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New York CNN Business —Taylor Swift’s era-defining “Eras” tour is flying like a jet stream, high above the music scene — by billions of dollars. The tour could gross $2.2 billion in North American ticket sales alone, according to August survey data from research firm QuestionPro provided to CNN exclusively. ‘An economic phenomenon’“Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras’ tour is rewriting the playbook of entertainment economics,” said Chris Leyden, director of growth marketing at SeatGeek. “She’s not just a performer — she’s an economic phenomenon.”The average resale price of an “Eras” ticket was $1,607, SeatGeek told CNN. Swift kicked off the highly-anticipated “Eras” — her first tour since her “Reputation” stadium tour in 2018 — in March.

Persons: New York CNN Business — Taylor, QuestionPro, Swift, Elton John’s, Larry Miller, New York University Steinhardt, “, ”, Miller, concertgoers, Taylor, Chris Leyden, “ She’s, —, SeatGeek, “ Taylor, Terri Shoemaker, Taylor Swift, Hell, Swifties, “ We’ve, Ethan Chernofsky, That’s, it’s, I’ve Organizations: New York CNN Business, North, CNN, New York University, Swift, Arizona Food Bank Network, Retailers, Ticketmaster, Entertainment, Nissan Locations: Los Angeles, American, North America, Arizona, Philadelphia, Nashville , Tennessee, Arlington , Texas

☆ How you could be impacted by higher bank capital requirements
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Their risk-level assessments have been the basis for informing how much capital they need to hold on top of baseline requirements. Silicon Valley Bank accumulated a lot of paper losses, or unrealized losses, from holding bonds while the Fed hiked interest rates. But it did not need to hold capital to protect depositors from those losses. Some also expressed concerns that banks would pass on their higher capital costs to consumers in the form of higher fees to maintain their profit levels. However, UBS, Citizens Bank and Capital One will have to hold more capital.

Persons: wouldn’t, ”, Banks, aren’t, Steven Kelly, won’t, SVB, Jonathan McKernan, Michelle Bowman, Kelly, ” Kelly, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley Organizations: New, New York CNN, Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Huntington Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, Valley Bank, FDIC, ”, Manufacturers, JPMorgan, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, UBS, Citizens Bank, Capital, Nasdaq Locations: New York, Basel, Banc, California, Silicon

☆ The US economy grew stronger than expected in the second quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Washington CNN —The US economy picked up steam in the second quarter despite punishing rate hikes and still-high inflation, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. Economic growth in the second quarter was driven by business investment, government purchases, inventory investment and consumer spending, though at a much weaker pace than in the first quarter. Consumer spending, which accounts for about two-thirds of economic output, grew at just a 1.6% rate in the second quarter, down sharply from a 4.2% rate in the first three months of the year. Nonresidential business investment rose sharply to a 7.7% growth rate in the second quarter, up from a 0.6% rate in the beginning of the year. The GDP report showed that spending on structure slowed to a 9.7% rate in the second quarter from a 15.8% rate in the prior one.

Persons: “, Lydia Boussour, ’, ” Shannon Seery, Seery, —, ”, Diane Swonk, Thursday’s, Carol Schleif, Jerome Powell Organizations: Washington CNN, Commerce Department, Gross, Federal Reserve, Fed, CNN, Employers, Wells, Investment Bank, Manufacturers, KPMG, restrengthens Investors, BMO Family Office, Investors, “ Locations: EY

☆ What to expect from the Fed’s decision on rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks during an annual gathering of central bankers and economists in Wyoming next month could shed more light on what to expect for the September decision. There are three possibilities for what the Fed might do moving forward, according to economists: a second consecutive rate hike in September, one in November, or no more rate hikes after July. The Commerce Department releases the June reading of the Fed’s favorite inflation measure Friday. The Fed held rates steady for nine straight meetings over the span of a year the last time it paused a rate-hiking campaign in 2006. Nearly all of the Fed’s decisions have been unanimous since the central bank began lifting rates in March 2022, with the exception of two meetings early in the Fed’s current inflation battle.

