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☆ Election Updates: Biden and Trump tussle over the economy with the new jobs report.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Shane Goldmacher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The latest employment report on Friday showing a lower-than-forecast 175,000 new jobs across the country in April became immediate fodder for the 2024 presidential race. The monthly jobs report is likely to be quickly forgotten in the campaign. But the biggest impact could be on the Federal Reserve, which sets interest rates in the country. Mr. Trump himself appears to be closely tracking the rate decisions of the Federal Reserve. At the Manhattan courthouse on Thursday, Mr. Trump said, “Interest rates are obviously not going to be reduced prior to the election because inflation is roaring back.”

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Biden, Biden’s, Jerome H, Powell, ” Organizations: White, Federal Reserve, The New York Times, Siena College, Mr Locations: New York, Manhattan

☆ What to Watch as the Fed Makes Its Interest Rate Decision
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Jeanna Smialek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On the one hand, officials could stick with their recent script: Their next policy move is likely to be an interest rate reduction, but incoming inflation and growth data will determine how soon reductions can begin and how extensive they will be. Policymakers believe that they need to use interest rates to tap the brakes on demand and bring inflation fully under control. The Fed will release its policy decision in a statement at 2 p.m. Eastern. But investors are likely to focus most intently on a news conference scheduled for 2:30 p.m. with Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair. Central bankers will not release quarterly economic projections at this gathering — the next set is scheduled for release after the Fed’s June 11-12 meeting.

Persons: Jerome H, Powell Organizations: Federal

☆ Fed Holds Rates Steady, Noting Lack of Progress on Inflation
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Jeanna Smialek | More About Jeanna Smialek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Federal Reserve officials left interest rates unchanged and signaled that they are wary about how stubborn inflation is proving, paving the way for a longer period of high interest rates. The Fed held borrowing costs steady at 5.33 percent on Wednesday, leaving them at a more than two-decade high where they have been set since July. Central bankers reiterated that they need “greater confidence” that inflation is coming down before reducing rates. “Readings on inflation have come in above expectations,” Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair, said at a news conference following the release of the central bank’s rate decision. After months of rapid cooling, inflation has proved surprisingly sticky in early 2024.

Persons: ” Jerome H, Powell Organizations: Federal Reserve, Fed

The Federal Reserve is likely to wait longer than initially expected to cut interest rates given stubborn inflation readings in recent months, the central bank’s top two officials said Tuesday. Policymakers came into 2024 looking for evidence that inflation was continuing to cool rapidly, as it did late last year. Instead, progress on inflation has stalled or even reversed by some measures. But he stopped short of saying he expected rates will need to stay at their current levels, 5.3 percent, deep into this year. Last month, Fed officials indicated that they expect to cut rates three times by the end of 2024.

Persons: ” Jerome H, Powell, Philip N, Jefferson Organizations: Federal Locations: Washington

☆ Fed Chair Awaits More Inflation Cooling as Path Proves ‘Bumpy’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Jeanna Smialek | Santul Nerkar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jerome H. Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, reiterated on Wednesday that the central bank can take its time before cutting interest rates as inflation fades and economic growth holds up. This year is a big one for the Fed: After long months of rapid inflation, price increases are finally coming down. That means that central bankers may soon be able to lower interest rates from their highest levels in two decades. The Fed raised rates to 5.3 percent from March 2022 to mid-2023 to cool the economy and bring inflation to heel. Figuring out when and how much to cut interest rates is tricky, though.

Persons: Jerome H, Powell Organizations: Federal Reserve, Stanford, Fed

☆ Will A.I. Boost Productivity? Companies Sure Hope So.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Jordyn Holman | Jeanna Smialek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Rapid productivity improvement is the dream for both companies and economic policymakers. If output per hour holds steady, firms must either sacrifice profits or raise prices to pay for wage increases or investment projects. Economies experiencing productivity booms can experience rapid wage gains and quick growth without as much risk of rapid inflation. — especially generative A.I., which is still in its infancy — has spread enough to show up in productivity data already. “may” have the potential to increase productivity growth, “but probably not in the short run.” John C. Williams, president of the New York Fed, has made similar remarks, specifically citing the work of the Northwestern University economist Robert Gordon.

