Economic Performance/Indicators
- Market
UK Economy Slowed in the First Quarter
By Xavier Fontdegloria The U.K. economy continued to expand in the first quarter, albeit at a lesser pace than in…
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U.S. posts record $308 billion budget surplus in April as federal tax receipts surge
The numbers: The U.S. posted a budget surplus of $308 billion in April — the largest on record — owing to…
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U.S. stocks bounce in choppy trade after CPI shows inflation slows less than expected
Major stock indexes were higher in choppy price action after an eagerly awaited consumer price index reading showed U.S. inflation…
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German inflation reaches highest level in more than 40 years
Germany’s annual rate of inflation rose in April, posting the highest reading since fall 1981, according to the final data…
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Weaponising financial services poses new threat to City exports
The unprecedented financial sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine have not had quite the devastating impact on the…
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Fed can cool inflation this year and economic growth will continue, Williams says
The Federal Reserve can bring inflation down while maintaining a strong economy this year, said New York Fed President John…
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3 Signs Red-Hot Inflation Is Cooling Off
Expectations for inflation are critical to how fast the Fed raises interest rates. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images Good…
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Why market swings signal a sign of more volatility to come
A 1,300-point drop in Dow Jones Industrial Average. A selloff in bonds that sends Treasury yields higher. Signs of panic…
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U.S. gains 428,000 jobs in April, and wages rise again — but labor force shrinks
The numbers: The U.S. added a solid 428,000 new jobs in April, but an acute labor shortage showed little improvement…
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U.S. productivity falls at fastest pace since 1947 and unit-labor costs soar
The numbers: The productivity of American workers and businesses sank at an 7.5% annual pace in the first quarter —…
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Kenneth Rogoff: The odds of a global recession are rising by the day
Kenneth Rogoff, professor of economics and public policy at Harvard University and recipient of the 2011 Deutsche Bank Prize in…
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Fed lifts interest rates and to wind down $9 trillion bond stockpile in double-pronged attack on high U.S. inflation
“Inflation is much too high and we understand the hardship it is causing,” said Fed Chairman Jerome Powell in what…
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The decline in the U.S. birth rate bounced back from the early days of the pandemic
When the pandemic hit, the stay-at-home orders didn’t give American families more babies, instead, it generated a “baby bust.” Now,…
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U.S. stocks mixed as market awaits possibly the biggest Fed rate hike since 2000
U.S. stock indexes were mixed in choppy trade Wednesday morning, ahead of the outcome of a two-day Federal Open Market…
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U.S. trade deficit jumps 22% and tops $100 billion for the first time ever
The numbers: The U.S. trade deficit leaped 22% in March and topped $100 billion for the first time ever, reflecting…
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U.S. factory orders rise sharply in March, boosted by inflation
Orders for U.S. manufactured goods rose 2.2% in April, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. The gain was much stronger than…
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The Fed isn’t going to save bitcoin’s bear market
A bear market has settled in for tech stocks as the Fed turns hawkish. It doesn’t bode well for bitcoin and…
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Reserve Bank of Australia Raises Rates to Tame Soaring Inflation
By James Glynn SYDNEY–The Reserve Bank of Australia raised its official cash rate for the first time since November 2010…
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U.S. factories grow in April at slowest pace in 18 months, ISM finds
The numbers: The ISM barometer of American factories fell 1.7 points to 55.4% in April and showed the industrial side of…
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Dow drops more than 700 points as S&P 500, Nasdaq head for worst month since March 2020
U.S. stocks were trading sharply lower Friday afternoon, as investors weighed fresh inflation data while technology-related stocks suffered after disappointing…
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‘So bad, it’s good.’ This beleaguered stock market has one big asset on its side, say strategists.
A rough month for stocks is drawing to a close, and many investors likely won’t be sad to see the…
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Consumer sentiment jumps on lower gas prices and more optimism about the U.S. economy
The numbers: The final survey of U.S. consumer sentiment in April slipped to 65.2, but it still marked the highest reading…
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U.S. inflation rate surges to 6.6%, PCE index shows, but prices might also be peaking
The numbers: The Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation rose a sharp 0.9% in March, but the increase largely stemmed…
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U.S. employment costs accelerate in first quarter, adding to inflation worries
The numbers: The U.S. employment cost index rose 1.4% in the first quarter, up from a 1% gain in the…
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Eurozone Inflation Rises to 7.5% in April
By Maria Martinez The eurozone’s annual rate of inflation rose again in April, stabilizing at its highest level in history.…
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Economy shrinks 1.4% in first quarter, GDP shows, but mainly due to record U.S. trade deficit
The numbers: The U.S. economy shrank 1.4% in the first quarter on an annualized basis to mark the first drop…
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Has the U.S. economy really shrunk in early 2022? Is a recession near? No. Here’s why.