Persons: it’s, Jerome Powell’s, It’s, haven’t, inflation’s, Ben Bernanke, Raphael Bostic, there’s, hawkish, “ Powell, ” Seema Shah, Powell, Christopher Waller, you’re, ”, José Torres, ” Powell, Jerome Powell Organizations: DC CNN, Federal, Fed, Commerce Department, Market Committee, Atlanta Fed, Asset Management, CNN, ”, The Labor Department, Interactive Locations: Washington, Wyoming, —

☆ What to expect from this week’s Fed meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

After the Fed’s July monetary policy meeting, which concludes on Wednesday, investors will be looking for more details around that potential hike. That’s why the Fed is trying to retain the option of another rate increase in case inflation proves to be more resilient than expected. Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks during an annual gathering of central bankers and economists in Wyoming next month could shed more light on what to expect for the September decision. There are three possibilities for what the Fed might do moving forward, according to economists: a second consecutive rate hike in September, one in November, or no more rate hikes after July. Whatever the Fed decides to do won’t come without a vigorous debate, and perhaps even a dissent, though the Fed has a tradition of collegiality.

Persons: —, it’s, Jerome Powell’s, It’s, haven’t, inflation’s, Ben Bernanke, Raphael Bostic, there’s, hawkish, “ Powell, ” Seema Shah, Powell, Christopher Waller, you’re, ”, José Torres, ” Powell, Jerome Powell Organizations: DC CNN, Federal, Fed, Commerce Department, Market Committee, Atlanta Fed, Asset Management, CNN, ”, The Labor Department, Interactive Locations: Washington, Wyoming, —

And while Biden’s growing list of Republican challengers differ on many issues, when it comes to the economy, they’re in agreement that Biden failed. In addition, a tight labor market has left many small businesses with ongoing hiring difficulties. Here’s what Biden can take credit for – and what he can’t. In other aspects, the labor market certainly had a boost from Biden’s fiscal policies. Since then, the American workforce has consistently outpaced the pre-pandemic workforce.

Persons: Joe Biden, “, ” Biden, Biden, Jerome Powell, ”, Ben Bernanke, Olivier Blanchard, It’s, it’s, let’s, That’s Organizations: DC CNN, Wednesday, Federal Reserve, –, Congress, American, Manufacturers, Treasury Department, P Global, Institute for Supply Management, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Republicans, Fed, International Monetary Fund, Brookings Institution, Biden, European Central Bank, Federal Reserve Bank of New Locations: Washington, Chicago, American, United States, Ukraine, Federal Reserve Bank of New York

☆ US retail sales rose in May
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Retail sales at stores, online and in restaurants grew 0.3% in May from April, the Commerce Department reported on Thursday. Retail sales data is adjusted for seasonality but not for inflation. Excluding sales at gasoline stations, retail spending increased by a faster clip of 0.6%. From a year ago, overall retail sales rose 1.6% in May. Impact of the labor marketWhile retail sales held up in May, spending has erred on the weaker side after a big jump in January.

Persons: Brian Field, ”, Joshua Shapiro, Maria Fiorini Ramirez, Jerome Powell, Thomas Simons, Deborah Weinswig Organizations: DC CNN, Commerce Department, Sensormatic Solutions, CNN, Federal Reserve, Jefferies, “, Coresight Locations: Washington

☆ Company execs used to trumpet their diversity and climate efforts. Now not so much
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Just 74 members of the S&P 500 even mentioned “ESG” in their first quarter earnings calls, according to new FactSet data. ESG funds have also lost popularity with investors. Total assets under management in ESG funds fell by about $163.2 billion globally during the first quarter of 2023 from the year before, according to data provider Lipper. The Congressman asked whether the company’s diversity initiatives were “directing resources away from the important things like greasing wheel bearings?”Companies “see that certain terms have become lightning rod terms. “You can say you’re increasing diversity initiatives just for the optics, but without data to back it up, you’ll eventually get called out by stakeholders,” he said.

