Is Red-Hot Inflation Cooling Off? 3 Signs That Show It Is.

Text size Expectations for inflation are critical to how fast the Fed raises interest rates. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images Good news about inflation is bubbling up even as the Federal Reserve...

How do higher mortgage rates help shrink inflation? Here’s an explainer.

The Federal Reserve yanked a short-term interest rate higher this week, making it more expensive to borrow money to buy a home or fix it up. The central bank raised the federal funds rate last week by...

3 Signs Red-Hot Inflation Is Cooling Off

Text size Expectations for inflation are critical to how fast the Fed raises interest rates. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images Good news about inflation is bubbling up even as the Federal Reserve...

Opinion: Which jobs have come back, and which ones haven’t

Although the recovery in output, wealth and hours worked has been remarkable since February 2020, the U.S. economy remains deeply scarred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Total hours worked in the nonfarm ec...

Dollar Strength Bucks Inflation Woes

Years ago, high U.S. inflation meant a weak dollar. So far, it is different this time, and many on Wall Street are betting it will stay that way. The dollar is reaching multidecade highs against its t...

Fed hawks say they’re not so behind the curve combatting inflation

In the wake of the Federal Reserve policy meeting this week, stock markets have tumbled, raising howls of criticism that U.S. central bank policy will fail to bring down inflation. Read: ‘Unhinged’ ma...

The Fed raised interest rates – what to do now with your retirement portfolio

Inflation is rising, the stock market is volatile and now the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates – but investors, as always, should steer clear of any major changes, financial advisers said.  T...

Zillow Stock Tumbles After Selling More Homes Than Expected. Here’s Why.

Text size Zillow says it has 1,300 homes left in its inventory, most of which have sold or are in agreement to be sold or disposed. Courtesy of Zillow Faster-than-expected home sales in Zillow’s iBuyi...

‘The pandemic boom in home sales is over’: Mortgage rates soar to highest level since 2009 as the Fed pressures the housing market

Mortgage rates are skyrocketing thanks to the Fed, but buyers who can tough out this difficult, changing market will be rewarded. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.27% for the week ending May...

Fed lifts interest rates and will 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 he called a direct message to the American public. “We are moving expeditiously to br...

How high can the Fed hike interest rates before a recession hits? This chart suggests a low threshold.

The days when the Federal Reserve could raise its benchmark interest rate significantly above 5% without sparking a recession may be a thing of the past, according to Wells Fargo Investment Institute....

Powell wants to get rates closer to neutral. But what’s neutral? Think between 5% and 6%, former top Fed staffer says

With U.S. inflation surging higher than anyone expected, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, has laid out a policy path where the Fed is going to move quickly to get its benchmark interest rate up to “to a mo...

‘It is costing more to survive now.’ I owe $109K in student loans, and the balance keeps going up as the loan servicer ‘continuously tacks on more money.’ With high inflation, how can I even cope with my student loans now?

Unfortunately, it is possible for a loan balance to increase, even as you are making payments. iStock Question: I have student loans in excess of $109k.  I am on an income-driven plan but my biggest p...

Gas prices are up roughly 40% from just a year ago. So you may want to try this method to get ‘basically free money’ for gas — but there’s a catch

Is a gas credit card right for you? Getty Images Amid high inflation, rising prices of crude oil and the war in Ukraine, gas prices have jumped from an average of about $2.88 per gallon a year ago, to...

‘I think we’re in the final innings.’ Pimco’s Kiesel thinks the housing market has hit its top

Mark Kiesel is thinking of selling his California home and becoming a renter. Families looking to buy a home make want to take heed. Kiesel, who serves as global credit chief investment officer at Pim...

I-bonds are all the rage — what’s the best way to use them?

With the release of March’s Consumer Price Index, we now know that a risk-free investment yielding 9.6% will be available as of May 2. I’m speaking, of course, about Series I savings bonds from the U....