Persons: Jerome H, Powell, ” John C, Williams, Robert Gordon Organizations: Ben, Abercrombie, Fitch’s, Federal Reserve, New York Fed, Northwestern University

☆ Fed Chair Says Central Bank Need Not ‘Hurry’ to Cut Rates
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Jeanna Smialek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jerome H. Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, said on Friday that resilient economic growth is giving the central bank the flexibility to be patient before cutting interest rates. Fed officials raised interest rates sharply from early 2022 to mid-2023, and they have left them at about 5.3 percent since last July. That relatively high level essentially taps the brakes on the economy, in part by making it expensive to borrow to buy a house or start a business. The goal is to keep rates high enough, for long enough, to wrestle inflation back under control. Given that slowdown, officials have been considering when and how much they can cut interest rates this year.

Persons: Jerome H, Powell Organizations: Federal Reserve

☆ Bridge accidents: Three ships have hit bridges in Argentina, China and Baltimore in just three months
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

These events all happened within the first three months of this year – and all after collisions with large commercial ships. And a month earlier, a large cargo ship collided with the Zárate–Brazo Largo Bridges crossing the Prana River in Argentina, according to now-shuttered government-run news agency Télam – severely damaging the ship, though the bridge remained intact. By contrast, in the Baltimore example, the water channel and bridge are wide and tall enough to accommodate large vessels – and the cargo ship hit the bridge pier, not the bridge itself, Andrawes said. But even these measures can only do so much in the event of a large cargo ship collision, Mercogliano said, pointing to the Baltimore collapse. “And even when the ship hit those dolphins, the ship was so large it towered over them and actually struck the bridge itself.

Persons: Francis Scott Key, DALI, ”, Sal Mercogliano, Télam, Bassem, Andrawes, it’s, Mercogliano, Baltimore Steve Helber, there’s, Jerome Hajjar Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, University of Illinois, Sunshine Skyway, Coast Guard, Structural Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers Locations: Hong Kong, Baltimore, China, Argentina, Patapsco, Guangzhou, –, Largo Bridges, Urbana, Champaign, Florida

☆ February Inflation Report Consumer Price Rises Likely Held Steady
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Jeanna Smialek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

PinnedThe Consumer Price Index inflation report set for release on Tuesday morning could be a big news event for the Federal Reserve and many in markets. Overall inflation is expected to hold steady at 3.1 percent on an annual basis. In particular, economists are likely to keep an eye on housing costs and other services’ prices in the measure. Fed officials have been debating how long they need to leave rates at their current level, about 5.3 percent. And Fed officials want to avoid lowering interest rates too early, only to find out that inflation is not fully quashed.

Persons: ” Jerome H, Powell, we’re, ”, Omair Sharif Organizations: Federal Reserve, Fed

☆ Insurance Costs Are Pushing Up Overall Inflation
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Jeanna Smialek | More About Jeanna Smialek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It is costing Americans more to protect against disaster, a development that is pushing up official inflation figures. Various kinds of insurance — including car, medical and property protection — are costing more, at least as official inflation figures measure them. “Insurance of various different kinds — housing insurance, but also automobile insurance, and things like that — that’s been a significant source of inflation over the last few years,” Jerome H. Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, said during congressional testimony last week. “And it’s to do with a million different factors.”Vehicle insurance is the one adding notably to overall inflation, said Omair Sharif, founder of the research firm Inflation Insights. Part of the increase in car insurance comes from the fact that parts and replacement vehicles have become a lot more expensive over recent years, and that is slowly feeding through to insurance premiums, he said.