Persons: New York CNN —, George Floyd, “, “ ESG, It’s, —, Lipper, What’s, Bud Light, influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Mike Collins of, ”, Douglas Chia, Chia, they’re, ” It’s, David Duffy, they’ll, you’ll, ’, Powell, Bryan Mena, Jerome Powell, ” Powell, Dow, Stocks, Beyoncé, Anna Cooban, Michael Grahn, ” Grahn, Bruce Springsteen, Grahn, that’s Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, InBev, Silicon Valley, Norfolk Southern, Conference Board’s ESG, . Firms, Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Reserve, KPMG, Corporate Governance Institute, “, Nasdaq, Danske Bank, Reuters, CNN Locations: New York, Ukraine, United States, America, Silicon, Mike Collins of Georgia, East Palestine , Ohio, Denmark, Stockholm, Sweden, Swedish, Gothenburg

☆ Growing number of small businesses worry about inflation and the economy’s future
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —A greater number of small businesses are worried about inflation and future business conditions, according to a survey released Tuesday by the National Federation of Independent Business. The Fed keeps a close eye on inflation expectations to know whether or not US consumers have become used to a certain level of inflation. “Overall, small business owners are expressing concerns for future business conditions,” Bill Dunkelberg, NFIB’s chief economist, said in a release. The share of small business owners expecting better business conditions in the future declined in May while the share reporting that inflation “was their single most important problem in operating their business” increased. Officials are confident that inflation expectations remain in check.

Persons: “, Bill Dunkelberg, it’s, ”, Jerome Powell Organizations: Washington CNN, National Federation of Independent Business, Federal, Fed, Labor Statistics, Index, Employers, Market Committee

☆ Federal Reserve officials are growing skeptical over suspending rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Some officials are concerned inflation isn’t cooling fast enough, which could prompt an 11th consecutive rate hike when policymakers meet in June. Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell and former Federal Reserve Board Chair Ben Bernanke (R) participate in a discussion at the Federal Reserve Board building in Washington, DC, May 19, 2023. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty ImagesEarlier this month, Fed officials voted unanimously to raise the benchmark lending rate by a quarter point to a range of 5-5.25%, while signaling a possible pause ahead. Of course, Fed officials’ thinking on monetary policy could drastically change if the United States defaults on its debt, which could happen as soon as June 1. Fed officials always mention that their views on interest rates largely depend on what economic indicators show, resisting taking an absolute stance on how they will vote.

☆ American consumers are growing worried about a US debt default
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“If policymakers fail to resolve the debt ceiling crisis, these dismal views over the economy will exacerbate the dire economic consequences of default.”The latest survey showed that the university’s consumer-sentiment index fell by 9% in May. Monthly household spending growth tumbled to 5.4% from a revised 7.1% in December, according to the New York Fed’s Household Spending Survey, which is fielded every four months. Michigan’s report showed US household spending was flat in March from the prior month, after limping just 0.1% in February. Stack on top of that the Federal Reserve’s punishing interest-rate increases and still-high inflation, and consumers might just tap out. The Conference Board’s sentiment survey showed that consumer confidence worsened in April as Americans became more worried about the jobs market.

☆ What the April jobs report means for you, your employer, and the Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Minneapolis CNN —High prices, rising interest rates and banking uncertainty be damned: The US labor market is still chugging right along. “The American labor market right now is simply unstoppable,” RSM economist Joseph Brusuelas wrote in a note Friday. “This is what a soft landing would look like, with job growth gradually slowing to a more sustainable pace,” Faucher added. The milestone comes just three years after the Covid-19 pandemic caused mass layoffs that pushed the Black unemployment rate as high as 16.8%. “Make no mistake, the Black [unemployment] rate is still too high,” Shierholz tweeted.

