Latest Federal Reserve System News
Stock market today: Wall Street edges back from records after Dow briefly tops 40,000
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks edged back from their record heights Thursday after the Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly topped the 40,000 level for the first time. The Dow slipped 38.62 points, or 0.1%, to 39,869.38. The S&P 500 index, which is much more widely followed on...
Long-term mortgage rates retreat for second straight week, US average at 7.02%
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. fell for the second straight week, giving some relief to home shoppers already facing sky-high prices and a shortage of supply. The average 30-year rate fell to 7.02% from 7.09% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A...
US applications for jobless benefits come back down after last week's 9-month high
Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as layoffs remain at historically low levels even as other signs that the labor market is cooling have surfaced. Jobless claims for the week ending May 11 fell by 10,000 to 222,000, down from 232,000 the week before, the...
Stock market today: Asian shares advance after another round of Wall St records
Asian shares advanced on Thursday after U.S. stocks rallied to records on hopes that inflation is heading back in the right direction. The optimism came from a report showing U.S. consumers had to pay prices for gasoline, car insurance and everything else in April that were 3.4%...
US inflation eased last month in the first slowdown of 2024
WASHINGTON (AP) — Led by lower food and auto prices, inflation in the United States cooled slightly last month after three elevated readings, likely offering a tentative sigh of relief for officials at the Federal Reserve as well as President Joe Biden’s re-election team. ...
Retail sales were unchanged in April from March as inflation and interest rates curb spending
NEW YORK (AP) — Americans unexpectedly paused their spending in April from March as inflation continued to sting and elevated interest rates made taking on debt more burdensome. Retail sales were unchanged, coming in well below economists' expectations, and follow a revised 0.6%...
Stock market today: Asian markets follow Wall Street higher ahead of U.S. key inflation update
HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks were mostly higher on Wednesday after a rally on Wall Street that took the Nasdaq composite index to a record high. A report Tuesday showed that prices remain stubbornly high at the wholesale level in the United States, before many price changes are...
Fed's Powell downplays potential for a rate hike despite higher price pressures
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday that the central bank is unlikely to raise its key interest rate in response to signs of stubborn inflation and underscored his view that price increases would soon start to cool again. Yet Powell, during a panel...
Wholesale price increases accelerated in April as inflation remains sticky
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale prices rose sharply last month, a sign that inflation pressures remain stubbornly high after three elevated readings in consumer prices to start the year. The Labor Department said Tuesday that its producer price index — which tracks price...
Stock market today: Asian shares mixed in muted trading after Wall Street barely budges
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mixed in muted trading Tuesday after U.S. stock indexes were little changed ahead of the release of inflation data. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 lost early gains and was trading less than 0.1% higher at 38,194.38. Australia's...