Persons: ” Jerome H, Powell, Omair Sharif Organizations: “ Insurance, Federal Reserve

☆ The jobs report comes as the Fed considers the timing of interest rate cuts.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Jeanna Smialek | More About Jeanna Smialek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Federal Reserve is considering when and how much to cut interest rates, and the employment report on Friday will give policymakers an up-to-date hint at how the economy is evolving ahead of their next policy meeting. Fed officials meet on March 19-20, and they are widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged at that gathering. “We’re waiting to become more confident that inflation is moving sustainably to 2 percent,” Mr. Powell told lawmakers on Thursday. If job growth is strong and the labor market is so robust that wages rise quickly, that could keep price increases higher for longer as companies try to cover their costs. On the other hand, if the job market begins to slow sharply, that could nudge Fed officials toward earlier interest rate cuts.

Persons: Jerome H, Powell, “, Mr, we’re Organizations: Federal

☆ Fed Chair Powell Still Expects to Cut Rates This Year, but Not Yet
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Jeanna Smialek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jerome H. Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, said on Wednesday that he thinks the central bank will begin to lower borrowing costs in 2024 but that policymakers still needed to gain “greater confidence” that inflation was conquered before making a move. “We believe that our policy rate is likely at its peak for this tightening cycle,” Mr. Powell said in remarks prepared for testimony before the House Financial Services Committee. “If the economy evolves broadly as expected, it will likely be appropriate to begin dialing back policy restraint at some point this year.”The Fed next meets on March 19-20, but few investors expect officials to lower interest rates at that gathering. Markets see the Fed’s June meeting as a more likely candidate for the first rate cut, and are betting that central bankers could lower borrowing costs three or four times by the end of the year. The Fed chair warned against cutting rates too early — before inflation is sufficiently snuffed out — noting that “reducing policy restraint too soon or too much could result in a reversal of progress we have seen in inflation and ultimately require even tighter policy.”

Persons: Jerome H, Powell, Mr, ” Organizations: Federal Reserve, Financial Services, Fed

☆ CNBC Daily Open: No rate cuts in 2024?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Stocks retreatWall Street retreated Monday despite a rally in tech stocks tied to the artificial intelligence boom. China sets GDP targetChina set an economic growth target of "around 5%" for 2024. The fund manager instead has his sights on what he calls "bigger integrated covers," and picked Ferrari as "a phenomenal business."

Persons: Jerome H, Powell, Dow, Bitcoin, Freddie Lait, CNBC's, Ferrari Organizations: . Senate Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs, CNBC, Nasdaq, National People's, Apple, Federal Reserve, Latitude Investment Management Locations: Washington , U.S, China

☆ January Inflation Report Consumer Price Rises Expected to Cool
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Jeanna Smialek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The Consumer Price Index inflation measure is set for release at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. Economists expect that prices overall climbed 2.9 percent from a year earlier, the lowest reading in nearly three years. After stripping out food and fuel, which bounce around in price from month to month, a “core” price measure probably climbed 3.7 percent, slower than 3.9 percent in December. But as price increases ease up, people are beginning to report sunnier economic outlooks. More recently, price increases for key services have also begun to moderate.

Persons: Biden, Jerome H, Powell, “, ”, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Federal Reserve

The NumbersThe S&P 500 climbed 0.6 percent on Friday to close at 5,026.61. Tech giants, including Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon and Alphabet, have enormous sway over the index because of their size, and after they reported earnings last week, several of these stocks have soared. The rally hasn’t been limited to tech stocks: Disney, Ford and Chipotle, for instance, also reported earnings in the past week that beat analyst estimates and pushed their shares higher. Nearly 70 percent of the companies in the S&P 500 had reported earnings as of Friday, with three-quarters of those reports better than expected, according to FactSet. The gains in the S&P 500 have continued even after the Fed signaled that it wouldn’t move as quickly as investors had initially hoped.