☆ Mortgage rates remain volatile, tick down after climbing for two weeks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington, DC CNN —The only thing consistent about mortgage rates right now is that they are volatile in the wake of mixed economic signals and recent bank failures. Mortgage rates ticked down this week, after climbing for two weeks in a row. When Treasury yields go up, so do mortgage rates; when they go down, mortgage rates tend to follow. Analysts have said that recent bank failures are doing some of the Fed’s work on reducing inflation for it. The move is unlikely to have a big impact on mortgage rates, as the move was already factored in for most investors said Xu.

☆ Accessing credit has become harder, Fed’s Beige Book shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The report captures the effects of last month’s banking turbulence on businesses and banks themselves. “Lending volumes and loan demand generally declined across consumer and business loan types,” the Fed said in its periodic compilation of business survey responses, known as the Beige Book. A tightening in credit conditions was perhaps the biggest change reflected in the latest Beige Book report. While those concerns have largely subsided, many economists feared it would make it harder to access credit. Other banks in the Richmond Fed’s district reported higher inflows of deposits following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, the report said.

☆ Fed Official Backs Higher Interest Rates as Banking Stresses Fade
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Nick Timiraos | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Christopher Waller at a previous event in New York; the Fed official says slow progress in bringing down inflation suggests ‘monetary policy will need to remain tight for a substantial period of time.’A Federal Reserve official said he was prepared to approve another interest-rate increase because recent banking-system stresses haven’t produced a significant pullback in lending while high inflation remains supported by strong growth. “Monetary policy needs to be tightened further,” Fed governor Christopher Waller said in a speech Friday in San Antonio. “I would welcome signs of moderating demand, but until they appear and I see inflation moving meaningfully and persistently down toward our 2% target, I believe there is still more work to do.”

in March, they said the banking crisis heightened that forecast to a recession. Policymakers at the Fed voted unanimously last month for a smaller interest rate increase after turbulence in the banking industry set off fears of bank runs, according to the minutes. The Fed’s latest interest rate increase brought the federal funds rate to a range of 4.75% to 5%, the highest level since September 2007. “Such a tightening in financial conditions would work in the same direction as rate tightening,” Powell said, stressing that the banking industry remained sound. SVB’s collapse was the second-largest bank failure in US history and underpins the worst banking crisis since the Great Recession.

☆ Silicon Valley Bank red flags: Why did almost everyone fail to predict its collapse?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

A bank run took down Silicon Valley Bank on March 10, as depositors withdrew $42 billion in a single day. To embrace a uniquely Silicon Valley ethos that champions boldness, growth and disruption. Silicon Valley Bank held 55% of its customers' deposits in long-dated bonds whose value eroded as interest rates went up. Silicon Valley Bank held an unusually large proportion (55%) of its customers’ deposits in long-dated Treasuries. And for most of that year, Silicon Valley Bank was operating with a massive vacancy in its corporate leadership team: a chief risk officer.

☆ Small US banks see record drop in deposits after SVB collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Deposits at small US banks dropped by a record amount following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank on March 10, data released on Friday by the Federal Reserve showed. Deposits at small banks fell $119 billion to $5.46 trillion in the week ended March 15, which was more than twice the previous record drop and the biggest decline as a percent of overall deposits since the week ended March 16, 2007. Borrowings at small banks, defined as all but the biggest 25 commercial US banks, increased by $253 billion to a record $669.6 billion, the Fed’s weekly data showed. The rise equates to about half as much as the deposit decline at small banks, suggesting some of the cash may have gone into money market funds or other instruments. It was unclear if the shift in deposits out of small banks will persist.

