Friday’s jobs report will be big signal for market seeking good news

A now hiring sign is posted in front of a U-Haul rental center on November 03, 2023 in San Rafael, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images When the December jobs report is released Friday morning, markets will be looking for a number that hits a sweet spot between not so robust as to trigger more … Read more

The U.S. avoided a recession in 2023. What’s the outlook for 2024?

Grocery items are offered for sale at a supermarket on August 09, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois.  Scott Olson | Getty Images Heading into 2023, the predictions were nearly unanimous: a recession was coming. As the year comes to a close, the forecasted economic downturn did not arrive. So what’s in store for 2024? An economic … Read more

Fed sparks irrational market optimism on possible rate cuts: Sheila Bair

Market optimism over the potential for interest rate cuts next year is dangerously overdone, according to former FDIC Chair Sheila Bair. Bair, who ran the FDIC during the 2008 financial crisis, suggested Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell was irresponsibly dovish at last week’s policy meeting by creating “irrational exuberance” among investors. “The focus still needs … Read more

Why bringing down inflation different this time, according to Powell

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a press conference following a closed two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee on interest rate policy at the Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 13, 2023. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters Fed Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday that the unique economic conditions created by the Covid-19 … Read more

Federal Reserve may not hike interest rates. What that means for you

Credit card rates top 20% Most credit cards come with a variable rate, which has a direct connection to the Fed’s benchmark rate. After the previous rate hikes, the average credit card rate is now more than 20% — an all-time high. Further, with most people feeling strained by higher prices, balances are higher and more cardholders are carrying debt … Read more

Recession indicator could also be ‘damaged odometer’ for economic system, says knowledgeable

Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty Pictures Specialists have been pointing to a coming downturn for the U.S. economic system. The query was when. Now, nonetheless, some companies and specialists are strolling again these predictions, calling into query the validity of a once-trusted recession indicator referred to as the yield curve inversion. “Whereas it’s true that … Read more

Company bankruptcies surge on excessive rates of interest, uncertainty

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell departs after talking throughout a information convention following the Federal Open Market Committee assembly, on the Federal Reserve in Washington, DC, on June 14, 2023.  Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Photos The Federal Reserve plans to maintain mountaineering rates of interest to stem inflation, which suggests a rise … Read more