January retail sales sored by 3%, far
exceeding economists' expectations of 1.8%.
CNN reports that retail sales haven't increased by that much in nearly two years.
.
Department stores saw increased sales of 17.5%, food and drink services had a 7.2% bump.
Department stores saw increased sales of 17.5%, food and drink services had a 7.2% bump.
And auto dealers saw sales grow by 6.4%.
The January report indicates that consumers keep shopping despite dramatic price increases brought on by inflation.
What we’ve seen is a lot of resilience among consumers.
Generally, Americans overall have done a pretty good job of managing through some challenging times, Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst for LendingTree, via CNN.
However, the January report in combination
with increased hiring will likely prompt the
Federal Reserve to implement more rate hikes.
The economy remains strong, unemployment is low, and that is what is going to keep inflation elevated.
, Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer for
Independent Advisor Alliance, via CNN.
The Fed is going to need to raise rates higher — and hold them higher for longer — than people currently expect, , Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer for
Independent Advisor Alliance, via CNN.
... and this is going to cause markets to go through some significant volatility as stock and bond markets are priced for benign scenarios and not the more difficult one
that we are headed towards, Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer for
Independent Advisor Alliance, via CNN
The fatal police shooting of Sonya Massey has saddened Solange Knowles like many Americans -- and she's making a nuanced point about this being a regular thing.. TMZ.com
In a critical prime-time address, President Joe Biden urges Americans to reject political violence and resolve their differences peacefully following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. Highlighting the importance of civility in political discourse, Biden calls for unity and condemns the normalization of violence. Watch his powerful message and join the discussion on how we can heal as a nation.
#BidenSpeech #RejectViolence #Unity #TrumpAssassinationAttempt #PoliticalDiscourse #AmericanDemocracy #DonaldTrumpAssassination
Speaking in the Oval Office, Biden said passions were running high on both sides and the stakes of the election were enormous but that violence was not the answer, adding "We can do this".
Credit: euronews (in English) Duration: 02:23Published
Middle-Aged Americans Are, Underprepared for Retirement, , Study Finds.
'Newsweek' reports that people in the United States
who are approaching retirement age may be critically
underprepared when it comes to their savings.
According to Prudential Investments, Americans around
the age of 55 are facing a "midlife retirement crisis,"
lacking the funds for a comfortable post-working life. .
A recent survey by the major insurance
provider found the average retirement
savings of a 55-year-old to be $47,950. .
This falls significantly short of the recommended
goal of having eight times a person's annual
income saved by the time they reach 55. .
According to the survey, 57% of 55-year-olds
said they expected to outlive the funds
they have currently managed to save.
That's compared to 59%
of 65-year-olds and
52% of 75-year-olds.
The survey also found that one-third of 55-year-olds
and 43% of 65-year-olds have already been forced
to postpone retirement due to inflation.
Attention today is rightly centered on
the approximately 11,000 65-year-olds
entering retirement every week, but we
must also focus as an industry on the
opportunity to help a slightly younger
generation of workers entering the
critical 10-year countdown to retirement, Caroline Feeney, executive vice president and head
of Prudential's U.S. Businesses, via 'Newsweek'.
Further, the financial futures
of certain cohorts—such as
women—are especially precarious, Caroline Feeney, executive vice president and head
of Prudential's U.S. Businesses, via 'Newsweek'.
The upside is that, with the right
planning and strategy to protect
their life's work, we can ensure
this generation is well-prepared
to live not only longer, but better, Caroline Feeney, executive vice president and head
of Prudential's U.S. Businesses, via 'Newsweek'
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Discover what hypergamy is and why it's becoming popular in modern dating. Learn how this trend impacts relationships and personal aspirations, based on insights from a recent survey of 2,000 Americans.
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New US Home Construction , Sinks to Slowest Pace in 4 Years.
Government data released on June 20 indicates that new home construction in America dropped in May to the slowest pace since June 2020, Yahoo Finance reports. .
Housing starts dropped 5.5%,
and building permits dipped 3.8%.
Home completions also fell to the lowest amount since September 2022.
High interest rates, set by the Fed to help tame inflation, have resulted in high mortgage rates.
But recent data has suggested that inflation has started to cool, which may give the Fed the confidence it needs to lower rates.
The weakest U.S. housing starts
since the pandemic-led shutdowns
are fairly convincing evidence of
restrictive monetary policy. , Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets, via note.
While a growing population and
workforce are providing some support,
US home builders won’t become
busier until borrowing costs fall, Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets, via note.
Meanwhile, other data released on June 20 showed that first-time applications for unemployment benefits dropped last week.
However, continuing claims rose
for a seventh consecutive week
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
Mortgage Rates Continue , to Fall, Raising Hopes of the , Fed Cutting Rates.
ABC reports that borrowing costs for
home loans continued to ease this week,
with the average rate on a 30-year mortgage
falling to its lowest level since April.
According to mortgage buyer
Freddie Mac, the rate fell from
6.95% to 6.87% last week. .
That figure is still significantly higher than
what the rate was during the same time last year,
which was at an average of 6.67%. .
15-year fixed-rate mortgages
also eased, falling from
6.17% last week to 6.13%. .
During the same time last year,
the average rate was at 6.03%.
Those higher rates can add hundreds of dollars
to monthly costs for borrowers, which limits the
purchasing options of potential homebuyers.