☆ What the banking crisis means for your job
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The Fed’s latest economic projections, released on Wednesday, were largely in line with those from its last forecast, in December. “We are in a situation with inflation elevated and now a banking crisis on top of that,” Brusuelas told CNN. “I think that the Fed’s going to move toward an above 5% unemployment rate forecast, either in June or by September,” he said. “But the costs of failing are much higher.”A new wild cardThen there’s also the scenario that the Fed could get an assist from an unlikely bedfellow — the banking crisis. I do think the odds of a recession have increased in the wake of this banking sector crisis,” he said.

☆ UK interest rates: Bank of England hikes by a quarter percentage point
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —[Breaking news] The Bank of England hiked interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point Thursday, extending its long-running fight against inflation, which rose unexpectedly in February. The central bank made its 11th consecutive rate hike, taking its benchmark rate to 4.25%, the highest since October 2008. ET]The Bank of England is expected to hike rates by a quarter of a percentage point Thursday following an unexpected jump in inflation. The US Federal Reserve hiked rates by a quarter of a percentage point Wednesday. Announcing its rate hike, Switzerland’s central bank said UBS’s weekend takeover of Credit Suisse had “put a halt” to the banking crisis.

☆ Today’s good economic news could spell trouble for Americans down the road
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Christine Romans | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

From the labor market to consumer spending to inflation, key readings on the economy have been running hot. Although that might sound like good news for Main Street, it’s a problem for the Federal Reserve. After a spate of stronger-than-expected economic data, buckle up for an intense few weeks of Fed guessing, especially surrounding the tight labor market. The strong labor market means workers are enjoying the best wage growth in years. The next two weeks will serve as a crucial test on how much more medicine the economy needs.

☆ Time to Get Used to Higher Rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Justin Lahart | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

With inflation high, the job market tight and the economy chugging along, investors are coming to terms with the idea that the Federal Reserve will be setting rates higher for longer. But “longer” might mean even longer than the Fed expects. “The latest economic data have come in stronger than expected, which suggests that the ultimate level of interest rates is likely to be higher than previously anticipated,” Fed Chairman Jerome Powell told the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday. That suggests not only that when it meets later this month, the Fed’s rate-setting committee will raise its target range on overnight interest rates once again, and perhaps by a half a percentage point if economic data over the next couple of weeks runs hot, but also that it may raise its assessment of how high it will lift rates over the course of the year.

☆ Fed Official Says Hotter Data Will Warrant Higher Rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Nick Timiraos | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Federal Reserve will need to raise rates to higher levels than previously anticipated to prevent inflation from picking up if the recent strength in hiring and consumer spending continues, a central bank official said Thursday. “I would be very pleased if the data we receive on inflation and the labor market this month show signs of moderation,” Fed governor Christopher Waller said in remarks posted on the Fed’s website. “But wishful thinking is not a substitute for hard evidence in the form of economic data. After seeing promising signs of progress, we cannot risk a revival of inflation.”

☆ This number shows that high inflation is sticking around
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

London CNN —The latest inflation figures from the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union are feeding hopes that the worst is over and some relief for struggling households could arrive soon. Annual inflation in the United States slowed to 6.4% in January, easing for the seventh consecutive month. In the United Kingdom, which faces weaker economic prospects than its peers, the rate of price increases is also falling: In January, annual inflation dipped to 10.1% from a recent high of 11.1% this past fall. “The bottom line is inflation is still a problem,” said Torsten Slok, chief economist at Apollo Global Management. In the United States, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta publishes a version of the Consumer Price Index that tracks “sticky” prices.

☆ Premarket stocks: SpinCos are the new SPACs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The parent company may distribute the new company’s stock to its shareholders, allowing them to own shares in both. These smaller, newly formed companies are still in the process of establishing themselves in the market and often have lower profit margins than their parent company. It costs a lot to borrow these days and investors are looking for high profits and value stocks, writes Goldman. The Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes have added significantly to the cost of government debt. “As we add trillion after trillion to our debt, the problem only gets worse and compounds.

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