‘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 back of it. And the last day of April trade is looking weak as Apple and Amazon failed to raise the ba...

Opinion: There’s a big hole in the Fed’s theory of inflation—incomes are falling at a record 10.9% rate

The most concerning thing about Thursday’s report on U.S. gross domestic product for the first quarter wasn’t that the first line of the first table showed that real GDP fell at a 1.4% annual rate. It...

The 10-Year Treasury Yield Is Nearing 3%. That’s a Bad Omen for the Stock Market.

Interest rates may finally be getting real. To investors with a sense of history, the near-zero and even negative interest rates of recent years might have seemed unreal, and indeed were unprecedented...

The Fed Wants to Raise Rates Quickly, but May Not Know Where to Stop

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is shifting monetary tightening into a higher gear. His goal sounds straightforward—lift interest rates to “neutral,” a setting that neither spurs nor slows grow...

The Fed May Make Fewer Raises. Interest Rates Are Already Up.

The Federal Reserve might have to stop short of raising interest rates as many times as expected. That’s because rates across the economy are already starting to rise, posing a threat to economic dema...

Gold Is Heading Higher as Inflation Rages. Why the Next Stop Could Be $3,000 an Ounce.

Gold bugs have been a lonely bunch, but that may be starting to change. In the past week, gold made another run at $2,000 a troy ounce, a level above which it has closed only once, back in August 2020...

A Key Bond Yield Nears 3%. It’s a Bad Omen for Stocks.

Interest rates may finally be getting real. To investors with a sense of history, the near-zero and even negative interest rates of recent years might have seemed unreal, and indeed were unprecedented...

‘The Fed always screws up.’ This forecaster sees inflation peaking and U.S. stocks in a bear market by summer

Keith McCullough, founder and CEO of Hedgeye Risk Management, has been bullish on gold, silver and utilities since the start of the year, when his investment-research firm’s economic models turned bea...

Fed may need to be even more aggressive fighting inflation as U.S. household cash exceeds debt for first time in three decades, warns Deutsche Bank

With U.S. households looking in good financial shape, the Federal Reserve may need to be even more aggressive raising interest rates to cool the economy and bring down high inflation, according to a r...

Home Prices Surged to a Record as Sales Fell. What’s Cooling the Hot Housing Market.

Text size The rising cost of buying a home has weighed on buyers as mortgage rates have increased. Brandon Bell/Getty Images Existing-home sales fell in March fell as home prices climbed to their high...

Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Other Stocks That Can Keep Climbing—Even If the Housing Market Slows

Text size Home improvement retailers like Home Depot will thrive even if the housing market has peaked. Stefani Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images Home improvement stores were big beneficiaries of the white-ho...

Here are 30 stocks that Goldman Sachs likes when the economy stutters and markets gyrate

Wall Street is finding some traction for Tuesday, as investors wade through big earnings and ample, gloomy distractions. Fighting has ramped up again in Ukraine as the battle begins for the country’s ...

Opinion: Have semiconductor companies’ performance decoupled from the economy? Taiwan Semi earnings say yes, but we’ll get a clearer picture soon

Sentiment around technology and growth has sunk as rising interest rates, persistent inflation and a less accommodative Federal Reserve have sent investors running for safer bets. Although the fourth ...

4 housing market predictions for 2022, from economists and real estate pros

We asked home and mortgage experts and economists what they predict will happen this spring. Getty Images/iStockphoto We asked home and mortgage experts and economists what they predict will happen in...

Cut Your Retirement Spending Now, Says Creator of the 4% Rule

For decades, retirees have relied on the 4% rule to determine how much was safe to spend in retirement. Now, the rule’s inventor says current market conditions may require an even more conservative ap...

What the rising probability of a ‘growth scare’ means for the stock market, according to Citigroup

Recession worries are working their way into equities, according to Citigroup. A “mild recession in 2023” could lead to a drop of about 20% for the S&P 500 index from its late March high of around...