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First they announced tapering. Then they accelerated the taper. Now the Federal Reserve wants to take the next step by shrinking its massive balance sheet. "A significant amount of balance sheet shrinkage could be appropriate," policymakers warned yesterday. They...
The Federal Reserve deployed historic supports to the economy during the coronavirus pandemic. This week it took major steps toward removing the stimulus by tapering asset purchases more quickly. Policymakers also moved forward interest-rate increases, signaling three...
After smooth sailing for most of the year, a series of negatives are hammering stocks as December begins. The S&P 500 is down 3.8 percent since Wednesday, November 24. While that might not sound like much, it's the biggest five-day drop since late October 2020....
From employment to manufacturing and spending, the economy continues to improve as the crucial holiday shopping season approaches. Today's non-farm payrolls report featured bullish news on almost every metric. The overall number beat estimates by 25 percent, as key...
The Federal Reserve could take a key step toward a pre-Covid reality at their meeting today. However, implementing the change will probably depend on the job market in coming months. The central bank has been purchasing $80 billion of Treasury bonds and $40 billion of...
After a string of bad data, the U.S. economy is suddenly looking better. The U.S. Commerce Department reported today that retail sales increased by 0.7 percent in August. It was the biggest gain in four months and crushed estimates for a 0.8 percent drop. The...
Inflation was a major story this spring as lumber and used cars spiked in value. Now the trend seems to be fading as the Federal Reserve prepares to tighten monetary policy. CME lumber futures dipped under $500 on Friday and are down more than 70 percent from their...
The Federal Reserve emphasized its commitment to low interest rates yesterday, a move with potentially big implications for investors. "There is still a long way to go," before hiking rates, Fed Chair Jerome Powell told lawmakers in testimony. He added that...
Spiking lumber prices had everyone scared of inflation earlier this year. But now the trend could be turning into a big positive for the stock market. Two important things have happened since the big scare in early May: Major commodities including lumber, corn and...