Two of the Federal Reserve’s closely watched gauges for prices and labor costs released on Friday reaffirmed expectations that the central bank will begin raising interest rates in March as the Fed moves to tame inflation. … READ MORE >
Coronavirus
Chart of the day: Initial jobless claims drop as omicron crests
New filings for jobless claims last week fell to 260,000, following the 14-week high of 290,000 in the previous week as COVID-19 cases continued to retreat from their record high in January, according to government data released Thursday.
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U.S. GDP increases 6.9% in fourth quarter
The American economy closed out last year on an upbeat note, finishing with a 6.9% growth rate in the fourth quarter on a seasonally adjusted annualized pace, the fastest pace since the 7.2% rate in 1984. … READ MORE >
Fed to use conventional and unconventional tools to obtain price stability
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday signaled that it intends to use both conventional and unconventional tools to address risks to the economic outlook caused by inflation. … READ MORE >
Bank of Canada keeps rates steady but prepares for rate hikes ahead
The Bank of Canada kept its policy rate at 0.25% at its January meeting on Wednesday as it prepares to hike rates in March and subsequently draw down its balance sheet. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: New home sales rise above 11% for second straight month
Sales of new single-family homes in December beat the market’s median estimate by a wide margin, rising by 11.9% to 811,000 on an annual basis, according to data released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Consumer confidence falls as omicron sets in
Consumers showed less confidence in January as the impact of the omicron variant weighed on expectations, according to a report from the Conference Board on Tuesday. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Omicron variant will extract a powerful economic toll
The omicron variant has caused many people to pull back on work and spending, which is why we have downgraded our first quarter growth forecast for gross domestic product to 1.5%. … READ MORE >
FOMC preview: Shaping expectations for a major policy shift
Expect the FOMC to lay the groundwork for a major policy shift that includes a rate hike in March, another in June, and a balance sheet runoff likely to start in June or July. … READ MORE >
How the Fed plans to use its balance sheet to craft a soft landing
The reduction of the Fed’s balance sheet is little understood, but it may end up challenging the conventional wisdom that the Fed will raise its policy rate four times this year. … READ MORE >