Persons: Russell, —, underscoring, Jerome H, Powell Organizations: Nasdaq, Technology, Tech, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Disney, Ford, Federal Reserve, Investors

☆ Fed Chair Powell Says Officials Need More ‘Good’ Data Before Cutting Rates
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Jeanna Smialek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Powell was interviewed on Thursday, after the Fed’s meeting last week but before Friday’s blockbuster jobs report. “We think we can be careful in approaching this decision just because of the strength that we’re seeing in the economy,” Mr. Powell said during the interview, based on a transcript released ahead of its airing. He added that officials would want to see a continued moderation in price increases, even after several months of milder readings. The progress on inflation “doesn’t need to be better than what we’ve seen, or even as good. It just needs to be good,” Mr. Powell said.

Persons: Jerome H, Powell, Mr Organizations: Federal Reserve

☆ Blockbuster Jobs Report Backs Up Fed’s Patience as It Waits to Cut Rates
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Jeanna Smialek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Federal Reserve officials left interest rates unchanged this week and signaled that their next move is likely to be a cut — but they also suggested that they are in no hurry to make that change. Friday’s jobs data is likely to reinforce their cautious stance. Given that continued strength, the Fed is unlikely to feel pressure to cut interest rates at its next meeting on March 19-20. Policymakers do not want to hold borrowing costs too high for too long and risk a painful recession, but the data suggests that a possible downturn remains very much at bay. Instead of faltering, the job market is booming.

Persons: Jerome H, Powell Organizations: Federal Reserve, Employers

☆ The Fed Holds Interest Rates Steady and Is Not Likely to Cut Them Soon
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jeanna Smialek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Federal Reserve officials held interest rates at their highest level in more than two decades at their first meeting of 2024 and hinted that their next move will be to lower borrowing costs — even as policymakers made clear they are not yet ready to make that cut. Jerome H. Powell, the Fed’s chair, said that the country had “six good months” of moderating inflation, but officials wanted to see continued progress before lowering rates. “We believe that our policy rate is likely at its peak for this tightening cycle, and that if the economy evolves broadly as expected, it will likely be appropriate to begin dialing back policy restraint at some point this year,” Mr. Powell said. He added that when it comes to gaining enough confidence to move borrowing costs lower, “we want to see more good data.”Mr. Powell said that he did not think it was “likely” that Fed officials would have enough evidence to cut interest rates by their next meeting on March 19-20. That could leave investors looking toward later meetings — such as gatherings in May and June — as they consider when the first rate cut might come.

Persons: Jerome H, Powell, ” Mr, Mr, — Organizations: Federal

☆ The Federal Reserve Meets Wednesday. Here’s What to Watch.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jeanna Smialek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Federal Reserve officials will conclude their two-day meeting on Wednesday, and they are widely expected to keep interest rates steady at a two-decade high when they release their policy decision at 2 p.m. But investors are likely to closely watch the meeting — particularly Chair Jerome H. Powell’s 2:30 p.m. news conference — for hints of when policymakers might begin to lower interest rates. On the one hand, inflation has come down more swiftly than many economists had expected in recent months. On the other, economic growth is proving stronger than anticipated, which could give companies the wherewithal to keep raising prices into the future. Here’s what to know about this meeting.

Persons: Jerome H Organizations: Federal

☆ Interest Rate Cuts Could Be a Boon to Biden
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jim Tankersley | More About Jim Tankersley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Federal Reserve officials do not set interest rates with presidential elections in mind. Investors do not widely expect rate cuts to be announced when Fed officials conclude a two-day meeting on Wednesday. Interest rate cuts could also help to improve housing affordability, an issue for young voters that has bedeviled the president. Falling interest rates could drive down mortgage rates. White House officials are careful not to comment on Fed rate decisions; Lael Brainard, a former Fed governor who heads Mr. Biden’s National Economic Council, laughed off a reporter’s question on the topic last week.

