Latest Federal Reserve System News

Trump raced to pick many Cabinet posts. He took more time to settle on a treasury secretary

Nov. 23, 2024 00:10 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump launched a blitz of picks for his Cabinet, but he took his time before settling on billionaire investor Scott Bessent as his treasury secretary nominee. The Republican not only wanted someone who jibes with him, but an official who can...

Trump chooses Bessent to be treasury secretary, Vought as budget chief, Chavez-DeRemer for Labor

Nov. 22, 2024 21:44 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that he'll nominate billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, an advocate for deficit reduction, to serve as his next treasury secretary, one of several personnel decisions that he unveiled as he closed out the workweek. ...

Stock market today: Wall Street gains ground as it notches a winning week and another Dow record

Nov. 22, 2024 16:38 PM EST

Stocks closed higher on Wall Street as the market posted its fifth straight gain and the Dow Jones Industrial Average notched another record high. The S&P 500 rose 0.3%. The benchmark index’s 1.7% gain for the week erased most of its loss from last week. The Dow...

Next week: Bath & Body Works, consumer confidence, Fed meeting minutes

Nov. 22, 2024 12:16 PM EST

A look at some of the key business events and economic indicators upcoming next week. Bath & Body Works Retailer Bath & Body Works offers up its latest financial results on Monday before markets open. The retailer is forecast by analysts to post...

Average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the US rises to highest level since July

Nov. 21, 2024 17:19 PM EST

The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. edged closer to 7% this week, climbing to its highest level since July. The rate rose to 6.84% from 6.78% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. That’s still down from a year ago, when the rate averaged 7.29%. ...

US applications for jobless benefits fall to 213,000, remaining near 7-month lows

Nov. 21, 2024 09:20 AM EST

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell again last week, remaining near seven-month lows. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claim applications fell by 6,000 to 213,000 for the week of Nov. 16. That’s fewer than the 220,000 analysts...

Federal Reserve's likely slowdown in rate cuts could disappoint borrowers

Nov. 21, 2024 07:22 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Just a few weeks ago, the path ahead for the Federal Reserve looked straightforward: With inflation cooling and the job market slowing, the Fed appeared on track to steadily cut interest rates. In September, its officials predicted that they would reduce their...

Stock market today: Wall Street tumbles as the “Trump bump” fades and vaccine makers sink

Nov. 15, 2024 17:15 PM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks tumbled Friday as the “Trump bump” that Wall Street got from last week’s presidential election, along with a cut to interest rates by the Federal Reserve, kept fading. The S&P 500 dropped 1.3% for its worst day since before Election Day to...

How major US stock indexes fared Friday, 11/15/2024

Nov. 15, 2024 16:26 PM EST

U.S. stocks fell to their worst loss since Election Day as the rally that Wall Street got from last week’s victory for Donald Trump and a cut to interest rates by the Federal Reserve kept fading. The S&P 500 sank 1.3% Friday to close a losing week. The Dow Jones Industrial...

Powell says Fed will likely cut rates cautiously given persistent inflation pressures

Nov. 14, 2024 18:12 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that the Federal Reserve will likely cut its key interest rate slowly and deliberately in the coming months, in part because inflation has shown signs of persistence and the Fed's officials want to see where it heads next. ...