meeting statement offered a somewhat more optimistic view on the labor market while dropping a key reference from the December statement that inflation “has made progress toward” the Fed’s […]
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European Central Bank to cut rates again with Trump threat and U.S. divergence in focus
The European Central Bank is widely expected to kick off its 2025 meetings with another interest rate cut on Thursday, as traders aim to gauge how far the central bank is willing to diverge from a stalled Federal Reserve. Money markets on Wednesday were pricing in 35 basis points worth of rate cuts for the […]
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The Fed meets for the first time since Trump’s term started. Here’s what to expect
US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks at a press conference after the Monetary Policy Committee meeting in Washington, DC, on December 18, 2024. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images The Federal Reserve gathers this week for the first time in the second presidential term of Donald Trump, who has already signaled that he […]
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British firms have been plagued by profit warnings and sliding output — and many aren’t hopeful for an imminent recovery
A woman walks along Waterloo Bridge past the City of London skyline, the capital’s financial district, as the sky clears following several weeks of mostly gloomy weather. (Photo by Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images British businesses are expecting more price rises, further hiring cutbacks and continued output […]
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Airlines flex pricing power, signaling higher fares in 2025
Travelers walk through O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on December 20, 2024 ahead of the upcoming Christmas holiday. Kamil Krzaczynski | AFP | Getty Images Higher airfare is in store this year as strong demand, even during the dead of winter, and limited capacity growth prompt airlines to flex their pricing power. Fare-tracking platform […]
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President Donald Trump says he’ll ‘demand that interest rates drop immediately’
President Donald Trump lobbed his first volley at the Federal Reserve, saying Thursday that he will apply pressure to bring down interest rates. Speaking via video to an assembly of global leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the new president in a wide-ranging policy speech did not mention the Fed by name […]
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European markets set to resume rally as investors await more economic data
European markets are set to open in positive territory on Friday, setting the region’s stocks up for a weekly rise following one of the best trading sessions in four months on Wednesday. London’s FTSE 100 is expected to open 130 points higher at 8,431, according to IG, while the German DAX index is set to […]
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Fed Governor Waller sees potential for multiple interest rate cuts in 2025
Key Points Fed Governor Christopher Waller told CNBC on Thursday that the central bank could lower interest rates multiple times this year if inflation eases as he is expecting. “As long as the data comes in good on inflation or continues on that path, then I can certainly see rate cuts happening sooner than maybe […]
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Here’s the inflation breakdown for December 2024 — in one chart
Key Points The consumer price index, an inflation gauge, rose 2.9% on an annual basis in December. That’s up from 2.7% in November. Energy, food, new and used vehicles, car insurance and airline fares were among the contributors to the increase. There was some good news: “Core” CPI saw disinflation, as did shelter prices. Source
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Core inflation rate slows to 3.2% in December, less than expected
Prices that consumers pay for a variety of goods and services rose again in December but closed out 2024 with some mildly better news on inflation, particularly on housing. The consumer price index increased a seasonally adjusted 0.4% on the month, putting the 12-month inflation rate at 2.9%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. […]
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