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Economy
The Federal Reserve’s Last Meeting of the Year Is Today

The Federal Reserve’s Last Meeting of the Year Is Today

After a busy year, the Federal Reserve is set to begin a long vacation today. The central bank is expected to leave interest rates unchanged, following a trio of cuts since the summer. Going forward, markets see them going nowhere well into next year. The official...

Worries About the Job Market Are Finally Starting to Emerge

Worries About the Job Market Are Finally Starting to Emerge

U.S. employment has been solid as a rock for years. But now some worries are starting to emerge. "The job market is losing its shine," Mark Zandi of Moody's Analytics said yesterday after private-sector payroll growth missed estimates by a mile. "Openings are...

Market Leading Housing Sector Has Important News This Week

Market Leading Housing Sector Has Important News This Week

Will housing stocks continue their epic run? The next few sessions may answer that question. Statisticians at the Commerce Department release the industry's most important numbers at 8:30 a.m. ET today: housing starts and building permits. Both have been pushing their...

The Fed, Apple, Facebook and GDP: Today’s a Super Busy Day

The Fed, Apple, Facebook and GDP: Today’s a Super Busy Day

Today's one of the biggest sessions of the year, with a Federal Reserve meeting and major technology earnings. Just to get started, here's a blow-by-blow sequence of what traders can expect on Wednesday, October 30. All times eastern standard: In the premarket: 7 a.m....

Guess What? The Yield Curve Is Steepening

Guess What? The Yield Curve Is Steepening

The yield curve flattened over the summer as fear swept the market. But now as it goes the other way, sentiment may improve in major banking stocks. The yield curve is the relationship between the two-year and 10-year Treasury notes. People buy 10-year notes when...

Markets Take a Huge Dovish Turn, Just in Time for Powell’s Speech

Markets Take a Huge Dovish Turn, Just in Time for Powell’s Speech

Key employment data is due this morning, but the bigger story may be Jerome Powell in the afternoon. The Federal Reserve chairman is scheduled to deliver a speech at 2 p.m. ET today. The venue is an event called "Fed Listens: Perspectives on Maximum Employment and...

The Fed Takes a Hawkish Turn, Thanks to the U.S. Consumer

The Fed Takes a Hawkish Turn, Thanks to the U.S. Consumer

The Federal Reserve took a hawkish turn yesterday, thanks to an improving U.S. consumer. "Household spending has been rising at a strong pace," the central bank declared in its policy statement yesterday. It then proceeded to raise its 2019 growth forecast to 2.2...

Will Jerome Powell Signal an October Cut? All Eyes on the Fed

Will Jerome Powell Signal an October Cut? All Eyes on the Fed

The Federal Reserve's expected to cut interest rates today, but next month's the real question. Will the central bank follow with a second rate cut on October 30? If you asked CME's FedWatch tool in mid-August, odds were at least two-thirds in favor. But they've...

Consumer Keeps Looking Stronger as Other Parts of the Economy Soften

Consumer Keeps Looking Stronger as Other Parts of the Economy Soften

The U.S. consumer keeps roaring ahead, even as investors worry about President Trump's trade war against China. Consumer spending rose 4.7 percent between April and June, according to the Commerce Department's gross domestic product (GDP). That was not only a big...