Mortgage rates fell for
the third straight week
following signs of cooling
inflation and market
expectations of a
future Fed rate cut, Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, via ABC.
ABC reports that rates are influenced by a number
of factors, including the Federal Reserve's interest
rate policy and the 10-year Treasury yield.
ABC reports that rates are influenced by a number
of factors, including the Federal Reserve's interest
rate policy and the 10-year Treasury yield.
Due to yields also beginning to ease, the Federal
Reserve could start to drop its main interest rate
after hiking it up to the highest level in over 20 years.
Last week, Fed officials suggested that they would make
just one cut to their benchmark interest rate in 2024,
down from previous projections of three cuts for the year.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Surge of New Applications for , Unemployment Benefits , May Signal Cooling Job Market.
Last week, the number of people in the
United States filing for unemployment benefits
reached the highest level in ten months last week. .
ABC reports that the news comes as a potential
sign that the U.S. labor market may be slowing
under the burden of high interest rates. .
The week ending June 8 saw
applications for jobless benefits
rise by 13,000 to reach 242,000. .
According to Labor Department
data, that is up from 229,000 new
applications the week before.
The number also represents the highest
number of new applications since August
of 2023, while also being significantly higher
than the 225,000 new claims forecast.
ABC reports that weekly unemployment claims have
lingered at historically low levels since millions of
jobs disappeared with the COVID-19 pandemic.
ABC reports that weekly unemployment claims have
lingered at historically low levels since millions of
jobs disappeared with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since March of 2022, the Federal Reserve has raised
benchmark rates 11 times in an attempt to reign in
inflation which has risen to a four-decade high.
While the latest data suggests that consumer
inflation cooled in May, the Federal Reserve
has decided to leave rates at a 23-year high.
According to Fed Chair Jerome Powell, officials
are waiting for more evidence that prices
are reaching their target of two percent.
ABC reports that a total of 1.82 million
Americans were collecting unemployment
benefits in the week ending June 1. .
ABC reports that a total of 1.82 million
Americans were collecting unemployment
benefits in the week ending June 1.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
Fed Holds Steady , With Interest Rates at , 2-Decade High.
On June 12, the Federal Reserve chose to hold
interest rates at a two-decade high while it
waits to see more signs of inflation going down.
'The Guardian' reports that officials at the United States
central bank expect to make a single rate cut
in 2024, according to the latest projections.
In previous projections,
policymakers expected the Fed
to make three cuts in 2024. .
At the latest meeting, the Fed chose to
keep rates at the same place they've been
for nearly a year, between 5.25% and 5.5%.
Despite recent data suggesting that inflation
may be easing, the Fed clearly doesn't see it moving
at a pace that would lead it to start cutting rates.
In May, inflation cooled slightly across the U.S.,
according to the latest consumer price index, however
consumers remain frustrated over skyrocketing prices.
In May, inflation cooled slightly across the U.S.,
according to the latest consumer price index, however
consumers remain frustrated over skyrocketing prices.
'The Guardian' reports that price growth has
slowed significantly since surging over 9%
in 2022, its highest level in a generation.
'The Guardian' reports that price growth has
slowed significantly since surging over 9%
in 2022, its highest level in a generation.
May saw prices for air fare and fuel go
down, inflation for grocery prices remained
flat, and shelter costs continued to rise.
May saw prices for air fare and fuel go
down, inflation for grocery prices remained
flat, and shelter costs continued to rise.
Overall, prices remained unchanged on a month-to-month
basis as the Fed emphasized that it would wait for
inflation to hit its previously-stated target of 2%.
The committee does not expect
it will be appropriate to reduce
the target range until it has
gained greater confidence
that inflation is moving
sustainably toward 2%, Federal Reserve statement, via Fox News
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
European Central Bank , Cuts Interest Rates.
The action was confirmed on June 6 at
the central bank's meeting, CNBC reports. .
The European Central Bank's (ECB) key
rate will go from 4% down to 3.75%.
The ECB Governing Council issued a statement.
Based on an updated assessment of
the inflation outlook, the dynamics of
underlying inflation and the strength
of monetary policy transmission, , ECB Governing Council, via statement.
... it is now appropriate to
moderate the degree of monetary
policy restriction after nine months
of holding rates steady, ECB Governing Council, via statement.
This is the first time that interest rates
have been cut since September 2019. .
Updated macroeconomic projections indicate that 2024's "annual average headline inflation outlook" has been increased from 2.3% to 2.5%, CNBC reports.
For 2025, it was raised from 2% to 2.2%.
The projection for 2026 stayed at 1.9%.
The ECB's next meeting is in July, where another rate cut is unlikely, experts say.
The slight upgrade to the inflation forecast
was to be expected, inflation has been printing
a little bit hotter than markets were expecting,
but in terms of the timing of the next cut
I’d still be looking to September, Dean Turner, chief euro zone economist at
UBS Global Wealth Management, to CNBC.
Canada also cut interest rates on June 5, while Sweden and Switzerland cut rates earlier this year.
Canada also cut interest rates on June 5, while Sweden and Switzerland cut rates earlier this year.
Canada also cut interest rates on June 5, while Sweden and Switzerland cut rates earlier this year.
The U.S. Federal Reserve continues
to battle America's rate of inflation.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published