Persons: Jerome H, Powell, Biden, Lael Brainard Organizations: Federal, White, Fed, Investors, Economic Council Locations: Biden’s

☆ Stocks Hit New High for the Year, Reversing the Summer’s Swoon
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Joe Rennison | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

After several twists and turns this year, stock investors are in a celebratory mood. The reversal has come as investors have cheered signs that the Federal Reserve has finished raising interest rates, the primary tool in the central bank’s effort to slow inflation. Those high rates have been a drag on corporate valuations because they raise costs for consumers and companies and give allure to investments outside the stock market. Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair, appeared to add to investors’ bullish mood on Friday, suggesting that the economy continues to cool as expected. “We’re getting what we wanted to get, we now have the ability to move carefully,” Mr. Powell said at an event.

Persons: Jerome H, Powell, ’, “ We’re, Mr Organizations: Federal Reserve

☆ Climate Protesters Get in Fed’s Face as Policy Clash Grows Louder
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Jeanna Smialek | More About Jeanna Smialek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A protest that disrupted a speech by Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair, at the Economic Club of New York this fall generated extensive coverage. All three upheavals were caused by the same group, Climate Defiance, which a now-30-year-old activist named Michael Greenberg founded in the spring. Mr. Greenberg had long worked in traditional climate advocacy, but he decided that something louder was needed to spur change at institutions like the Fed. “I realized there was a big need for disruptive direct action,” he explained in an interview. “It just gets so, so, so, so, so much more attention.”

Persons: Jerome H, Powell, Michael Greenberg, Greenberg, “, ” Organizations: Federal, Economic, of New, International Monetary Fund Locations: Jackson, Lodge, Wyoming, of New York

☆ Fed Chair Powell Says It’s Too Early to Guess When Rates Will Fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Jeanna Smialek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jerome H. Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, suggested on Friday that the central bank may be done raising interest rates if inflation and the economy continue to cool as expected, saying that central bankers could raise interest rates further if that became necessary. The Fed has already raised interest rates to a range between 5.25 and 5.5 percent, up sharply from near-zero as recently as March 2022. Those higher borrowing costs are weighing on demand for mortgages, car loans and business debt, cooling the economy in a bid to lower inflation. Given how high interest rates are now, the Federal Open Market Committee has paused its rate increases for several months. Investors have increasingly come to expect that its next move would be to cut rates — though Fed officials have been hesitant to declare victory, or to confidently predict exactly when lower borrowing costs could arrive.

Persons: Jerome H, Powell, Mr, Powell’s Organizations: Federal Reserve, Spelman College, Fed, Federal, Investors

☆ 41-year-old's side hustle brings in $125,500 a year, and costs $0 to start: 'The riches are found in niches'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

She posts her worksheet booklets — designed to help teach literacy to young students — to her online store on Teachers Pay Teachers, an Etsy-style marketplace. Jerome and Becky Powell run their Teachers Pay Teachers stores separately — but the money all goes to the same place, they say. You don't have to spend any money to get started, Powell notes: Teachers Pay Teachers has both free and paid tiers for sellers. Powell pays that subscription fee, as does her husband Jerome — a full-time computer engineer who manages another Teachers Pay Teachers store, called Editable Activities. I have helped eight friends and coworkers open their own stores on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Persons: —, Becky Powell, they've, Jerome, Powell, Jerome —, You've, I've, It's, it's, Warren Buffett Organizations: CNBC, Pay Teachers, Teachers, Pay Locations: Beaverton , Oregon, AskMakeIt@cnbc.com

☆ Risks to global economy are on the rise and growth slowdown is a reality, Swiss Re economist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailRisks to global economy are on the rise and growth slowdown is a reality, Swiss Re economist saysJerome Haegeli, group chief economist at Swiss Re, discusses the outlook for the global economy.

Persons: Jerome Haegeli Organizations: Swiss, Swiss Re Locations: Swiss

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