The surprising contraction in the U.S. economy in the first quarter has been written off by Wall Street as a…
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Lael Brainard confirmed to be Powell’s No. 2 at Fed
Lael Brainard, who worked her way up the ladder of successive Democratic administrations, was confirmed by the Senate Tuesday to…
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Treasury yields fall further, with 10-year rate below 2.8%, amid China COVID worries
Treasury yields fell across the board on Tuesday, extending a pullback from levels last seen more than three years ago,…
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Durable-goods orders snap back in March — and so does business investment
The numbers: Orders at U.S. factories for long-lasting goods such as computers and cars rose 0.8% in March and business investment…
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Jason Furman: This inflation is driven by strong demand, not kinks in supply chains
Jason Furman, a former chair of President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, is professor of the practice of economic…
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London’s finance and professional services sectors beat global peers to foreign investment
London attracted foreign investment in more financial and professional services projects than any of its global peers last year, according to…
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Helena Morrissey: The UK needs more growth, not cuts
Baroness Helena Morrissey has been an executive at multiple asset managers and is a noted City diversity campaigner. What would you do…
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U.S. economy still growing, leading index shows, but more trouble spots emerge
The numbers: The U.S. leading index rose 0.3% in March and signaled the economy is likely to stay in expansion mode…
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War in Ukraine will lead to a significant slowdown in global economy, IMF says
The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday said the war in Ukraine will lead to a significant slowdown in global economic…
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China’s economy exceeds expectations, expands 4.8% in Q1
BEIJING — China’s economy expanded 4.8% from a year earlier in the first three months of the year, beating market…
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New York manufacturing activity rebounds sharply in April, Empire State survey shows
The numbers: The New York Fed’s Empire State business conditions index, a gauge of manufacturing activity in the state, jumped…
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Consumer sentiment rebounds in April as gas prices ease, UMich survey finds
The numbers: The University of Michigan’s gauge of consumer sentiment rose in April to 65.7, a more than 10% increase…
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Mortgage rates soar to highest level in over a decade — even wealthy home buyers are feeling the pain
Mortgage rates are soaring, and no one is being spared. The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 5%…
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U.S. retail sales rise 0.5% in March, but high gas prices and inflation take a toll
The numbers: Sales at U.S. retailers rose a mild 0.5% in March and a large part of the increase reflected…
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Stocks finish near session highs as bond yields slip and Fed’s Waller says inflation may have peaked
U.S. stocks closed near session highs Wednesday, led by the Nasdaq Composite as bond yields slipped on hopes inflation may…
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Yellen says not impossible for Fed to engineer soft landing for U.S. economy
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday said the Federal Reserve would need luck and skill to maintain a strong…
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U.K. inflation accelerates to three-decade high in March
U.K. inflation hit a three-decade high in March of 7.0% on rising fuel prices, and economists expect an even bigger…
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U.S. inflation rate leaps to 8.5%, CPI shows, as higher gas prices slam consumers
The numbers: The rate of U.S. inflation leaped to 40-year high of 8.5% in March and showed little sign of…
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U.S. stocks rise amid hopes CPI data marks inflation peak
U.S. stocks rose Tuesday, after two days of falls, as investors focused on a report showing so-called core inflation slowing…
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London IPOs down more than 90% as war, inflation and commodity prices crush raisings
IPOs on the London Stock Exchange are off to a slow start this year, as high inflation and the war…
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It’s now clear that the Fed has made a huge monetary-policy error
Cullen Roche is founder and chief investment officer of Discipline Funds, a financial advisory firm. He is the author of the Pragmatic…
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BlackRock’s Jean Boivin: Central banks won’t contain inflation
Jean Boivin is head of BlackRock’s influential Investment Institute — the asset manager’s in-house economic, markets, and geopolitics research unit. Before joining…
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Big pay raises and chance to work from home drive record job-hopping
A record number of Americans are switching from one job to another and in many cases getting big pay raises…
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U.S. jobless claims drop to 54-year low of 166,000
The numbers: New filings for U.S. unemployment benefits fell to a 53-year low of 166,000 in mid-April during a period of…
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